The story on this site is so well detailed I am trying to get a handle on the timeline on the discovery. But I can't find mention of what the car was bought for from Schierenbeck while still under the kit car body, which I need to include it in a history book. Also I will re-read the story on this site but my preliminary look is that other replica cars were made grabbing that chassis number but it wasn't until this chassis under the kit car was found that the real 023 could be declared found (making any other C-type replicas with that chassis number "air cars.") Am I right to conclude that? The same thing has happened with Cobras by the way where a Cobra was smashed, one guy buys the front half and builds a back half, another guy buys the back half and builds a whole car and then each of them goes and registers it at the DMV with the "real" chassis number so that there are several Cobras with identical chassis VINs. Thanks for any elucidation on this very complicated story.

Submitted by phil19564@1usa.com on Mon, 07/22/2013 - 15:55

This thread reminds me of a phone conversation I had a number of years ago with a gentleman from the northern U.S. I had phoned him about some Jag parts he had for sale and through the call mentioned the Jag shop I worked at. He knew of our work, and we just started talking about Jaguars. Along with other Jags, he mentioned a C-type he owned. I thought he was talking about a 140 with a C engine and said I also have a 140, but no C engine. He said, no, an original, real C-type race car. We had just bought the big C and D book that lists all the cars, so I asked him the chassis number, so I can look it up. He said his car number is in there, but it's not his car. Someone had made a clone and was passing it off as the real thing. I asked him if he'll do anything about it, and he said no, why get in all that hassle. When he dies, his heirs will settle it and the car will speak for itself.

Later I buy an early 4.2E cp. It's been a local car most of it's life with at least 30 or 40 years history. I go on XKEdata and see my car's already registered and I thought the previous owner put it in there. When I go to the car, it's a brand new low drag coupe with my chassis number and used for vintage racing in Europe. I guess they needed an early 4.2 coupe that was built in late 1964 and picked my chassis number .

Phil.