[Atuckman]

I want to share my thoughts on the Letter of Authenticity process for those who care

In his 70s, Joel still owns and manages a small business to stay active and pay their bills.
He is constantly called by both collectors and speculators to advise on whether a car is real or not.
In return for his time, he charges a fee to review information provided to him as well as check his own files from Motion Performance.
His time is valuable and can’t be returned...why should his fee?

If that isn’t enough, a letter recognizing a car's connection to MP will create substantial value for the car's owner.
Joel doesn't charge extra for documents that he locates and is happy to provide them to the owner.
He doesn't charge more if the car is real. Seems very fair to me.

Skeptics question the breath of information he has on Motion cars.
He has openly stated in private and public forums that his documentation is not complete.
40+yr old files exist but aren’t organized digitally and some were destroyed in an office fire.
Unfortunately, he can’t search by customer, VIN, year or body style.
The process takes time.

I’ve heard some people question why he hasn’t made a list of his cars available to the public.
Same reason the state doesn’t give away winning lottery numbers.
We live in a free country, thank g-d, and its his right and he isn’t hurting anyone.

Joel provides letters based on his findings. If there is substantial evidence that a car was sourced through Baldwin or several other dealerships and modified when new or after by MP, his letter will say it. Evidence can include: order forms, invoices, NICB reports, owner history, vintage photos, physical evidence, etc.
Physical evidence alone is not enough to confirm a BM car.

If the evidence is inconclusive, his letter will say so.
Accountability falls on him and there are big dollars involved.
An "inconclusive" or “maybe” letter is just that. Buyers beware.
These cars become "story cars" that could have been modified after new using catalog parts.
Joel doesn’t want to have liability if a car is proven otherwise at a later time.

Joel is professional and explains process up front.
He told me years ago to do my homework before beginning the process and paying the fee.

He is very happy to learn of new cars being discovered.
Unfortunately, he has had to deal with some difficult personalities over the years.

In my opinion, he is one of the “musclecar greats” and has given many of us a lot to smile about.
Lucky for us, he is still around to tell stories and join us at events like MCACN
Wish i could have enjoyed it back in the day!