Study on the definition of an originality index for historic vehicles
Mr. Benjamin Küttner completed his bachelor’s thesis for his degree in automotive engineering at the HTW Berlin in September 2010. The topic of his thesis was: “Investigation into the definition of an originality index for historic vehicles.” Since there are currently only recognized options in Germany for taking the condition of a vintage car into account, but many classic vehicle enthusiasts place more value on originality than on the most perfect condition possible, the question of how to assess the originality of the vehicles arises. The bachelor’s thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lüder Rodewald from the HTW Berlin and our managing director Dipl.-Ing. Roland Kayser, as a lecturer and lecturer at the HTW.
In summary, we lovers of historic metal can say that Mr. Küttner has succeeded in developing the most objective method possible for determining the originality value of a vehicle, regardless of the vehicle’s condition. This means that a vehicle in top condition can receive a moderate rating of originality, and a vehicle in a dilapidated, non-drivable condition can receive a very good rating of originality. Ultimately, it would be possible to recreate a true-to-original classic car so well that it would be almost indistinguishable from the original, but would ultimately only consist of replica parts. This might be difficult, but is basically possible. According to Mr. Küttner’s method, such a car would have a condition rating of 1 and an NA (Numerus Archetypus) of 0%. A car that has never been touched or driven after its initial delivery would have an NA of 100%, but a condition rating of 5 or worse, because it would certainly not be drivable and would require various spare parts and work.
Mr. Küttner and Atelier Automobile GmbH will continue to perfect the Numerus Archetype method and have it assessed within the “classic car scene”.
If you would like, you can download the bachelor thesis here, read it through at your leisure and, if necessary, tell us your opinion about it.