RINA CERTIFIES AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES’ HISTORICAL RESEARCH: A NEW BENCHMARK IN THE SECTOR
May 21, 2024
Genoa, May 21, 2024 – Agreement signed between two Genoese companies: RINA, a multinational certification firm active in over seventy countries, and AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES, specialized in historical and documentary research for cars of significant historical value. Thanks to this agreement, RINA certifies the methodology of historical research conducted by AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES. The expertise and recognized authority of RINA provide official recognition, as a formal document, to the research work on the historicity and provenance that AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES has been carrying out for years and has enhanced over time with advanced techniques including recent AI innovations applied to photographic and documentary archives, aimed at valuing the global automotive heritage.
Sandro Binelli, Founder and General Coordinator of AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES Srl, stated: “At AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES research institute, we have always worked with scientific rigor, following parameters consolidated and proven by our experience. We have consistently honored our heritage while embracing innovations that allow us to achieve previously unimaginable results; indeed, we were among the first to utilize the AI technology that is much discussed today. We believe in collaboration and sharing, as evidenced by our relationships with historical archives. Our collaboration with RINA opens new possibilities for us due to their experience in the certification sector and beyond. Thanks to RINA, we are the first to offer genuine certification of automobile history, enhancing the value of the automotive heritage and certifying its worth. This service is just the beginning within a broader framework of projects aimed at collectors and investors, to protect and enhance vintage cars as cultural assets and art objects.”
Maurizio Turtura, Head of Automotive Product Management at RINA, stated: “The collaborative relationship with AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES, through the work of the team led by Sandro Binelli, is opening new frontiers in our areas of expertise. As RINA, we aim to offer the automotive market services that protect and enhance this sector, and a company like AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES has proven to have the know-how and methodology to conduct accurate and verifiable historical research with the parameters we require. We will soon launch the RINA Car Valuation and RINA Car Passport services, absolute novelties for the world of vintage and collector cars that involve an independent certification body to issue certifications based on specific regulations, standards, or norms.”
The first car for which AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES' historical research has been certified by RINA is a 1952 Fiat 8V ZAGATO. The chassis number 000002, the oldest surviving and one of only six pre-production specimens, is the prototype for the thirty cars made by Zagato and is the most raced Fiat 8V. The research brought to light new findings and allowed for validations: a remarkable number of previously unpublished photos were discovered, as well as videos from the period. Much information, obtained from the analysis of contemporary press, led to corrections of the history handed down. Finally, participations in events that were not previously known were discovered; at least 8, totaling 74 races competed in.
ABOUT AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES
Founded by Sandro Binelli in Genoa, AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES is a research center and publisher dedicated to rare cars belonging to specific eligibility categories. Established with the symmetrical principles of catalyzing and sharing knowledge of automotive heritage through historical research, it operates under strict principles (Manifesto) and works with experience and passion with the most important and ancient photographic and documentary archives. It uses cutting-edge tools that are constantly updated. The research culminates in the creation of dedicated reports, websites, thematic books on individual specimens, and book series, such as volumes on cars that participated in the most important races. In addition to its activities as a research institute and publisher, AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES also has a set of trademarks and projects registered in the automotive sector, which will soon be launched internationally and include a car concours, a museum with an innovative concept, and a thematic auction.
