Actually… Not all export GTE’s got smog. A member here from Sweden shared his Marti report with me just the other day that spelled out shoulder harness delete and smog delete.
So it’s a rebody, without the engine, what’s left?
What’s left? Headache for the next owner… I’m surprised an auction house would accept a car with essentially 2 vin numbers. The best legal solution for this car would be a state issued vin… the worst would be felony charges for the seller for altering the vin number and consfication/destruction of the car. Something tells me mecum will reject this one when it arrives at their sale.
Just out of curiosity, if I took a body shell from a GT-E and placed it next to the body shell from a GT of the same trim level (XR-7 or base) and covered the VIN numbers wherever they appear, could anyone here tell one from the other?
Except for issues of disclosure, I’ve never quite gotten why rebodies are so frowned upon and devalued in a way that would not be applied to the same car that had most of it’s structure rebuilt around the stamped parts. What’s the functional difference that makes one better than the other? The argument seems more emotional than logical to me; hence the question.
When one really digs into it you will usually find date codes are different, maybe the car was originally manual drum and not factory punched for a booster or the car was made at San Jose vs. Dearborn and details will differ. A rebody is a memory of a car not THEE car.
I contacted Mecum regarding this car. They are being led to believe this is an authentic GTE. They have received this Marti report (attached) and believe it is valid to this vehicle. They told me it will be auctioned as a true GTE.
Would not the GT-E have holes drilled for the body side molding that a GT would be lacking??
I guess if you’re Mecum you can’t put yourself in the position of verifying all seller-provided data. You just have to trust the disclaimers the lawyers crafted & let it fly.
That’s a cosmetic difference, not a functional one. My point is that there is nothing magical or functionally different about one 1968 Cougar body shell versus another so I’ve never understood the fealty to the original shell when most of it’s been replaced versus, say, a pristine original body shell from a GT. Even a small-block body shell isn’t really different at the unibody level. Things like shock tower reinforcements are added to the same basic body shell, as far as I know.
I get that, Don, and I agree that it matters for a concours show car.
But those things are usually important because of the degree of value difference assigned to originality. But the concept of originality is really stretched if most of the body shell has been replaced for rust repair or other damage. That damaged and repaired car will be valued much higher than an identical car that got a pristine rebody and that doesn’t make much sense to me, logically.
In this case, it seems there is a history of trying to get GTE money for a car that is a rebody with a NOM. I don’t think anyone would quibble if the seller made the proper disclosures and priced it accordingly.
The real deal car: the more you look the more you like, starting with the proper VIN, date code stampings on the original sheetmetal & certain parts. It’s like a puzzle that fits together & tells a consistent story.
The clone/tribute/rebody: could be a mixed bag, might have the right parts and craftsmanship, surely fun to drive, but will never appeal to someone hooked on originality.
Never try to use logic to understand collectibles.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying CatVert, but I think it is an emotional thing. It doesn’t feel like it’s really the “same car” if it’s been rebodied. Physically it may not matter at all, or make any functional or aesthetic difference, but emotionally you know that it isn’t the actual shell that was built as the GT-E being advertised.
This analogy may be a stretch, but what if medical science got to the point where elderly people could have their brain (complete with memories, consciousness, personality, etc) transplanted into a younger body so they could keep living? Is that still the same person? How would that feel to their family members & friends? I know that probably sounds ridiculous, but many car guys feel like cars have souls and personalities, and once you transplant its heart into another body, it just isn’t the same.
I have an emotional connection to my car, in that it was my grandmother’s car. I feel bad enough about all the original parts that I’ve had to sacrifice (or have lost) in the quest to restore it. Every piece that gets replaced, takes a little something away from that connection I feel with it, and from how I remember it as a kid. It’ll be much nicer, and it’s still the same car, but in some ways I almost regret restoring it, if just for the loss of originality and memories. If I had to rebody it, I feel like that would defeat the purpose. That would no longer be my grandma’s car.
Sorry for the ramble, but those are my thoughts on the subject…
Twilight Zone episode
Pretty much.
Maybe a rebody is like silicone implants? Aren’t “real” ones better? 
This would be a fun car to own as a driver. But I would expect to pay much less than a true GTE. The Aruba Eliminator comes to mind as what would be considered original. Currently as it sits now at KTL I don’t think there is one single part of it’s original sheet metal that can be saved. So how do you rebuild a car and say when it’s done say it was restored when actually the correct word should be replaced. Is it still the same car?
There’s another term to be considered in the discussion of replacing every panel. “Heavily Restored”
I called them and they had no interest in what the registry says and did not want to discuss it. After the new owner purchases it they will probably end up here and this thread will show Mecum was warned. I appreciate all the hard work those that maintain the registries do!
So what is with that Marti report they have?
Who’s car is that? Or was that?
It’s weird because certain fairly rare details- like the factory headrests on the report are accurate with the the car up for sale.
What I’m really curious about is if the vin # plate on the car is the same as the report. And if it is, does it look like it was removed from another car and re-attached to this one?
Can that be done so professionally that you couldn’t tell for sure?
A Marti Report shows what the factory produced, not necessarily that the car in question is that car.
This car has at least one and maybe both front fender apron stamped vin numbers different from the vin number assigned to the car. The door tag appears to be original on the original door. The dash tag however has been removed and put back on with screws. Couple this with the fact that the factory produced a Standard Cougar and this shows to be an XR-7, and the fact that some of the date stamped metal reportedly does not jibe with the production date of the car.
The objective evidence is that this car was rebodied, however as with any purchase let the potential buyer beware and satisfy himself/herself about the cars’ originality and act accordingly.