Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 The story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_papa_john_s_car Are we suppose to believe that a successful business man would FIRST make a replica car for big bucks and THEN later pay $250,000 (plus $25,000 finders fee) for a $4,000 Camaro INSTEAD of doing a simple look up at the DMV? Am I being too cynical or is the DMV in Kentucky really so bad that they can't trace a VIN to a current owner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Am I being too cynical or is the DMV in Kentucky really so bad that they can't trace a VIN to a current owner? Yes I thought it was a cool story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Yes I thought it was a cool story. I though it was cool till I read that the car never left the state. And for $29 you can run a VIN number at home without a trip to the DMV! In this day and age it's not a treasure search to track down a vehicle's last owner. In the 1960's and 70's it would be a cool thing to be able to track down a car but in 2009 you can do a nationwide search in like 20 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I read something about them registering it in a state and then moving to another state without changing the registration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valmont Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 in 83 with no computer records... I'd say he might have had a hard time tracking down the vin of the original camaro in the first place. I don't know even now where I would go to find the vin of my first honda civic... Val Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 The $29 VIN search will show the owner. A $50 identity search will show residency. People in large business run histories on people all the time (checking resume's, criminal histories, etc). That's why it's just so hard to buy that the owner of a NATIONWIDE business can't find a person living in just a few counties over... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 He has more dollars than sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I don't know even now where I would go to find the vin of my first honda civic...Val I have copies of all the titles of cars, boat engines, trailers, etc I've ever owned for 40 years. Such documents have importance. I would have assumed that a person that is capable of organizing a business would have also held that property/transfer documents hold importance. You wanna know the VIN of the 63 bug chassis that I built a Bradly GT on and then sold in 1985? Give me a few minutes and I know where to find it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 You wanna know the VIN of the 63 bug chassis that I built a Bradly GT on and then sold in 1985? Give me a few minutes and I know where to find it... My Mother had one of those in the late 70s... Looked cool. What motor was in yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 My Mother had one of those in the late 70s... Looked cool. What motor was in yours? It was a '75 transporter engine on the '63 bug chassis and converted over to a carb so it was nothing special. Kit cars in the 70's were primitive; you usually bought a plastic shell and the rest was up to your ability to raid junk yards to make something(anything) work within the limitations of the body. Great looks, but they were as impractical on the road as a Shriner's clown car. Just wondering if there are still private investigators and if they could have tracked down the car for a boatload less than a grand total of $275,000. Offering a 1/4 million "bounty" is a bit over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Publicity Stunt. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsommer Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Well he is giving all Camaro owners a free pizza on Wednesday, mullet optional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxsleeper Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 FWIW I read this story on Jalopnik and while I am sure the publicity is a bonus, I believe that was not the real reason. Most race cars are not registered. Mine is not. If you read the story the car likely hasn't been registered in many years and certainly not since the DMV kept computerized records or it would have been easily found. Now if anyone knows where HLS30-22508 is, I would be happy to relieve them of the burden of owning a rusty old Datsun but not to the tune of $250k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Well he is giving all Camaro owners a free pizza on Wednesday, mullet optional What about Z's with Camaro engines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Am I being too cynical or is the DMV in Kentucky really so bad that they can't trace a VIN to a current owner? In California they won't release current owner information and many states are adopting that same practice. Here in CA a man got DMV name and address information from license plates and VINs and proceeded to rape and kill a female celebrity or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Most race cars are not registered. Mine is not. If you read the story the car likely hasn't been registered in many years and certainly not since the DMV kept computerized records or it would have been easily found. Yes, But racing it in from of spectators in it's original colors SHOULD have made it damn easy to spot if you asked me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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