RatDog

Not a lot of new information here except I didn’t know things had gotten to the point of needing to verify the authenticity of a car by using metallurgy.

I think it’s good that articles like this are being put out there. Education and knowledge in the public arena will do more to fight the bogus car problem than anything else.

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/this-is...car-collectors

Steve

Frankie the Fink

I'vve met people that spend more time quizzing their broker about a $5,000 stock purchase that they are considering than spend the time (and money) to have a pro inspect a potential $70,000 classic car purchase - I don't get it...

Dan Hampton

And/or spending $150K to restore a car, knowing full well, that its eventual market value will be $75K. The same type that drives across town to save 2 cents on a gallon of gas.

Railroadman

So GM had a lot full of half-finished Chevelles sitting around waiting for body panels to be made?

Wayne88

This kind of fraud is not exclusive to collectable cars; it's in art, sports memorabilia, and almost any other collectable that's worth any money.

But when I read articles like this one, I get a little uneasy about my own 427. I'm happy that mine was originally sold at a Canadian dealership, GM Canada kept records, and I have the records for mine, with all the options my '67 came with.

71/502

Perhaps the forum members out here can educate me a little more on this issue. For years I have heard that there were more C2, big block, four-speed, Corvettes certified then GM ever produced. As I was reading the post regarding counterfeit Corvettes this memory came back to me, however I cannot verify the authenticity of it.

DZAUTO

Fortunately, for my peace of mind, I did not buy the 56 and clone it into an Airbox car for future value. I bought it and built it to have a blast. No worries for the value of the 56!

ChattanoogaJSB

that is tongue in cheek not an actual claim.

Fact is, big blocks were big sellers and are not rare cars. Even 435’s were not and are not particularly rare in classic car terms BUT Corvettes have enjoyed a large following as boomers began driving up the prices of the “best” of the run in the 80’s and 90’s, so cars that weren’t rare to begin with did begin to get copied.

Personally I can understand paying a premium for any car that has been maintained in its original state versus one that has been assembled from other combinations properly but I can tell you with certainty there are many, many Corvette owners who want to “out own” each other and the car is way more about ego and purchasing power than it is having a good time. A good NOM big block or a well done outright clone is every bit as good as one with a little stamp on the pad.

When those egos get involved unscrupulous people find ways to separate them from their money.

All three of my vintage Corvettes came to me numbers matching and not one of them ran any better for it.

SBR

So true, I have seen guys purchase six figure cars on a whim and when you tell them that an expert should inspect it, they look at you like you're an idiot. Lot's of these guys are well off and figure they are the smartest guy in the room.

rsinor

"The jig was up when the body panels were found to have been made before the car in question was produced."

I personally think this is a miss quote in the article. the body panels would have to be made before the car was produced!!! I think they meant the body panels were not made before the car was produced. Or in other words the body panels were made after the original car was produced.

I know the story on the White/Blue 67 at the Joplin, MO NCRS meet, I was the head judge that told him he had a counterfeit car, and when he asked if he could leave since we were not going to judge his car, I also told him he could leave at the end of the day after judging, the last thing we need at one of those events is someone driving a car off the floor that is upset when judges are lying partially underneath cars on all four sides of him and at several other cars between him and the door.

jefnvk

If you wouldn't be happy with your purchase price if it lost all value tomorrow, you should consider it as an investment and do all due diligence. If your purchase price is commensurate with no more than the intrinsic value it provides you for whatever use it is intended for, then it doesn't really matter the provenance.

I read it as the body panels were off an earlier MY car than the title/VIN claimed to be, or date coded with significantly more lead time than one would ever expect to see used for new assembly on the line.

Railroadman

I didn't realize they even date-coded body panels. How? A stamp? Rust or bodywork would eliminate anything painted on.

L72copo

Stamped in the sheet metal on metal GM cars. This is the trunk lid on my 66 GTO. Can't remember how to decipher it.

Railroadman

I learn something new every day! Thanks!

rudutch

I started to notice more 1970 454 chevelles around then were ever built - shortly after they became valuable

GTOguy

My '65 and '67 GTO's have numbers stamped in the trunk gutter/weatherstrip areas as well. I love the line: "...cobbled together by rouge mechanics with access to body shops..." That paints quite a picture!

L72copo

My 66 Goat also has dates stamped there. Plus on the front fenders and hood.

Vettrocious

Yeah, the Chinese got into counterfeiting GTO body panels early, so they do a nice job of stamping those dates....😁

CorvetteMikeB

Counterfeit Cars

The correct term is " Kit Car"

DZAUTO

My 70 Chevelle convertible has a similar stamp in the channel of the quarter panels where the trunk lid closes down.