If you’ve spent any kind of time in the collector car world, then you’ve certainly heard the word “provenance” bantered around. “This car has provenance,” “That car has great provenance,” “This car’s provenance is unknown.” At its most superficial level, some enthusiasts believe this to denote a car’s history. And to some extent they are right…and at the same time very wrong.
An interesting or significant car can have exceptional history, but no provenance, whereas a car with exceptional provenance, by definition, has to have history—though that history may not be particularly interesting or exciting! Confused? Well, you’re not alone, but as you’ll see in a moment, awareness of and attention to provenance is rapidly growing.
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