What Is a Marti Report?
Last Updated May 8, 2024 | Meghan DrummondIf you’ve looked at classic vehicle sales and auctions, then you’ve most likely come across the term “Marti Report.” A Marti report is a personalized report generated by Kevin Marti that details the original equipment your vehicle came with.
These reports are often included in sales to show that a vehicle is being sold with its original equipment. They can also be used to establish rarity or act as a guide to a Concours-style restoration.
Why and When Should You Get a Marti Report?
If you’re curious about your vehicle for any reason, a Marti Report can give you lots of information. But Marti Reports are particularly useful if you find yourself in any of the following circumstances:
- You’re considering purchasing a vehicle and want to know more about it.
- You’re preparing to restore a vehicle to factory equipment.
- You’re getting ready to attend a car show and want to highlight the car’s features.
- You’re selling a vehicle and want to provide detailed information to buyers.
In the past, Marti has also done reverse lookups for people. By using what they remember about a car from their youth, he can sometimes establish a single VIN. That way, if they find a car they think is their old one, they can verify it.
Who Is Kevin Marti?
Kevin Marti is a mechanical engineer with serious computer programming knowledge. He looked at Ford’s record keeping and thought, “there needs to be a better way.” Then, he made one. Thanks to an exclusive contract with Ford, Kevin Marti is the sole owner and organizer of the database of Ford vehicles made between 1967 and 2014.
If Ford had destroyed the invoices as originally planned, this data would be irretrievable. Instead, it’s being lovingly preserved by the team at Marti Auto Works. That data is now digitized and retrievable. Kevin Marti also has the original invoices for many years and microfiche copies of the original build sheets.
What Marti Report Options Do You Have?
Marti offers Standard, Deluxe, and Elite Reports, each with varying degrees of detail. If you buy a Standard Report and want to upgrade to a Deluxe (or a Deluxe to an Elite), Marti offers upgrade options for a discount.
| Feature | Standard | Deluxe | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $20 | $55 | $250-$300 |
| Options | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Production Date | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Scheduled Date | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DSO (District Sales Office) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Axle Code and Ratio | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Order Received Date | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Serialized Date | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Buck Date | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Release Date | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Sale Date | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Type of Order | ✅ | ✅ | |
| District Item Number | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Dealer Name | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Production Statistics | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Complete Vehicle Order Image | ✅ | ||
| Personalized Production Statistics | ✅ | ||
| Door Data Plate | ✅ | ||
| Reproduced Window Sticker | ✅ | ||
| Total Vehicle Cost | ✅ | ||
| Frame | ✅ |
Deluxe Reports include 5 production statistics:
- Exterior color
- Exterior/interior combination
- Engine/transmission
- DSO
- Your choice of one Elite Report option
Personalized statistics reports are available separately or as part of an Elite Report. These reports include:
- Total vehicles produced for your year
- Body style
- Engine
- Transmission
- Exterior color
- Interior
- Exterior and interior packages
What Vehicles Can Get a Marti Report?
Marti Reports are available for any Ford vehicles produced between 1967 and 2017. Elite Marti Reports are only available for select vehicles. Basically the ones you’d expect (Mustang, Bronco, Cougars, F-Series trucks). If you want an Elite Report on your 2000 Taurus, you’re out of luck (at least as of time of writing).
How Do You Get a Marti Report?
Ordering a Marti report is simple. Just go to Marti Autoworks and enter your vehicle’s year and model. That will show you your report options.
By default, Marti reports are delivered as a PDF to your email. This lets you view and print the report. If you’d prefer to get a hard copy in your mailbox, select the print service option. And don’t forget to read Marti’s terms and conditions; they’re a real treat.
What If Your Car Was Built Before 1967?
You can always reach out and contact Kevin Marti. No one has more experience with decoding Ford’s data tags. For a fee, he offers to examine data tags for red flags if you suspect some equipment is not quite original.
Unfortunately, records prior to 1967 aren’t as good. When the Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed in 1966 (Thanks, Nader!), a huge component was the ability to perform mandatory recalls. Automakers were officially responsible for telling customers if a part on their vehicle was defective. But that meant they needed a record of what had originally been produced.
Before the law, Ford didn’t have to keep records, so there aren’t any official ways to establish what was made with the same precision as the years from 1967 on.
Is a Marti Report Worth It?
Many of the people who get a Marti report do it for personal satisfaction more than anything else. It can be fun to see what original equipment your car came with. Because of the abundance of factory options in classics, it’s not uncommon to have a vehicle that’s actually one of a kind.
But “one of a kind” doesn’t always equate to a high street value. Sure, maybe not a lot of people ordered a Mustang in beige with a parchment bench seat. But that just means not many people wanted one then, and they probably don’t now.
What We Can Learn from Auctions
Many people who are wondering if a Marti report is worth it are people wondering about their vehicle’s sale value.
In our totally non-scientific survey of Bring a Trailer auctions from 2021, there were 17 1967-1968 Mustangs with a 289 CID engine. Of those, only five had Marti Reports. Ultimately, there was no noticeable difference in sale price between the Mustangs offered with and without Marti reports.
Desirable colors, mileage, upkeep, and other condition indicators were more relevant. For Mustangs that were heavily modified, records indicating where parts had been purchased and installed were also quite valuable.
On the other hand, eight 1967-1968 Shelby Mustangs were sold in the same time period. Every single one of them had a Marti Report. Half had an Elite Report. If you’re advertising a vehicle for sale that’s an elite or limited edition, you’ll most likely need paperwork establishing its validity. This is especially true in online sales.
If you’ve got a more common vehicle, then establishing condition and regular upkeep is more important. A Marti Report can help with that, and certainly people enjoy seeing them in an auction.
| Vehicle | Final Price | Marti Report |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 Convertible 289 | $32,500 | Elite |
| 1967 Coupe 289 | $23,500 | None |
| 1967 Convertible 289 | $24,000 | None |
| 1967 Convertible 289 | $27,500 | None |
| 1968 Coupe 289 | $15,300 | None |
| 1968 Mustang Coupe 289 | $17,000 | None |
| 1967 Coupe 289 | $15,000 | Deluxe |
| 1967 Convertible 289 | $35,000 | None |
| 1967 Coupe 289 | $24,555 | Deluxe |
| 1968 Coupe 289 | $18,500 | None |
| 1967 Fastback 289 | $36,000 | Deluxe |
| 1967 Coupe 289 | $18,750 | None |
| 1968 Convertible 289 | $40,500 | None |
| 1967 Coupe 289 | $16,777 | None |
| 1967 Fastback 289 | $55,000 | None |
| 1967 Fastback 289 | $70,000 | Standard |
| 1968 Coupe 289 | $32,500 | None |
What Are Some Alternatives to a Marti Report?
If you just want some basic information about your stock equipment, you can decode your VIN or Data Plate. We have tools that will help you do both.
If you’re much more interested in production stats, then be sure to pick up Kevin Marti’s book on Mustang production numbers from 1967-1973. We offer basic production numbers for first-gen Mustangs, but there’s no substitute for Marti’s expertise or thoroughness.
Sources: Kevin Marti, Mecum | The Marti Report, In Search of Mustangs
