documentation

For a while now, I've been on a mailing list for a fellow named Tom, who (I think) does business as Classiccars.com, somewhere in Western Europe. He emails a list of cars for sale- usually a lot of high-end stuff, seems to specialize in French rally cars from the 80s, as well as Bizzarrinis, Ferraris, etc. The last email, though, contained something different, and if my tech skills will allow, I will reproduce it here:

Documentation ======================================

Ford GT40 1965 Original Belgium papers documentation, ideal for replica 10 000 Euro


I wrote back (rather sardonically, I have to confess) questioning the idea of selling original papers for a genuine GT40 to be used (how?) with a replica. I also asked to be taken off his mailing list.

Does anyone know more about this? Perhaps I am rushing to judgment here and if so I owe the man an apology. But there doesn't seem any savory way to employ original documentation paperwork with respect to a replica car, other than to try to pass it off as something it isn't. Both of my "Ford" performance cars are modern cars built to a design made in the sixties- my GT40 is such, my Kirkham Cobra is as such also. I don't tell people they are vintage cars and when they assume it, I set it straight. I can't think for the life of me why anyone would want to pay $15,000 US for documentation paperwork to be used with a replica GT40 for any purposes other than fraud. Comments?

I should add that at the price he's asking (fifteen thousand USD) this doesn't seem an item for the faint of heart financially. Anyone who could afford $15K for a set of papers could also afford a genuine period GT40, couldn't they? which would come with its own documentation. The whole thing is a puzzle to me.

Perhaps a ticket to FIA papers. Plenty of "replicas" running the vintage circuit. Paper counts!

Indeed there are a few.
Welcome to the corridor of smoke and mirrors....

I am surprised they have not been puchased buy one Mr. "F. Sbarro" yet!

Yeah, no kidding. Smoke and mirrors is right.

I'm glad I'm not alone in my confusion! I did consider asking the chassis number in question.....the ad was forwarded to one Mr. R. Spain

This guy was also selling a "Stratos for restoration" which turned out to be $5000-worth of paperwork. Not so much as a wheelnut

The number in question is GT111 which has already come back to life from dust once.

If you're the type that thinks it's fine to run a replica in a vintage race....where your competitors are struggling with 40 year old chassis and such...then those papers are for you.

For the rest, who think vintage stuff should race against vintage stuff, then those papers are for one, and only one, car....the original car they belong to.

It's really quite simple.

Jay Cushman said:

The number in question is GT111 which has already come back to life from dust once.

Click to expand...

"This is a very rare car, the factory only built six of them, I own all nine"

That's strange, I have 4 in my garage.

As you can see, the whole area surrounding FIA paperwork is full of "smoke and mirrors". How meny cars have been found in someone's shed and then been restored recently? Cars which, according to the guys who built them, we're cut up into tiny little bits and then smelted down. Makes you think.