Well that sounds like a line from a 1950’s “I Love Lucy” TV sitcom - “you have some explaining to do”… A lot depends on the context which was left out. Did OP have permission to use the classic car? Was OP at fault for the scratch? Did OP know that husband cared deeply about his immaculate condition classic car?… When it comes to treasured possessions, it matters less the monetary value of the thing than the emotional attachment you have. Obviously this car had a great emotional value to OP’s husband. And to be honest, I think he showed a lot of restraint in his grief instead of apparently lashing out at OP… OP, just because something is less important to you than someone else means nothing at all. When people have a strong emotional attachment to an object, it usually means the object is a stand-in for something else. Sometimes the person doesn’t even recognize that themselves. When you know that something is especially important to someone you care for, it’s best to leave it alone… In the meantime, offer to get the car restored and pay for it yourself. If it’s just a minor scratch a good auto detailer could probably take care of the issue. If it’s worse, it’s going to be expensive (auto body repair and paint).

I'm not surprised. I don't know what his relationship with his dad was like, but I have a good guess of what his relationship with his classic car is.

Potentially more **** his life than **** your life. When my father passed a few years ago, after about half a year of paliative care in the home from me and my sisters, I was numb. Cold. Couldn't cry, not even during the funeral. A month or so later, of all the stupid things, my freezer broke and the additional stress from that made me break as well, finally allowing me some good hard relief in the form of crying and helping me process my grief from the loss of my father. We humans work in weird and different ways, and it could be the same for your husband, thus potentially FHL for having someone like you around.