The problem lies in the fact that musclecars or really any car that has had a new or different body shell installed always was and always will be worth much less to a "collector." The enthusiast might not care as much, but the collector does. Since the vast majority here and on other musclecar websites will say they are "collectors" even if only owning a single car, the stigma stays.

Since we are talking persumably about GM "supercars" I find it somewhat humorous and naive when people on this website slam rebodies, as to a large degree you guys are the reason people are doing it in the first place. How many Yenko Camaros, Chevelles, Novas, and other supercars have been sold and flipped multiple times here for mega profit. The post and classifieds here are filled with cars that were bought on Sunday and sold the following Monday..lol I guarantee if people who primarily make up this website sat and thought about it they could name 2-3 dozen cars sold more than twice in a 6-9 month period and at least a dozen people here assoicated as "flippers." It stands to reason that enterprising people recognize the profit to be made and will go to great lengths to "rebuild" what in a normal market might be left alone.

I am not a collector, but an enthuiast. So for me as long as the car in question has the proper docs, numbers, and there isn't evidence of a rebody then it is good enough. Notice I didn't say I WANTED a rebody or that I would knowingly buy a rebody. However since any car I buy, I can't lay claim to having been there from its' inception to today (only a handful of original owners can do that) then I have to assume a car has had some type of work. If I'm coughing up the coinage for a "supercar" or some other rare car then I'm researching the docs and the cars' history BEFORE buying..not after. If I find the car was a race car and cut up and today it isn't..then I'm an idiot if I don't ASSUME extensive repair or a rebody, unless evidence to the contrary. I should then pay as such.

It is also funny to me when folks here talk about self policing the hobby and ensuring that "rebodies" are somehow catagorized. My opinion on the times I've seen susupected cars brought to light, it largely depends on 2 things..a) who is notifing the group and B) who owns the suspected car now. If it is someone out of the "loop" or group on either occasion the person and car are picked apart. If it is someone that everyone knows here and has coffee with at the car shows then it is kept pretty quiet and everyone hopes the discussion goes away. I would imagine largely because the whole "rebody" issue is a large negative in our hobby, and if "so and so" can be scrutinized then so can I mentality..

The bottom line is if an expert restoration is done on any given car..a "rebody" or installing a different body shell will not be detectable, It is only through thourgh research of a particular VIN that the truth might POSSIBILY be known. Sorry for being long winded..