Another Trim Tag for the Books, X33

[Rick H]

What eventually will happen with all of this "is this tag fake?" or "is this tag real?" jargon going on, will be like the little boy crying wolf. To much of a good thing and the real look fake and the fake look real.

I have seen some pretty pristine tags come off cars that were cut up that I am willing to bet someone would say they were fake.

The power of persuasion is a mighty tool.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Rick H.

[Canucklehead]

Eventually the scammers are going to get so good that we won't be able to tell the difference, then what?

[SamLBInj]

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Eventually the scammers are going to get so good that we won't be able to tell the difference, then what?

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Lets say they finally perfected human cloning and you could get a clone of any super model or hollywood starlet you wanted and there was absolutly no way you could tell the difference from the original, would you really care?

[Jeff H]

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Eventually the scammers are going to get so good that we won't be able to tell the difference, then what?

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Lets say they finally perfected human cloning and you could get a clone of any super model or hollywood starlet you wanted and there was absolutly no way you could tell the difference from the original, would you really care?

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Only when it was time to trade her in! Might not be worth as much as I thought she was!

[Lynn]

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[ QUOTE ]
Eventually the scammers are going to get so good that we won't be able to tell the difference, then what?

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Lets say they finally perfected human cloning and you could get a clone of any super model or hollywood starlet you wanted and there was absolutly no way you could tell the difference from the original, would you really care?

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Here's the problem. Some cars are worth more because of what they are. No question. Yes, you could build a clone/replica/tribute car and it would be just as much fun to drive as a real deal L72 camaro or ZL1 or Z/28.

I could also buy a "Monet reproduction" painting that might be so good that even an art critic would "enjoy" looking at it hanging in my home. Nothing wrong with that. However, it is still not an orignal Monet. I am in serious trouble if I try and sell it as such.

A fake car is still a fake car, and in no way worth the same as a real one. Many of the real Z/28 cars cannot be documented by anything other than the trim tag. Very rare to find a Norwood Camaro build sheet.

Even if a guy builds a clone/replica/tribute car without the intention of misrepresenting it, the next owner spends $250 for a fake trim tag and wants double the money. Doesn't matter that the guy that built the car had just as much fun driving it as if it were real. Someone else ends up getting burned. For some reason it is not legal in the art world, but it is legal in the car hobby world. It is just as unscrupulous. Look at the ads in Hemmings. "Legal in all 50 states" That needs to change. Faking the trim tag should be illegal in all 50 states. There is no valid reason to swap a tag. It is only for the purpose of deception.

My 2 cents.

Lynn

[Rick H]

Now what happens if say during a 5-10 year restoration on a legit L-78, Z/28 or whatever you lose the trim tag that was removed because you wanted the firewall to be perfect on your high dollar car? Or you had to remove it to replace a piece of rotted firewall. Whatever.

Maybe it got misplaced or maybe the wife or whoever thought the tag was just another piece of metal with no reason and threw it away. Hey, it happens.

What are you suppose to do? Nothing? Leave the firewall bare? Try to explain to every Tom, Dick or Harry that wants to pick your car apart at the local car show that your brand spanky new restored Camaro is a true Z/28 but you can't prove that because the tag is missing.

Or do you have a new tag made for the car and let some other so called experts disclaim your car because you had a tag made to replace the original that was lost?

As stated Norwood cars without paperwork would be torn apart with a new tag installed. Legit cars with replacement tags could be hurt just by the fact that certain individuals have a beef with replacement tags.

I myself do not have a problem with that as long as the car is truely what is represented by the replacement tag. Nothing more.

Rick H.

[Leonard1]

I see what you are saying, Rick, that would be a tough situation to be in. The car is always going to be called into question, imo, regardless of what he does.

Is having a repop tag made any different than stamping a new POP, if it were missing? I guess my question is: where is the line drawn? We are getting pretty deep into a gray area here.

[Lynn]

Rick:

While I understand your point, I must respectfully disagree. By that logic, what if I had a legitimate L78 car and during restoration the block fell of the engine stand and was damaged beyond repair? What do I do? Well, I get some guy to fake stamp another one, right? No. You put a legit L78 "correct but NOM" engine in and just live with the history of the car.

No doubt there are a few hard luck stories out there. Frankly I can't imagine "misplacing" a trim tag on a highly desirable car. That scenario can't represent more than a fraction of 1% of the cars out there. Hardly justifies the industry of "repro" tags that result in so many fake cars being misrepresented.

Just my 2 cents.

Lynn

[Seattle Sam]

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Now what happens if say during a 5-10 year restoration on a legit L-78, Z/28 or whatever you lose the trim tag that was removed because you wanted the firewall to be perfect on your high dollar car? Or you had to remove it to replace a piece of rotted firewall. Whatever.

Maybe it got misplaced or maybe the wife or whoever thought the tag was just another piece of metal with no reason and threw it away. Hey, it happens.



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Well, what happens if you go to the bank and draw out $50,000 in cash, and put it in a bag, then you leave the bag on top of your car when you drive off? If you don't find it when you re-trace your steps, I think you're just out of luck!

[Rick H]

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Well, what happens if you go to the bank and draw out $50,000 in cash, and put it in a bag, then you leave the bag on top of your car when you drive off?

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Sam,

Hmmm, If you forget in the ten minutes it took you to get the money that it was on the roof and you drove off, you deserve what you get.

But forgeting where the tag was placed 10 years ago is a different ball game.

I don't buy it.

Rick H.