<VV> Fake '61 Monza Convert

[RoboMan91324 at aol.com]

Bill,

Yes, it would be a nice thing to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  I 
have no problem with someone creating a Frankenstein car if he or she likes 
the look of that combination of parts or if those parts are all that is 
available to complete the car.  However, in this case, there are two things that 
bother me.  First, the VIN plate seems like a very poor attempt to re-VIN a 
car.  That is a crime in every state I know of.  I stated in my previous 
post that the "screwy" VIN plate may have been inherited from a PO.  However, 
what makes me most suspicious is that the seller came up with an outlandish 
line of BS to try to explain how he could be selling a 1961 convertible when 
he obviously knows none were manufactured.  He even goes so far as to tout 
it as a very rare car.  On that point, he is correct.  I believe that this 
is the first of these that I have ever seen.

I suppose there is a remote possibility that he might have been fed the "50 
super secret convertible cars" line of BS by a previous owner but he 
probably knows that he was suckered at this point and is probably trying to pass 
his foolishness on to someone else.  This is more than just "blathering."  In 
any case, criminal intent or not, he should be prevented from passing this 
car off as anything other than a running parts car.  I fail to see how this 
car having good floors excuses any of this.

An experienced Corvair owner or an experienced car buyer in general will 
check things out in enough depth to know this car is just wrong.  The person 
who gets suckered into buying this car is likely to be a first time buyer.  
They might have an Old Cars Price Guide but just might be convinced by the 
"50 cars .... " BS that they have a real find on their hands.  How would you 
feel if your first Corvair was a car that you couldn't title and drive 
legally?  I imagine you might be turned off to collector cars in general and 
Corvairs specifically.  The person who buys this car will probably not become a 
CORSA member.  Of course, I could be wrong.  After all, association with 
CORSA members might be a good way to sell the parts from this parts car.

Being a bit cynical of this particular auction, I predict that this guy 
will either ignore the questions from you and others or come back with more BS. 
 

Just my perspective.

Doc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a message dated 5/3/2010 1:47:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
virtualvairs-request at corvair.org writes:

> Message: 11
> Date: Mon, 03 May 2010 13:47:06 -0700
> From: Chris & Bill Strickland <lechevrier at earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Fake '61 Monza Convert
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Message-ID: <4BDF364A.8030503 at earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> Borrowing from Corbin's post on concours,
> 
> >To put it precisely, the Corvair needs no "improvement" from its 
> factory-issued condition. It is, from the viewpoint of a stock vehicle owner, 
> perfect as is.
> >
> >I could not just sit by and let some poor soul buy that junk thinking it 
> was a real convertible 
> >
> 
> Ya know, guys, there could certainly be a very valid reason or reasons for 
> this car -- it "could" be that this is some one's attempt to "improve" a 
> Corvair -- you must say that he is not hiding the screws on the VIN tag -- 
> yeah, he blathers on about convertibles in his verbiage, but what used car 
> salesman doesn't "blather on"?
> 
> I, too, wrote the seller and asked for more details, but hey!  He is not 
> entering it in the stock class at a CORSA concours judged by Mr. 
> off-the-mark Corbin, he is just trying to sell it, and it sure looks like it has good 
> floors!
> 
> Anybody can pick a car apart, it's pretty easy -- ask Corbin -- but let's 
> try to find some good in this world (or at least the facts) before all the 
> sour grapes turn into bad wine and there's nothing left to drink, referring 
> to CORSA's future.
> 
> I'd look at this ad an see a potential CORSA member that got away ...
> 
> Godspeed!
> 
> Bill Strickland