In a recent post from his Corvette Perspectives blog, prolific Corvette collector Terry Michael of Proteam Corvette shares his thoughts relating to documentation and Classic Corvettes.

Documentation is any paperwork generated by the factory/dealer when the Corvette was assembled and sold. It can include the window sticker, tank sticker, shipper copy, warranty book/protecto-plate, dealer invoice, dealer bill of sale and the owners manual packet.

Terry's Three Facts about Corvette Documentation:

Fact one:
Most older (1953 to 1981) Corvettes do not have any form of documentation. A Corvette with documentation is the anomaly!

Fact Two:
Bloomington Gold and NCRS judges do not judge documentation and documentation is not required to have your Corvette judged, other than a title and proof of insurance. These judges are generally quite experienced and judge by a standard and that standard I refer to as "The Duck Test" being; If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck… it most likely is a duck!!! Sometimes the evidence of the "The Duck Test" is so overwhelming, especially when performed by the truly experienced, it replaces the real need for documentation (paperwork).

Fact Three:
Sadly, the unreasonable and silly thinking that a Corvette without documentation has little value has created a covert cottage industry of entities and/or persons that make/print/create fake aged documentation.

Caveat Emptor:
If documentation is a requirement leading to your purchase of an older Corvette, please hire an expert to affirm that the documentation is, in fact, real and not something that was generated to feed that silly notion that a Corvette must have documentation.

I do see his point about the relevancy of documentation: As the majority of Corvettes do not have documentation, the Corvette itself can be documented against the standard used by the NCRS and Bloomington Gold. And if that Corvette meets the standard, then its value should not be penalized for lacking official documentation.

I would love to open this topic for conversation. How important would documentation be when purchasing a classic Corvette? Click here to comment and let me know what you think.

Source:
tmichaelis.com

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Hi Keith,

The documentation that came with this car is what sealed the deal for me when I purchased this 1958 Survivor* in 2004.I knew that along with the awards the car had already won, these documents assured me that I not only had a nice ride, but I would not take a financial hit at selling time. It was a wise investment for me. I took out a second mortgage on my house to buy this car. It gave me a tax deduction that I was able to enjoy.