"MY CAR HISTORY" is Martin Schröder's offer to owners of important automobiles to research the history of their collector's car on the basis of primary sources.
But what criteria should be used to document and evaluate a historic automobile?
Martin Schröder has developed his own approach to documenting the individual history of your vehicle as an automobile historian. In times when the history of a car accounts for a significant part of its value, this can be crucial.
How is a collector's value created for automobiles?
As in any market, the value is formed from the two components of supply and demand. Large supply = low price (volume manufacturers), small or limited supply = high price.
In the case of automobiles, Hermann Lapper's classic phrase "love for it" adds the power of love, or emotionality, which should not be underestimated. This can be determined by very different feelings - or are they criteria after all? - can be determined by very different feelings. The dream car of one's youth, body design, love for a brand, a period, a style and many others.
In any case, apart from the collector's financial means, emotion is the driving force, even when it comes to the weaknesses of a design or a surviving example. Some people like to work on their "treasure" themselves, others prefer to work in their profession so that they have the means to pay the restorer.
Even the sometimes somewhat shy investor speculates on the emotionality of collectors, i.e. market participants.
Proceeding according to market-relevant criteria
A number of criteria are recommended when documenting a historic automobile, although these criteria do not necessarily have to be set in stone:
- Consideration of value-relevant features
- Historical classification and evaluation, significance at the time of manufacture and significance today, technical and historical relevance of the construction
- Design-historical significance of the bodywork at the time of manufacture and significance today
- Significance in racing in the current era and today (if applicable)
Specific procedure
The documentation of a collector's vehicle is usually approached as follows:
- The interested party presents their vehicle or collection
- Martin Schröder verifies whether he is competent for the vehicle, i.e. whether he has detailed primary knowledge (Mr. Schröder is happy to leave Ferrari racing cars and sports cars, for example, to other specialists)
- If the car is eligible for documentation, a thorough on-site inspection of the car is carried out and all documents are studied at the owner's premises. This is normally charged at a flat rate of EUR 1000 (plus VAT) in the D/A/CH region.
- As a result, the customer receives an offer for the detailed documentation - depending on the effort involved, the costs for this are between EUR 5000 and EUR 10,000. This price includes the purchase of antiquarian specialist literature and the rights for purchased photos. Good contacts to important photo archives help with this.
- Five copies of the resulting document (hardcover with designed title page, book block concealed ring binding) as well as a USB stick with the PdF of the documentation(sample Porsche 907-029) and all photos in full resolution are included in the scope of delivery
Martin Schröder can be contacted directly by email or telephone (+49 179 29 733 62) for further information.
Address/Contact
Martin Schröder
MERCATOR Consulting GmbH
Am Wedemarkbad 33
D-30900 Wedemark Mellendorf
email address
Phone: +49 179 29 733 62