Authenticity can be a hard thing to prove because sophisticated low lifes can counterfeit documents, exchange parts and say that they are factory, mess with i.d. numbers, etc.
If you are in the market for a collectible, you better be pretty certain that everything is on the up and up. It can mean a whole lot of money. Recently, a 1971 Plymouth Hemi engine Barracuda convertible was sold for $2.4 million including commission. It was nearly flawless. Only problem was that the engine had been replaced. It turns out that the new engine was made at just about the same time as the car. But if the car had been all original it could have sold for $4 million. The auction house that sold the car disclosed that the engine was not original. But what if they couldn’t find out and the seller told a fib? That fib would have been worth $1.6 million.
When examining a potential collectable, ask yourself some of the following questions. Are the parts factory installed? Has the engine been replaced? Do all of the identifying numbers match? Are the documents genuine?
Thanks to such tools as the internet, it is easier to ascertain the authenticity of a collectible car. Moreover, there are a lot of car clubs who have members one can say are experts concerning this question.
More advice can be found at the Detroit News. Our take? Buyers beware!