The Autograph Hunter Octane Magazine (March 2004)

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Matching famous motor sport images with the autographs of the drivers they depict is what Martin Jordan is all about. His life's work takes him all across the globe in his quest to marry the two

Words and photography: David Barzilay
Images JARROTTS: www.jarrotts.com

If you ever decide to collect anything, whether it is motor cars or something associated with them, then it can take over your life… or in Martin Jordan's case, your house. As his wife puts it: "I've got Peter Collins in the dining room, Senna in the hall, Fangio in the office and Sir Stirling Moss in the bedroom; goodness knows where it will all end."

Martin Jordan is one of a growing band of enthusiasts who collect autographed photographs of famous racing drivers. What started as a bit of a hobby when he was a small boy, has grown into a world-class collection worth in excess of £20,000. It sees the 39 year old estate agent travelling all over the world to get that elusive autograph on a classic photograph.

There are thousands of people who collect autographs, but only a dedicated band of enthusiasts that take it to the lengths that Martin does. In his own words: "It has already become a lifetime's work and I have a long way to go yet."

Attending the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch when he was eight, Martin got the signatures of Jackie Stewart, Jacky Ickx and Emerson Fittipaldi. Over the next few years he gained dozens of others.

"What I really wanted to do was to get classic photographs of drivers like Moss, Surtees and Stewart, and have their autographs on the image. Obviously that's not always possible if the driver is dead. Signed images from earlier times do turn up, but they sell for hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. But there are a number of ways to build a world class collection," says Martin.

"You can buy the expensive signed photograph; you can look for the image that is archetypical of the driver in a particular race, buy the picture and then hunt for a signature. This might be from a programme, letter or just scribbled on what someone had to hand at the time they met the driver."

Martin's favourite way of building the collection with living motor racing legends is a detailed process that starts in his study. The walls are adorned with images from the past 60 years of motor racing.

He will spend hours pouring through books and reading old newspaper reports about particular incidents in races that involved a certain driver. He will either identify an image and then endeavour to hunt it down - trying to find which library it is in can take weeks - or he will simply look for an image of the driver in that race.

"It can also work the other way round. I may simply come across a stunning image of a particular driver that is for sale."

Martin may pay several hundred pounds for the right colour or black & white image. If it is a one off, then he will buy the photograph on its merit and physical condition. If it is from a library where the negative still exists, then he will order a handmade print on the best quality paper that is available.

"If you are going to frame these sorts of images then a matt finish is best," says Martin. "But it really depends on the image."

Once he's bought the photograph, the next step, if the driver is dead, is to hunt for an autograph that may have adorned a letter or autograph book.

"There are lots of dealers who sell autographs and it is simply a matter of letting them know whose signature you're after," says Martin. "You may have the right image, but it could take months or even years to find the autograph."

If the driver is still alive then nine times out of ten Martin sets off on a pilgrimage to the kind of places where many of these legends tend to be seen. The Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival meetings, the British Grand Prix, Le Mans, in fact just about anywhere that you can track someone down.

"I suppose it's the thrill of the chase, but there is nothing quite like going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed with a photograph of John Surtees in his Ferrari at the British Grand Prix in which he came second, and getting him to sign it."

In fact many drivers are astounded at the lengths that Martin goes to to get the right image. Several have even asked him to get copies of the photographs for them.

"They love the images and sometimes they haven't seen them before, so it is really interesting and it helps to build a rapport," says Martin.

He has a strict code of conduct when contacting drivers and says: "They are a great bunch of people and are always helpful. They love talking about their passion as well. You just have to know when to draw the line. At events like Goodwood some drivers will sign hundreds of signatures every day."

Even when Martin has the image autographed there is quite a detailed process before the finished image can be hung on the wall with the rest of the collection.

A special mount will be chosen to go around the photograph before it is framed - "I leave this to Jarrotts," says Martin. "Jarrotts employ an artist to write in Indian ink the details of the driver and the image on the mount underneath the photograph. It is important for people viewing the photograph to know who the driver was, what car he was driving, what the race was and what position the driver finished in," he says.

Clearly some images and their signatures are more important than others. Images with autographs from drivers like Rosemeyer, Ascari and Nuvolari fetch far more then current motor racing legends. But like any other form of collecting, values increase over time and it is sad to say that when a driver dies, his signature goes up in value.

"Sadly, like everything else, photographs and autographs sell on a supply and demand basis and it is obvious that if someone has not been around for 50 years then his autograph is going to fetch a lot of money," says Martin.

He pays between £100 and £250 for a photograph and up to £1,200 for an autograph that could be mounted with an image. Putting the two together can double or triple the value.

Images come from a variety of sources, but there are a number of dealers who can help you find specific autographs or at least come up with interesting period images of specific drivers so that you can match up an autograph.

John Olliver from Jarrotts is one of the dealers that Martin deals with regularly. "It's a bit like the chicken and the egg. A collector can have an image for which he is looking for an autograph or an autograph for which he is looking for a photograph. We try and match the two," John says.

"If you are purchasing an image, you should always go for the best you can afford. Buy quality, there is less of it, and you will always get a better return in years to come."

"If it is a quality image," he says, "then the driver signing it will spend just that little bit of extra time on his autograph and may even add a note to go with it."