Barrett Jackson Las Vegas

[al8apex]

there is a HUGE difference when it is touted as being "original", at least IMHO

[The Dude]

Thats the thing, it was sold as original. One of the most documented original Zs out there. Personally I wouldnt care if it was rebodied. Choosing between a car with 95% Chinese repro metal and 5% (cowl where tags are attached) real and one thats been rebodied with a shell made by GM, Ill take the rebody. So tell me what one is more real.

[BARRY]

HI what is it worth now

[PeteLeathersac]

A Vin jumped car being illegal is one BIG difference!.


~ Pete

[Fast67VelleN2O]

Put what this car was represented as aside please. What I am talking about here is JUST the car itself. I saw a few posts earlier that someone said the car should be DESTROYED (Les Quam i believe it was). If the vins were never "stolen" and 2 cars were purchased legally and the vin and hidden numbers were switched to SAVE a very rare set of numbers, then I don't see what the difference is between saving a car with 95% of the metal needing to be replaced and one that is completely solid and had a rare set of numbers put on it from a very rusty body to save a piece of GM history.

[RamAirDave]

IMO, one should start with a car and restore/replace what's needed.

Starting with nothing more than a set of tags just doesn't sit right with me. What exactly is being restored in a case like that?

[Mark_C]

Its a federal crime to do what you just stated. That's the difference. Assume for the moment that the VIN cowl and cowl vin numbers came from a body that truly was destroyed, how do you know where the new donor body came from and what its legal status was. Anyone had a 69 Camaro stolen that this body might have come from? I don't think that whoever swapped the tags and hidden VINs had the appropriate authorities come down and examine him doing it and got the appropriate blessings (if there even is a way to do this).

Forget that the rebodied car is not worth close to 125K that was paid for it. It was marketed as one of the most original 69 Z28s ever.

[TMagda]

Disregarding the legality of the restorers actions and the way it was marketed, is it possible the buyer did not care about matching numbers and just liked the car? He appears to have the resources to be able to overpay due to personal preference.

[fastessfreddy]

What ever happened to the gentleman that checked this car out? Jerry macniesh? It seems that he was fooled and is in the center of this.

Now the question is this:

1.) How many cars did he certify over the years? We need to go over and re evaluate all of them!

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
Put what this car was represented as aside please. What I am talking about here is JUST the car itself. I saw a few posts earlier that someone said the car should be DESTROYED (Les Quam i believe it was). If the vins were never "stolen" and 2 cars were purchased legally and the vin and hidden numbers were switched to SAVE a very rare set of numbers, then I don't see what the difference is between saving a car with 95% of the metal needing to be replaced and one that is completely solid and had a rare set of numbers put on it from a very rusty body to save a piece of GM history.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fast67VelleN20,

The difference plain and simple is that IT IS A FELONY, period, end of story. It doesn't matter what your altruistic reasons are, for example, that you are saving the only one of its kind, or you had a 6 cyl perfect body and the original body was too rusty to save, etc. The law has no loophole for restorations. (-if you want that loophole, call your congressman and lobby for it. Maybe we can then call them "Restoration Bodies" to go along with the "Restoration Engines" already out there)

Your opinion doesn't matter in criminal court.

If you take the VIN from one body and put it on another IT IS A FELONY. If you sell, buy, trade a VIN tag IT IS A FELONY. (I know I am beginning to sound like Jeff Foxworthy here...You might be a felon if...)

The VIN dies with the car. There is no reincarnation with VIN plates. There is no transplantation with VINs. There is no Hindu caste system with VINs that elevates one from a Z/28 to a higher Karmic level than one from a 6 cyl coupe.

O.J. didn't think it was robbery and kidnapping to bring a bunch of thugs with guns into a hotel room and order people around and take their property. But guess what, robbery and kidnapping are still felonies regardless of your personal beliefs.

Here's an analogy.

Jon Smith thinks that money should be free to take from a bank because it's just paper. Jon Smith doesn't have a bank account at the First Savings & Loan. Jon Smith legally owns a gun. Jon Smith walks into the First Savings & Loan with a gun and takes $125,000 from the teller. Since Jon Smith doesn't believe it should be a crime, did a crime actually occur?

Yes, because it's still a felony regardless of what Jon Smith believes.

Cars with swapped VINs are considered contraband under the law and are seized 99% of the time. They cannot be returned to the open market and are either used as law enforcement vehicles or scrapped. There is no replacement VINs issued by the federal government. And it is very rare that a state will issue a new identification number for the car and let it go back out - too many liability issues.