Quote:
Originally Posted by dienstuhr
Your observations are borne out by the description... states a 1986 tub with an earlier front clip... but the VIN should be that of the '86, not a '72. Disclosing a tampered VIN doesn't make it legal.
d.
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I don't see where it says it has been clipped in the description, only that it is a "1973 front" which still doesn't explain the 72 VIN. In any event, as noted, this is probably two cars stitched together. In terms of legality, I don't profess to be an expert on what each state requires. In California, I know that the DMV requires a VIN verification for an out of state car that is brought in to the state, and this can be done at the DMV, AAA or CHP, among other places. The diligence of the inspection is dependent on nothing other than the whim of the inspector. For example, I brought a early targa to the AAA to have registered a few weeks ago. The very nice woman from AAA came out to the parking lot and asked me if I knew where the VIN was. I proceeded to tell her that it appears in several places. She looked at the aluminum tag that had been screwed (not riveted) back in place after a PO repainted the car, checked off a few boxes asked me about the mileage and that was all she needed. In contrast, when I registered a car in North Carolina last year, the DMV inspector arrived at my house, with his sidearm and badge prominently attached to his hip, and proceeded to crawl over the car and a stack of reference materials to confirm the VIN in multiple locations on my 72T. I am grateful that it was in all four places, as I feared execution if it wasn't! I do know that some states will also title kit and re-manufactured cars based on the year that they emulate, although California isn't one of them.
It remains a question in my mind as to whether putting the back half of one car together with the front half of another would constitute VIN tampering. Is there some magical line which, if you weld or cut beyond, requires you to use the VIN of one car or the other? As far as I know, with the exception of the Federal sticker on the driver's side door jamb (which is missing on about 80% of the repainted cars I have seen), there is nothing rear of the A-pillar on a 911 with a visible VIN. Of course, you can't cut the body tag off of one car and weld it into another, but at what point do the legal requirements (assuming two perfectly clean and legal halfs) require you to use one VIN over the other? Again, assuming two perfectly legal halves, the primary benefit would likely be emissions related.
Beyond the murky legal question, the issue has become a bit of a question for classic car owners. I've read a few articles recently that have focused on controversies related to multiple cars laying claim to a particular chassis number or VIN. For an interesting read, check out a recent article from Sports Car Market here:
Dual-Identity Cars
As values tend to rise for early cars, I can see this becoming more of a problem.