I was delighted when offered the opportunity to provide comments regarding my personal experience as a client, recipient of Donald Osborne’s professional services. Donald has a long client list that he has advised over many years. Searching for and finding interesting cars, vetting the cars and sellers, advising and assisting in any subsequent purchase are some of his many services.
Indeed, he has advised me on multiple occasions, including the highly valuable guidance when not to pursue a purchase. I feel that I am the ideal client to recount the characteristics of a valued, trusted, respected advisor relationship we all seek to establish to further enhance our enjoyment of our passionate collector car hobby.
This story does not recount the success or failure of a “one and done” transaction. Instead it evolves over four years into one of the great automotive adventures we all dream of… the story of one little car that literally took me & Donald around the world. This magical journey is welded on a strong chassis of friendship, shared passion for getting things “right”, exhaustive academic research, and thoughtful, well-considered advice at every step of the journey.
The ignition spark for this amazing adventure set us off in 2014 when I acquired a 1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Normale in Italy from one of Donald’s contacts with the expressed purpose of applying to the 2015 Mille Miglia.
Accepted!
I asked Donald to join me as co-piloto and we enjoyed the thrills and awe of successfully completing the “rolling museum”.
Savoring that experience I was eager to acquire another car that met eligibility, had provenance, condition, and favorable prospects to be accepted to participate in the Mille Miglia in 2016. But this time I wanted to find an older post-war car.
I had no experience with pre-war cars and I strongly desired a late 40’s-early 50’s entry to secure a lower starting number in the middle of the pack. An car’s entry number in the Mille Miglia and consequently its starting time is determined by the date of manufacture.
An earlier starting time leads to a very different Mille Miglia experience. I made my desires and goal known to Donald and he selectively used his vast network of clients, vendors, dealers & friends throughout Europe to identify an array of cars that might fit my criteria and goals.
After a thorough vetting that included suitability for the Mille Miglia, condition, rarity, provenance, seller reputation, mechanical & bodywork needs, design & style, and, of course, value, the initial list of possibilities was reduced to a manageable list of exciting cars.
Donald was promptly retained to personally evaluate these cars in Italy as well as a few other European countries, searching for that ideal fit. He enthusiastically recommended the potential of a particular 1946 Fiat 1100 C Spider. I had actually previously seen this Fiat at a good friend’s facility in Bergamo and was quickly in agreement with Donald’s reasoned recommendation.
This Fiat’s design & style was unlike most cars emerging from Italy’s post-war automotive design explosion. The unadorned design clearly pointed to the future and signaled Industrial design responding to the jet age.
The significance of this unique spider was apparent when it was confirmed that this strikingly designed car, painted red like most every other one of its type in Italy, was actually the very first car designed and built by Pietro Frua after he established Carrozzeria Frua in Torino at the end of WWII .
The car’s mechanicals were original and the body was in good shape although many cosmetic details were incorrect after almost 70 years. The Frua Fiat was acquired at a fair price and the adventure kickstarted with the application to the 2016 Mille Miglia 2016 submitted. Donald’s invaluable insights regarding this one of a kind historically significant car, as well as his compelling ability to effectively communicate the history of this car to the Mille Miglia Selection Committee expedited the Frua Fiat’s acceptance and, utilizing Donald’s fat rolodex of capable mechanics, the Fiat’s running gear was readied for the 1000 mile event.
In May 2016 Donald & I were once again co-pilotos on the traveling circus from Brescia to Rome to Brescia. Weaving through the small villages of the northern and central Italian countryside kept us constantly smiling and laughing at our great good fortune to share these moments, even in spite of biblical rains and no weather protection.
Having successfully completed this first leg of the great adventure, we turned our focus and goal on returning this Frua Fiat to the shores of the Lago di Como to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the debut on the world stage of Frua’s first design at the first post-war Concorso d’Eleganza di Como.
Our consensus for the goals on the next phase for this significant car was that a restoration for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017 must be rigorously researched and all the “little” details done “right” to present the car on the lake in 2017 just as it had appeared in 1947.
This was a daunting task since the time frame provided us less than a year to accomplish the work. This is a strong example where a meeting of the minds between client & advisor is essential. Again, benefiting from Donald’s passion to uncover the “right” details and the finest craftsmen committed to our goals for this car, Donald arranged extensive interviews and shop visits with four Italian Carrozzerias capable of performing the restoration.
After carefully evaluating proposals a decision was made, contract signed, and restoration commenced. Fortunately Donald’s research in various places uncovered contemporary Italian auto magazine articles praising Frua’s design as well as showing various photos of the Frua Fiat taken in 1947.
Even though the photos were in black & white it was apparent that the little spider was not originally red. One of the transformative events of the restoration was when original paint was uncovered under layers of red paint on the hood.
The discovery and replication of the light metallic green paint restored great life and sculptural interest to Frua’s design. The complete restoration was completed in time for the Frua Fiat to roll onto the lawns of Villa d’Este and Villa Erba in May 2017.
I had traveled to Bergamo on several occasions to visit the restoration carrozzeria, confirm decisions, and observe progress. These efforts were stimulating and gratifying but trying to stay on top of a meticulous restoration in Bergamo from San Francisco would not be wise.
What worked best for me was the use of Donald’s professional consulting services to make frequent problem solving, facilitating, and reporting trips to the carrozzeria. This is a critical part of the process and having an advisor of integrity, deep knowledge, and communication skills, particularly with Italian vendors and craftsmen. All vastly increased the chances of success, enjoyment and satisfaction of the project. Donald was on hand at Villa d’Este to insure all the details were in place for the proper reemergence of Carrozzeria Frua’s first car.
The noted, erudite and brilliant collector Miles Collier has eloquently & thoughtfully opined that devotees of our collector car hobby frequently define their passions as “Experiential”, a passion driven by using the cars with other like-minded enthusiasts in events such as the Mille Miglia, Colorado Grand, Copperstate 1000 and many others; or “Artifact” where the passion is fueled by admiring the specific automotive object for its place in history and society and contemplating it in a static environment such as a museum or Concours.
The stunning restoration and admiration of the Frua Fiat at Villa d’Este shifted my viewpoint regarding this car. They are not mutually exclusive camps, but my enjoyment definitely is weighted on the experiential side of the ledger. That’s why this journey started with a quest to return to the Mille Miglia. Now I found myself the steward of a genuine automotive artifact welcomed on the stage by many discerning audiences around the world. Following its showing at Villa d’Este the Frua Fiat was invited to appear at the Concours of Elegance at King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court in September 2017.
Delighting the attendees at Hampton Court, the Frua Fiat was then invited to the Concorso d’Eleganza at the Emperor’s Palace in Kyoto in March 2018 where it was awarded Best of Class and finished 2nd for Best of Show.
Further expanding its worldwide appeal the Frua Fiat was then invited to appear on the 18th fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2018. As a nod to my “experiential” cravings Donald and I enjoyed the camaraderie of motoring on the Pebble Beach Entrants Tour and leading all the entered cars onto the fairway at sunrise on Sunday.
A fitting conclusion to an extraordinary automotive adventure!
Well, not quite the end. Remember I claimed to be toward the “Experiential “ end of the spectrum. Having enjoyed the privilege of this trip around the world, I couldn’t bring myself to put this Frua Fiat back on road events and start accumulating patina and I’m not a suitable caretaker in a museum setting.
After thoughtful consultation with Donald, I determined to sell this “Artifact” so a different caretaker can chart the course from here. Donald advised me regarding timing, venue, Auction House, pricing guidelines, and then participated effectively in marketing the car. The Frua Fiat was sold to a serious collector. Thoughtful, knowledgeable, accurate advice at every step. Isn’t that what you are looking for? I was.
It’s easy to tell an amazing story that starts with a hope to drive a 70 year old Fiat spider on the greatest “race” in the world and evolves into basking in the sun among the finest cars on the planet at Villa d’Este, Hampton Court, the Emperor’s Palace, & Pebble Beach, but the real takeaway I want to contribute is the persuasive story of Donald Osborne’s intellect, integrity, tact, rolodex, & judgment, that can be harnessed to help you attain your goals you set for how you want to enjoy our multifaceted, consuming hobby.
It was a great pleasure to pursue this dream journey step by step with Donald and the lasting legacy is not a trophy and ribbons but a lasting & treasured friendship.
David Word
"I want to contribute to the persuasive story of Donald Osborne’s intellect, integrity, tact, contacts and judgment, all harnessed to help attain the goals you set to enjoy our multifaceted, consuming hobby."
Define
Client had a desire to acquire a car that met the criteria for Mille Miglia Storica eligibility, with an interesting provenance, in usable condition, that would also be usable in other vintage rally events.
Revise
Determined which vehicles met the primary criteria, while not duplicating in character existing cars in the client’s current collection. In addition, further exploration was made to identify the most desirable years of manufacture, rarity and usability and the possibility of restoration. A budget for purchase, preparation and minor revision was also established.
Advise
With the client’s previous experience as a participant in the Mille Miglia Storica, it was determined that a vehicle manufactured as early as possible after World War II would be preferable, as it would give a more advantageous starting number. A vehicle with custom coachwork in a small production batch or one of a kind would also give a better chance of acceptance in events.
Deliver
We found a one-off special bodied sporting Fiat built in 1946. In addition to having a fascinating story and historical importance, it was eligible for a wide range of historic rally, race and tour events, as well as making a compelling concours d’elegance entry. In the course of two years, through a full international program of events and a restoration, the client’s expectations were met and exceeded.