Automotive Masterpieces' Manifesto

A cultural catalyst for enriching the heritage of the motor vehicle

These few lines define clearly and simply what we believe.

This MANIFESTO is not a “private rule” but is a declaration of intent addressed to everyone and, we hope, shared by everyone in the common interest of knowledge.

Passion
  • We are, above all, people who love cars.
  • We especially love those rare and significant cars that have played a role in history.
  • Our mission is to undertake historical research on rare, often unique, cars.
  • We believe that the heritage of the motor car has a lot to teach us.
  • We believe that history is not only what is written in books but is also embodied by the cars.
  • We believe that cars, both those carefully preserved and those which have evolved over time, are precious pieces of history that, when understood, help us to reconstruct the past.
Vision
  • To make both well known history and the results of current historical research on motoring heritage accessible digitally as well as through exhibitions, hence promoting the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
  • Creating the reference website for information and research on historic cars. Generating authoritative books and series of books on the subject as well as organizing world class thematic exhibitions.
  • Maximising the benefits of the “tag” culture and working method.
History
  • Historical research is our key to discovering or confirming the heritage of a car. Clarifying any possible doubts or uncertainties.
  • We believe that having the opportunity to study these precious vehicles is a great responsibility.
  • We believe in transparency.
  • We believe in challenging preconceptions, interests, expectations.
  • We believe in accuracy, objectivity, respect for the facts.
  • We believe in independence.
  • We trace the history of cars, classifying them, obviously, according to the unique chassis number.
  • Historical research is our “core activity”, the basis for a range of instruments that we propose or are already actively developing: reports, websites, books, exhibitions, summits.
  • We believe that historical discoveries don’t have a copyright, but that they do have, an undisputed, “paternity”.
  • We understand from our own experience that information doesn’t come quickly or easily. And that new discoveries can change or turn upside down a well known “truth”.
  • We understand that we have to be ready to change perspective and overturn certainties in the name of the truth. And that this is a winning principle, not a defeat.
  • We believe that sometimes the results of historical research do not match expectations.
  • We believe that sometimes these are the best discoveries we can make.
Digitalization
  • We support and promote the digitalization of information as an instrument of knowledge. Obviously the first step is digitalize the information gathered by the collector on their car.
  • There are many (public and private) archives out there, sometimes neglected, difficult to access or perhaps “closed”. Sometimes, on the contrary, they are cared for but little known, often they contain precious analog media (paper documents, printed and photographic material). We propose the digitalization of the archives including the photographic and paper material so that they can be shared.
  • We believe that the intellectual property rights of the archives must always be respected and guaranteed.
Sharing
  • Through digitalization we want to facilitate knowledge: lost information can come back to life and become widely available.
  • We believe in wonder, doubt and curiosity, as some of the origins of knowledge.
  • We believe in sharing knowledge: knowledge hoarded does not bear fruit.
  • As a corollary, we believe that mere information is worthless.
  • We want to be a cultural catalyst to gather information, classify and promote cars, and generate a reaction.
  • We want to promote the collective enjoyment of the heritage of the motor car.
Internet of things
An example of facilitation are the “Beacons” we have developed to enable cars to tell their own stories, transmitting their past to the future. When you’re in the vicinity of an Automotive Masterpiece fitted with a Beacon, the Automotive Masterpieces App installed in your smartphone (with Bluetooth turned on), receives a feed and activates the dedicated website where you can discover the car’s history. It’s an example of the ”Internet of Things”, where technology meets culture.
The TAG Global Automotive Tagging
A project created by AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES, but independent thereof, which has the goal of
  • listing cars,
  • promoting a web page
  • assigning basic tags to the car
  • linking to a web page for each tag
a basic research allows you to discover the brand, the model, the coachwork and much more about that specific car.
Each tag links to further web pages that group the cars together, according to a defined set of topics and categories.
With further information available, through group pages, it’s also easy to identify anniversaries connected to groups of cars or other identifying aspects.
The cars registered in the pages, through the TAG project, are eligible for inclusion in AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES but may not yet have been included.
While, all the cars included in the AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES are automatically included in the TAG - Global Automotive Tagging project.
Exhibitions Lab
The Exhibitions Lab can be described as a “brainstorming laboratory” where ideas, proposals, plans and concepts are developed and brought to focus on a topic/tag.
Thanks to AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES’ historical research, a particular focus has been dedicated to validating tags for historic races, motor shows or concours d’elegance and adding them, where confirmed, to the car tags.
  • The “lab” creates the tags, but not only: it is the virtual space to share new ideas and important findings discovered through our survey.
  • Each topic is developed and further expanded – according to the historical value and importance of the cars listed – using real and virtual exhibitions and creating the “CHASSIS” books.
  • Our goal is to track events and involve the organisers, who can thereby promote their events through the stories of the cars that participated.
  • We want to propose to collectors, excited about the history of their cars, the opportunity to exhibit their vehicles with others which participated in the same events, sharing a history that can be unfurled to new generations.
  • We want to involve museums and collections in “moving” and exchanging cars as well as loaning material for thematic exhibitions.
Cultural catalyst
  • We believe in creating and sharing a vision of the future of the heritage of the motor vehicle.
  • We believe in the power of working together to tell the story of motoring and its heritage.
  • Summits are an opportunity we’re working on. As a cultural catalyst we’d like to bring the sharing of knowledge to a higher level. But we can’t do this alone. We foresee a situation where anyone in possession of information and evidence, meeting others with the same interests, will want to get together to participate, help, share and discuss those interests. Everyone can and must do their part. Automotive Masterpieces’ role, and privilege in this case, is to bring together and/or coordinate these physical bearers of experience and put them on the public stage. The subject of historical research put on the stage, always based on the survey of the Exhibitions Lab, would be a form of Edutainment.
Vision
  • To make both well known history and the results of current historical research on motoring heritage accessible digitally as well as through exhibitions, hence promoting the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
  • Creating the reference website for information and research on historic cars. Generating authoritative books and series of books on the subject as well as organizing world class thematic exhibitions.
  • Maximising the benefits of the “tag” culture and working method.
Digitalization
  • We support and promote the digitalization of information as an instrument of knowledge. Obviously the first step is digitalize the information gathered by the collector on their car.
  • There are many (public and private) archives out there, sometimes neglected, difficult to access or perhaps “closed”. Sometimes, on the contrary, they are cared for but little known, often they contain precious analog media (paper documents, printed and photographic material). We propose the digitalization of the archives including the photographic and paper material so that they can be shared.
  • We believe that the intellectual property rights of the archives must always be respected and guaranteed.
Exhibitions Lab
The Exhibitions Lab can be described as a “brainstorming laboratory” where ideas, proposals, plans and concepts are developed and brought to focus on a topic/tag.
Thanks to AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES’ historical research, a particular focus has been dedicated to validating tags for historic races, motor shows or concours d’elegance and adding them, where confirmed, to the car tags.
  • The “lab” creates the tags, but not only: it is the virtual space to share new ideas and important findings discovered through our survey.
  • Each topic is developed and further expanded – according to the historical value and importance of the cars listed – using real and virtual exhibitions and creating the “CHASSIS” books.
  • Our goal is to track events and involve the organisers, who can thereby promote their events through the stories of the cars that participated.
  • We want to propose to collectors, excited about the history of their cars, the opportunity to exhibit their vehicles with others which participated in the same events, sharing a history that can be unfurled to new generations.
  • We want to involve museums and collections in “moving” and exchanging cars as well as loaning material for thematic exhibitions.
Internet of things
An example of facilitation are the “Beacons” we have developed to enable cars to tell their own stories, transmitting their past to the future. When you’re in the vicinity of an Automotive Masterpiece fitted with a Beacon, the Automotive Masterpieces App installed in your smartphone (with Bluetooth turned on), receives a feed and activates the dedicated website where you can discover the car’s history. It’s an example of the ”Internet of Things”, where technology meets culture.
Cultural catalyst
  • We believe in creating and sharing a vision of the future of the heritage of the motor vehicle.
  • We believe in the power of working together to tell the story of motoring and its heritage.
  • Summits are an opportunity we’re working on. As a cultural catalyst we’d like to bring the sharing of knowledge to a higher level. But we can’t do this alone. We foresee a situation where anyone in possession of information and evidence, meeting others with the same interests, will want to get together to participate, help, share and discuss those interests. Everyone can and must do their part. Automotive Masterpieces’ role, and privilege in this case, is to bring together and/or coordinate these physical bearers of experience and put them on the public stage. The subject of historical research put on the stage, always based on the survey of the Exhibitions Lab, would be a form of Edutainment.