When we consider taking a great machine and bringing it to the world stage, we have to somehow breathe life into the history of the car.

Of course, I am not talking about the paperwork but the provenance. The story of the car. You have to be able to paint a picture of the life of the car in such a way as to add some inspiration, aspiration, intrigue and individuality.

You may think that the car you have or the car you are interested in does not have any of those virtues, but I can assure you that most classic cars have a story to tell, somewhere in their history.

The key point here is to gain an understanding of the journey the car has been on from factory to your care. To gain an insight into the owners and develop a kind of family tree of custodians, as it were.

At some point changes could have been made to the car and original elements lost and then found again. Or one of the owners may have had some interesting life events that could have affected the car. And the car could have been restored or revitalised, and this part of the story is interesting, too.

It is up to you to piece together and tell the story. The more compelling you can make it, the more chance you have to accumulate accolades. Now, bear in mind our previous discussions on provenance. There is no room here for falsehood or assumption. You must be able to prove, with some form of documentation, any and all events that you claim to have taken place.

Building this picture is no easy task; you must become a historian and a researcher. You will have to get on the phone, send emails, request details and double check part numbers.

You will become intimately aware of every detail of the car you own, from every screw in the dashboard to every nut and bolt in the engine. You will end up building a picture of the manufacturing conditions and the way the car was produced. You will also get better at geography, knowing where the inspiration for the car came from, the other models it is related to, and the place it has historically for that manufacturer.

These fascinating details are what make the classic car world so wonderful. Meeting fellow enthusiasts who can impart knowledge is what makes car events such a fantastic gathering. Reaching the top of this world is tough going but well worth the effort.

Keep It Simple

In terms of caring for the car, as a classic car owner, you want to keep things as simple as possible. Automobiles of significance are not in need of anything particularly fancy and nothing that simple effort and attention to detail cannot sort.

Cleaning professionally and being prepared for scrutiny is the key element here. You can assume that everyone will want to see the engine and the battery, the boot/trunk and how the seats move. A fully functional car is the foundation of perfection that you should be aspiring to.

A very simple analogy is to think of selling your house. You have to make sure that it is in mint condition, that the photography does it justice, and that the description is accurate. Any misleading details will be found out upon viewing.

You will find as a buyer and a seller that there are quirks to the process, but for all those interested in showing their cars on the world stage, there simply is no way to fudge the results or bluster your way into a Concours d’Elegance or top-level historic racing event. Should you try to do so, you will be found out and restoring trust will be very difficult.

Get The Details Right

I have said it before and I will say it again, when it comes to classic cars, the devil really is in the detail.

To truly maximise the return on your investment, even the smallest detail can be worth thousands of pounds. Things like the original logbook, the toolkit that came with the car, all the knobs and buttons. They all make a car complete and add significant value to the sale price because the buyer does not have to go and get those things to complete the vehicle.

Knowing what to get and where to put it can be a challenge, of course. As I mentioned earlier, you will become a historian on this fabulous journey. Part of that researching will help you to discover exactly what the car should have looked like the day it rolled out of the factory, and that is the holy grail for a car collector.

What did that vehicle ship with? Were there any original documents? Were there any extras that belonged to special versions? You need to know the answers to these questions, and you need to be able to find these facts.

Getting up to speed on these kinds of details may seem like a real battle at times; however, there are ways to make your life easier. One of those is to have a consultant on your side. Someone who may already know where to look, how to get in touch with international dealers, and what exactly it takes to make a great car truly exceptional.