[RichSchmidt]

And lets be realistic about the term "clone" here.This car may very well have more original 1969 parts on it then most restored Yenko cars do.How many legit cars have no original sheet metal except the firewall and roofskin?How many have all that sheet metal replacement plus bogus "CE" code engines,and a ton of reproduction parts on them?I would say that 80% of all surviving Yenko cars are each made up of less then 50% actual original material.Most of the surviving cars were tubbed out race cars,re bodies,or cars with missing drivetrains and rust damage,where in the only original pieces to ever have been on a Yenko anything might be the Vin Plate and trim tag,and a chunk of firewall.We create this illusion that when you sit in a restored legit car that you are siting in in an original 1969 interior and closing real 1969 doors,while turning a real 1969 igintion key to start a real 1969 engine.In reality,80% of the time,we are sitting on seat covers made of plastic that was still in an oil well back in the middle east in 1969,closing a door made out of steel that was still under 100 feet of rock in China back in 1969,and starting and engine that was more likley then not under the hood of somebody's station wagon in 1969.But all of this means nothing because the car in question has it's VIN number on a registery list which makes it all legit.At least this guy claims to have started out with a rust free SS,which means that chances are all the sheet metal and undercarrage was with the car in 1969 when it was new,as well as more of the small hardware stuff that got chucked away from Yenko cars back on 1969.You are right that a clone is a clone,but the fact is that it is possible to have a clone with more real original parts and bodywork then an original car.Maybe to some people the might feel safer driving a car built off a rust free shell then one that was built by hacking 2 or 3 diferent bodies into sections and welding them together while trying to hide the handiwork.Maybe to some people,an original is more about being able to see the paint chip and find red GM primer instead of chinese metal electrtostatic primer under the paint or inside the trunk or where ever.

The Muscle car market is now joining the world of real collectables,in which anything worth big money is worth reproducing to exact specifications.what happens when somebody starts restamping VIN numbers?You think that these registries are keeping people honest?How about a guy who tracks a car off the end of the earth and then stamps a fake vin and cowl tag,restamps the hidden VIN on the car{it is hard to do but would be worthwhile if recreating a car like a HEMI cuda or ZL1 Camaro},then goes to the DMV and tells them a story about how he pulled this car from the crusher with his bare hands while nobody was looking back in 1972 and nobody but him knew the car has existed since then,and now he has posession of it,and it was never really crushed so he needs a title,and when they come around to check the car out,the car will look 100% legit.What heppens when that time comes?With these car going for close to 7 figures it is only a matter of time.Anything that can be created can be re created.