The Answer Is...
The recent focus on "documentation" has prompted newer visitors to Garagistry's Blog to ask "just what and how do I document my classic?" Garagistry Advisor, David Burroughs, founder of Prove It® has provided us excellent advice and we thought it appropriate to provide our newer readers with his guidance.
If your documentation was to support a price sought or paid for a specific vehicle, perhaps one of the following reasons would be very reasonable. Is the vehicle claiming to be:
- Equipped with special features or options?
- Original and unrestored?
- Once owned/used by a historical figure?
- Historically significant?
- Accomplished a
significant feat?
- The first, last, or only of something?
- Any or all the above?
What's Fluff and What Counts?
When asked what documentation supports a claim associated with a particular collector car, the answers heard can be very creative, well-intentioned, but unfortunately - useless.

The Result:
- Fun and nostalgic: Yes.
- Documentation with value: No.
For whatever reason, many owners view such materials as period props that create an impression of credibility. However, a relatively small file folder with specific documents and a couple of key photographs along with an unrestored vehicle can easily trump a ten-volume set of notebooks and three-ring binders.
So, What Constitutes "REAL" Documentation?
First, we clarify what claim we are trying to document. As listed above, is the vehicle asserting to be:
- Equipped with special features or options?
- Is original and un-restored?
- Once owned/used by a historical figure?
- Is historically significant?
- Accomplished a significant feat?
- The first, last, or only of something?
- Any or all the above?
- The vehicle itself. Original, unrestored vehicles are the best documents of all
- The hardware: Includes the engine castings, stampings, VIN tags, trim tags, etc.
- The software: Original factory paperwork, legal affidavits, records
- The photography: Period and during deconstruction
- The people: Prior owners (provenance), expert witnesses, hearsay, rumors, and contradictions
- The forensics: Laboratory analysis of paper, ink, metallurgy when suspect documents or samples are involved
What Can Documents Prove?
Documents cannot always conclusively or definitively prove a claim. In fact, sometimes they can often actually disprove or reduce the likelihood of the claim. But usually owners can support their claim through documentation and at least achieve a peace of mind their documentation makes their claim probable or even highly probable.
Prove It® (Collector Car Authenticators) rank the strength of documentation on the following scale:
- Definitive / Virtually Certain
- Highly Probable / Virtually Certain but missing conclusive documents
- Probable
- Indicative
- Inconclusive
- Improbable
- Highly Improbable
- Definitively Impossible
Conclusion:
Whether you have a true one-of-a-kind, or a classic daily driver, protect your investment with documentation. If you haven't already begun to collect the materials, documents and photographs you can obtain, perhaps today is a good day to start.