Mike Terry

How many cars really have the original documentation? If you look at cars over the last 50 or more years who had the hind sight to save the original documentation that came with the car when they bought it? You see all these cars at the Barrett Jackson Auction and Mecum Auction and at Pro Team that have all the original paper work from when it was bought new back in the day, do you think it is all REAL? I buy a new truck every year and I do not save the window stickers and the papers telling when I bought the truck or how much I paid for it. I throw that stuff away before I turn it in and get a new truck. I don't want some one knowing how much I paid for it or where I live. Do you really think all that paper work is real? I know some of it may be but there sure is a lot of cars and Corvettes advertised having original paperwork and history and documentation. I know you can get some copies from NCRS or other places but do you think they are all with the original paper work? It is easy to make new paper work look old, that is easier then making an old car look new.

After38Years

Because I'm the original owner and I have the window sticker, order form, owner's card, etc....

To the OP's point, probably not as many suffer from the hoarding instinct like I do.

mikelj

I have only bought one C2 Corvette with an original window sticker, owners manual, warranty book, pin, etc. They are rare, and the more owners involved, the more likely they did not survive. I have a C3 with everything, and I mean everything, it was delivered with still intact. But it was only one owner before me. Yes, they can all be faked, but there are ways and resources to figure that out.

But, whenever I buy a car or truck, I save everything from delivery, including the plastic wraps on things and tags. In 50 years, I am hoping all that stuff stays together with future owners.

Nowhere Man

Talk to anyone who ever worked at a used car lot and they will tell you one of the first things they did was clean the glove box out and throw everything away. Now think how many of these cars has spent time on a used car lot. Or had many owners who wher young and all they wanted was a fast car and could care less about anything less. I don't want to throw a percent out but I can bet you only 15% of the cars with papers are real.

LouieM

I've owned 21 midyears over the decades and only one had even a warranty book. Tank stickers may have been there for the later ones but I never looked. Very very very few guys were aware of or cared about original documents, since they weren't going to be keeping their Vettes as investments or historical artifacts. None of my friends with Vettes cared about or had any original paperwork either. I am suspicious about there being so many Sting Rays these days whose original and all subsequent owners were prescient enough to retain original documentation for future authentication.

vettebuyer6369

I got my SWC's documentation including the canceled check front the original purchaser, so I'm pretty confident in its authenticity.

tuxnharley

I do, for my '67 - POP, original dealers bill of sale, etc.

Funny thing is 'tho, the car isn't original. I've owned it since '71 when it was just a used car before NCRS even existed. One of the first things I did was to take out the old tired L79 and throw it away to replace it with a LT1 350/370.

Who knew......

65-396

I'll bet it's more like 5% !!!!

Frankie the Fink

As a lot boy for my Dad's 60s used car lot I can confirm tossing all that original paperwork into the 'round file'...

The good thing about classic cars with original paperwork is that there are more being produced every day

DansYellow66

I may be the exception and I don't buy new and nearly-new cars as frequently as some - but I keep everything with them. All the glove box contents, the window sticker, shop manuals if I buy one, receipts, dealership brochure, etc. My year-old at purchase 2012 Mustang GT was lacking the window sticker when I bought it but I found I could go into a Ford website, enter the VIN and get a duplicate printed out.

So I'm not too surprised that a lot of original Corvette purchasers kept all the delivery documentation and ownership records since these cars were not just your everyday run-of-the mill 6 cyl Impalas or Chevelles. Of course 7 or 8 years later when they were just becoming used cars I suspect subsequent owners often discarded or lost it.

Frankie the Fink

I can tell you that during the gas crisis of the '70s people couldn't care two craps about muscle cars. My brother was glad to sell his 383ci Super Bee for $300 back then. So a lot of those cars were treated like worthless iron and non-essentials (like paperwork) were lost...

Mike Terry

Hats off to After38 myears and Vettebuyer6369 and Tuxnharley it is a rare thing to have all the paper work on the history of your cars. I know it makes them worth more $$$$ if at some point you decide to sell and it is cool to show off the papers on your cars to your friends. This way it helps tell the story of the history of your cars.Way to go. My 67 only has 15383 miles on it and the o;lr original papers I have with it is the owners manual and that it is. I wish I had more. The tank sticker is in place and will stay there as long as I own it and as far as I know that should be a long time. It is to darn hard to find original C 2 Corvettes with as low of miles as my car has. Just wish I had the rest of the paperwork.

66jack

I have the POP/Warranty book and 2 items from the Dealership that sold it to the OO, of which the OO verified that these are his and his wife's signature's on the paperwork of my car, of which I've owned since 1974...

The OO of my car still lives here in town and i see him about once a year at the bigger show/shines...

capevettes

Alot of the paperwork went into the watebasket when the cars were purchased. The ignition shielding was soon to follow after the first tuneup. I haven't seen alot of paperwork over the years but recently, since it enhances value, there's alot of it. Much of it is bogus/repros.

449er

That mileage equals 313 miles per year! And I thought I had a low mileage car ( 2010 w/ 3,400 miles )

bb62

My 67 has everything - and I mean everything. The dealer still has the original invoice (of which he made me a copy because he didn't want the car faked), but I have all the rest of the paperwork - among them:
. Original Window Sticker
. Corvette order - Copy #7 document
. Tank sticker (still on the tank - but visible and clean)
. POP (with service records noted inside)
. A news article on the car and original owner from 1968 (with pictures) that I got from the original owner
. Letter from the original owner with a contemporary picture
. and more

I've been told that I may have the only 67 435 with a Copy #7 Corvette order document.

The original owner just kept all the paperwork in a folder. The second owner bought the car as an investment back in 1970 because he heard that compression ratios were going down and thought that these high compression cars would be collectable some day. After 25 years of ownership, he sold to me (of which I've owned the car for 21 years). The car was sold to both prior owners by the same dealer - who I spoke to at length about the car and who knows both prior owners well (both of whom I also had discussions with). I've been told by a few knowledgeable people that my Corvette may be the best documented 67 435 out there. But who knows....

Frankie the Fink

Vettebuyer may have the coolest story and I should let him tell it.

It had me scratching my head as to what original owner would keep all the paperwork for a car that he sold decades before FOR 53 YEARS...

I'm lucky if I can dredge up an old tax return from the late 90s

65hihp

You tell it.
It will be more entertaining that way.

hope2

Quite a few, but they ain't getting passed around anymore.

Many original paperwork cars have passed through my hands over the years. These cars tend to land in a permanent home. imop

hope2

AND, rolled back the mileage. The glovebox cleanout was a cover up.