Wrecked 1970 914-6 on the Samba $32K, 9140431862 Options

[914Sixer]

Does this car belong to any one here? Shows to be in San Diego, CA. Says complete restoration before it was hit. Donor car that goes with it is a 75.

[zymurgist]

How much for just the VIN plate? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[ruby914]

How much for just the VIN plate? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Would it be unorthodox, fraudulent or just wrong.
To get a clean “rust free” 1971 donor car, move all 914-6 specific parts and all VIN ID to the donor (including body stampings) and scrap the original 6 body?

[siverson]

Yes and illegal in CA.

-Steve

How much for just the VIN plate? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Would it be unorthodox, fraudulent or just wrong.
To get a clean “rust free” 1971 donor car, move all 914-6 specific parts and all VIN ID to the donor (including body stampings) and scrap the original 6 body?

[GregAmy]

Would it be unorthodox, fraudulent or just wrong...to get a clean “rust free” 1971 donor car, move all 914-6 specific parts and all VIN ID to the donor (including body stampings) and scrap the original 6 body?

Yes and illegal in CA.

Probably technically illegal, but in reality it's not fraudulent if done above-board. Hell, it's not even unusual (see "complete restoration"; how many are actually the original parts? Does it matter?)

Think of it this way: you buy this wrecked car. At the same time, you buy a clean rust-free 1971 donor car (I'm assuming you're talking about a cheaper /4). You take all the replacement parts you need - ones that are the same - from the /4, one-by-one, and use them as spare parts for the /6. Your /6 needs a S**T-ton of parts, so you end up replacing every part on the /6 with one from the /4 (and buying any /6 parts as needed to complete the restoration). In fact, the parts where the VIN are stamped need replacing too, so you replace those as well, transferring the VIN part as needed into that replacement part.

Have you committed fraud?

ON the other hand, what is the difference between taking all the replacement parts from the /4 and putting them on the VIN of the wrecked /6, versus taking the VIN of the wrecked /6 and properly grafting it to the /4 chassis (and replacing any non-/6 parts)? Is there really a difference? When you're done, you end up in the same place...

If you think doing this is committing fraud, then consider what if instead of buying a /4 to use as parts, you bought all the replacement parts - same exact parts - from a reputable breaker. Who got all the parts from a /4. In the end you've done the same thing, so have you now also committed fraud? If so, then how can you legally repair this wrecked car? CAN you legally restore it in that case?

And note that we're not talking about mis-representing it when you're done. You will represent it as a wrecked 914/6 that was lovingly restored in a detailed manner, using parts from a used car. The buyer, a Porsche aficionado that knows these cars better than anyone else in the world, can properly determine that all parts on this restored car are the correct ones; there is nothing incorrect for the model.

These are questions that are hotly debated in many circles where serial-numbered vehicles are becoming valuable, to the point where such activities are becoming economical. There are many cases where expeditions are going out to jungles and at the bottom of oceans find wrecked WW2 airplanes, solely for the purpose of recovering the serial data plate. Hell, I know of a guy that spend a lot of rigging time recovering an old 1950-s race car from the side of a mountain just for the data plate. That's literally all he brought up.

In the end, it comes down to the philosophical question of "what constitutes a car?" And in the end, legally, a car is the data plate(s) and the title. If you legally have those, then you can legally build something to drive around the data plate(s)...

Hey, I've replaced the head twice and the handle three times, but it's still the same ole axe!

Greg