How does the blood line apply to Rick's story of the engine head?
...and eventually it comes down to the credibility of the car's
owner/restorer/builder/seller. When considering buying such a car, one
needs to know what questions to ask. And if the answers aren't
satisfactory, walk away. And hope that all others walk away as well. Would
I buy a car built from an engine head? I don't think so.
On the other hand, LD has it absolutely correct when he references
bloodlines. Of course, again, we need to define what constitutes a
"bloodline." In the case of Pat's Lotus, I see no reason to not replace the
necessary parts of the car to make it race-worthy. Its heritage is
unquestionable, and, as he points out in so many words, at what point does
an original race car become NOT original? At the moment of its first impact
with another car or concrete barrier, resulting in
panel/suspension/monocoque/frame/etc. replacement? Or when the second
(lesser-know) owner makes similar contact (with similar replacement
results)?
How about old TransAm cars that got rebodied early in their lives? .As long
as you know the history of the car, I believe it's an "original" in any of
its configurations.
But the fact remains that there are always those among us that will buy the
70 Firebird body that was removed from what was originally, let's say, a '68
Camaro that has been restored to its original racing state. Then convert
those Pontiac body panels into another TransAm car. Is it a real car? No
way, in my opinion. And I fault the person who restored the original car
back to its Camaro configuration for not destroying the Pontiac body panels.
Of course, for a person who races a 66 Nova, these are all easy questions.
There was only one Nova that ever ran in the TransAm series because it
wasn't competitive. That means no one wants to create a copy of it. And,
because of its unique unibody design, it could never be converted to
something more competitive. But to those who are looking to buy a vintage
racer other than a Nova, it is, indeed, caveat emptor. And let's hope that
before others purchase, they check with this source of information. And
learn what questions to ask.
Rick Yocum
66 Nova TransAm
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