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The Street
The Street
James Ochoa

Proud BMW parents can now get 'birth certificates' for their (vehicular) babies

In a day and age where traditional child-rearing has been forgone by younger generations due to financial difficulty, other living creatures and inanimate objects have taken the place as someone's 'baby' these days.

For example, some people affectionately take care of animals like cats, dogs, or even some "exotic" animals that seem more at home at the Bronx Zoo than in a suburban dwelling. 

Dedicated watch fanatics and horologists treat display cases of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre watches as their children, while sneakerheads treat closets filled with limited-edition Nikes the same way. 

The same can be said about car enthusiasts, as many owners of sports cars and historic models would affectionately call their cars, their babies.

German automaker BMW  (BMWYY)  has a long history of making cars that many owners call their babies, and is offering something that might help owners of its older cars to get to know more about them. 

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Like the document that is provided to parents when an actual human baby comes into the world, BMW's Classic division is offering owners of its past models a "birth certificate" documenting their vehicles' production life. 

The new piece of documentation is an updated version of the "Vehicle Certificate" that it previously offered its owners, albeit now delivered in a digital format instead of printed. 

Though the document is not intended to act as a guarantee of authenticity, it is a record that documents critical information about their beloved ultimate driving machines, such as the day it left the factory, the day it was delivered, as well as the original paint color it left with. 

A BMW M3 Convertible (E30).

BMW

Additionally, on classic vehicles built in the 1980s or later, the document also offers critical information about the optional equipment that came with the car, as well as its transmission number.

“This birth certificate will give you answers to all questions concerning the history of the vehicle in question, including individual items of data,” BMW Classic said in its announcement. “So you can look forward to a modern, reliable documentation of your beloved classic BMW.”

BMW says the name was changed from "Vehicle Certificate" to "Birth Certificate" to dissuade dubious classic car sellers from making buyers believe that certain classic vehicles were verified by the Bavarian automaker for authenticity, 

More Automotive:

The cost of the BMW Classic Birth Certificate is €125, or roughly $133 and can be purchased through an order form on BMW Classic's website. 

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