Reviews
Far from being a gossipy look at the stories surrounding these cars, Griffin looks at them with a considered eye developed during his years as a lawyer... it's the way the author discusses the different arguments that really make this book a must-have for anyone interested in historic vehicles...
A historic car is both a precious asset and a piece of rolling history. Its value draws on its origins and its ownership is a responsibility, albeit an exciting one. Yet how can you know that any important machine is what it seems? This is not a dry legal textbook...
Paul Griffin is uniquely placed to have written this exceptional treatise, as a lawyer of repute with deep experience of historic motoring and an eye for a great quote and illuminating analogy…This book sparkles with genuine enthusiasm for its subject…
Extracts
This is a celebrated and significant car: a rare Ferrari with an extensive race history and connections to fabled drivers and owners. Despite its rebuilding, there seems no doubt that it is the direct descendant in an unbroken line from the car delivered in 1961. And no other car is known to claim this identity. To the extent that a single word can describe it, what would that word be – original, authentic, proper, genuine or something else?
Here was an example of two cars that could properly be considered to be the same MG of celebrated heritage. Within comparatively short time, their respective owners submitted their claims to two separate authorities for determination. The DVLA appears to have preferred the claim of the car continuously bearing the original registration number. The owners’ club seems to have preferred the claim in relation to the car built on the original chassis.
But some will struggle even to establish the necessary “continuation” from the original manufacturer. Several of today’s pretenders struggle to establish their manufacturer credentials or that they do, in reality, stand in the shoes of their purported forebear. Today’s owner of recently-acquired intellectual property rights may struggle to overcome the niff of the johnny-come-lately.