| Author | Message | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Advanced Member Username: Peter Post Number: 2826 Registered: 12-2000 |
I'm missing a few years here-and-there, but I have a pretty detailed history of my car... In fact, by chance, I discovered the first owner of my car, right here at Ferrarichat!  It starts off as a question about A/C in a 308 GT4 and then... http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/3198.html | ||
| J Michael Jordan (Fonce_r_cheval)
Junior Member Username: Fonce_r_cheval Post Number: 95 Registered: 11-2002 |
Ron, If you're interested in this area concerning Ferraris, I suggest a subscription to Cavallino Magazine. They seem to have lots of stories about old(and not so old) Ferraris. | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Intermediate Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 1248 Registered: 5-2002 |
DMV records of each state USE to allow anybody to track the history of any car. DMV records were considered public records so anybody could walk into the DMV and track title history. Some states kept records only for 10 years or so. (like California?). Other states (like Arkansas) have records going back 50 years. But when actress Rebecca Shaefer was murder by a stalker back in 1996(?), Congress passed the Driver Protection Safety Act to prevent anybody except cops, licensed detectives, etc, from getting access to old title records. That put an end to me tracking down old Corvette histories. But you can still do your own detective work and simply do your best to track down previous owners one at a time, working your way back in time. But there are more and more dead ends every day. As time passes on, so do previous owners. The past swallows up the history. If any particular car actually has racing history, one can usually find a sanctioning body with some old records. I once talked to the SCCA historian who had kept tons of records on old races. He helped shed some light on some 427 Corvettes that were entered in some races back in the 60s. I'm sure the Ferrari world is even murkier, and more sparsely populated. Probably populated with even more strange and colorful characters. | ||
| L. Wayne Ausbrooks (Lwausbrooks)
Intermediate Member Username: Lwausbrooks Post Number: 1820 Registered: 8-2002 |
As far as owner histories go, there are people out there who have spent a large portion of their lives researching these cars and tracking their various owners (collecting documentation, interviewing those involved with the cars, etc.). When these people get together with others like them, information is shared and holes are filled in. Still mistakes have been made and mysteries remain. Odds are that these owners are quoting information passed on to them by one or more of these history buffs. Sometimes it's accurate, sometimes not. Sometimes there is still a lot to be learned. That's all I can say. | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Intermediate Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 1560 Registered: 10-2002 |
Ron There is a lot of that and there's often a very complex web that takes a long time to figure out. Wayne? Gerald? | ||
| Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member Username: Ronsupercar Post Number: 861 Registered: 5-2002 |
James, What I'm refering to is the guy at the show who says, This car was owned by the Duke of Earl who used it to buy French bread Sunday Mornings. He then sold it to the Little Lord Funklerroyd who was a big gambler and lost it in a game of craps.. The new owner hated it so he let it sit in a barn for 50yrs and forgot about it. When my dad Bought the land, we discovered it and restored it and now it's worth 100 kagillion dollars.... Who can give a history like that about their car.. (the real deal,,,I know you guys ) | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 898 Registered: 11-2002 |
Arlie, Funny you mention that because it happened to an acquaintance of mine with a 1966 427 Tri Power Vette. Ouch. After a lot of legal hassle he managed to keep the car. Not sure how or what expenses were absorbed. I don't know though. I think I'd rather know anyway and clear the air. Get it out of the way. Cheers | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Intermediate Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 1246 Registered: 5-2002 |
From my searchings in the murky world of Corvette documentation, a good rule of thumb is "don't look for things that you don't want to know". Suppose you track your collectable car back to Uncle Joe Smith in Tumbleweed, Arizona in 1958. Turns out Uncle Joe sold the car without a title. Only had a bill of sale. But Uncle Joe's nephew really owned the car, and STILL has the title in his possession. Congratulations, you know have proven that you DO NOT HAVE LEGAL OWNERSHIP of your beloved car. Uncle Joe's nephew could come knocking at your door looking for HIS car. And if he has the title in hand, you could be in a legal nest of snakes. It's happened before. Can't speak for Ferraris, but there have been Corvettes that have been stolen and discovered a thousand miles and 25 years later. Wouldn't it be fun to find out that the title to your classic Ferrari was never properly signed over to the third owner and you are owner number 10? If it was a Ford Pinto or a 64 Plymouth, nobody would care. But if the car is valuable, watch out. Oh, the anguish. | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Intermediate Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 1558 Registered: 10-2002 |
Yes. You read books. You ask people who were there. You look at photos. You search. You read original documents. You take your car apart. You examine it. Sometimes you do forensic analisis. You ask experts. You write letters. Sometimes it is very clear, sometimes it's cloudy... | ||
| Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member Username: Ronsupercar Post Number: 857 Registered: 5-2002 |
I see alot of video where the owner of an historical or Exotic vehicle tells you the history of each owner of the car.. I mean detailed stuff.. How do you obtain the info? Is there anyone here that can display their wonder car's family tree all the way from birth to today? |