There ya' go.....

 

I'm certainly not going to yell at you . I'm going to totally agree with you. You can have two identical cars sitting side by side , one factory original and one an identical clone except for not coming from the factory with that original engine. Why does it matter to some people ? Bragging rights . Simple as that !

 

I hope the OP got some insight on different points of view...as it really is the ultimate determiner.....

Have fun and Vette on....

Jebby

 

An identical clone is a car made up as something other than how it left the factory. A Corvette with a replacement block, CE blocks common example, is closer to being the equivalent to the original, only the engine block and maybe internal components was changed. The block may have been cast alongside of the original, short block built at the same time, same components. It's still considered inferior to the original. Money is a big factor, more so than bragging rights. People looking for a better ROI. There's fear of financial catastrophe should the car have a non-original engine, a lot of hype suggesting this. The delta in price between a NOM and a numbers car has been established for some time, a lot of money spent on numbers, a lot of investment in numbers to protect, much desire to widen this delta as much as possible. I don't see this changing unless demand goes up for Corvettes bought mainly for driving.

I see it as similar to buying a toy. Some may buy to play with it, others are more interested in putting a pristine copy on the shelf for display as part of the collection. The folks who lean to building a collection are very particular about what they want and will pay more for what they want than those looking for something to play with. They're looking for what should be a rare subset of all available, desirable Corvettes.

So far as bragging rights go, it's a small group which would be impressed by numbers, mainly hard core enthusiasts and collectors. Most of the general public is only vaguely aware of the term numbers matching. Seems like money is the bigger motivator, what's my car worth, what will it be worth down the road.

There are some true, desirable originals out there which should be preserved. Rare, prices get bid up to acquire them for collections. True matching numbers is a must to fit into this group.

 

Well said

Jebby

 

Maybe, maybe not. As others have said, it is all about the money. I couldn't care less how much money anybody else has or how they spend it. Maybe some people that don't have the resources to play in the original drivetrain game are just a little envious? Maybe they (or any others) would just rather spend their money on hot rodding their NOM cars...and even come here to brag about their accomplishments. I see that form of competition far more often than some TACO (just found that cute little acronym here on the CF...not surprised) trying to brag about a "numbers" car that he just picked up at the auction yesterday.

 

Possible if it comes back to money. The NOM and original may drive the same so the original drivetrain may not make much difference for a driver. If the original drivetrain car was bought many years ago when they were priced closer to a NOM, there would likely be a handsome profit selling it today or in the near future. Getting in today carries a steeper entry price, less chance of big profit selling in the near future, speculation on where the market will be 10 years or more down the road.

However an original drivetrain brings some restrictions with it which may not fit will with all owners plans, especially a low mileage original which can't be driven much without destroying value. As we've said many times it often comes back to money, not necessarily bragging rights, with exception of ultra rare true originals.

I'd expect to hear bragging from all sides, what a deal I got, how much is it worth, my car is faster, has the most powerful engine, etc. All forms of competition. Always been that way.

I'll add downward speculation on future pricing of NOM Corvettes, never worth more than $xx, while talking up the numbers cars, coming from the numbers enthusiasts, could be viewed as competition? If it hits somebody's wallet, lost sale or low sales price; that's bound to generate more resentment than original drive train envy. Again, gets back to money being at the root.

BTW: I heard the term TACO a while ago. Forgot what the 'T' stands for. I also found it rather amusing.

 

For what it's worth, you don't need a tank sticker to prove it was an LT1. There are many things that only an LT1 had, like the VIN designation "L", 6500 rpm tach, no coolant tank (no holes for one in the fender either), the u-joint straps are heavy duty, HD radiator, etc...

 

1972 only.

 

This is why I had no problems buying my 1972 LT1, with the right VIN and all the right parts, I knew it was real.

 

That's helpful because the car I was looking at is a 71 and it didn't have the L in the VIN.

Thanks.

 

Engine codes are in the VINs for 1972 and later models.