Listers,
While, as we all know, there are many different perspectives on the Alger
question, I think the sale of one in Monterey last Friday provides an
opportunity to focus on a specific and tangible case rather than just
throwing around philosophical points of view. Now I think even Brock agrees
that switching VIN plates becomes illegal if done for the purpose of
perpetrating a fraud. My dictionary defines "fraud" as: "A deception
deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain." So, the
first question is: Does the buyer know that he/she is buying an Alpine with
the VIN, etc. switched; i.e., was there deception. II'll try not to jump to
this conclusion until we know for certain. But this question really has
little to do with the physical attributes of the car. It may, in fact, be
better in every way than an original Tiger. It may, in fact, be physically
IDENTICAL to the Tiger it purports to be. That's not the point here. If,
for example, someone purchased an automobile for top dollar because of some
historical significance, say it won some important race, was owned by some
famous person, etc., and they later discovered that, although physically
identical to the car it was supposed to be, it was actually not the car in
question, then a fraud has been committed.
I can't wait to find out how this sale in Monterey turns out. It amazes me
the chutzpah of the seller to sell this car in such a public forum. I hope
he knows a good lawyer. I suspect we're going to see this become more than
just a philosophical discussion; at least between the buyer and seller.
Bob
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