A salvage title is something the state does, I don't think a volunteer
organization should go anywhere near there.
It would be intereresting to see what would happen if the car you describe
were submitted for TAC inspection. I suspect that the car would not get a
sticker.
You said only the front third of the car was originally a Tiger. So the
majority of the car is an Alpine with a front clip from a Tiger. Unusual to
be sure but possible. Was the Tiger VIN tag removed from one relic and
attached to the other? Or did it stay in place and remain part of the car?
I began my first reply with the words philisophical discussion. And that
is what everybody has danced around for the past two days.
How much of a Tiger can be replaced and still remain a Tiger? 10%?, 40%?
49.9999999999999999999999999%? 50.000000000000000000001%?
I don't know the answer and I doubt many people would agree with my exact
threshold anyway. Thats what makes this a philosophy discussion.
Take a look at Norm Millers website. He has pictures and lists several of
the easily seen Tiger unique items. He lists the kinds of things you can
see on a car without putting it up on a lift. As for the rest, I am glad
the results of STOA's research is being kept confidential.
For a similar situation, call up SAAC and ask them to publish the list of
Shelby VIN to Mustang VIN comparisions. That info is jealously guarded as
well it should be. STOA's info and the info in Norms registry are
appropriately guarded well.
Erich
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Eiland" <deiland1@elp.rr.com>
To: "Theo Smit" <tsmit@shaw.ca>
Cc: <tigers@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: Alpine Conversion
> Theo,
>
> The list seemed to have gone in a different direction from my original
> thoughts on the TAC and what it means in the Tiger community to have this
> designation. I was not refering to cars that are modified or have had
minor
> collisions and used Alpine parts to repair the damage. I know of a car
that
> is out there where the front of the car is a Tiger but from the center of
> the car back it is an Alpine. Both original cars were totally destroyed in
> accidents. The person I know cut the original cars in half and built one
> driveable car out of the two salvage vehicles. In my state this would
carry
> a salvage title and the owner is required by law to divulge all
information
> about the car to any interested buyers. I am a little perplexed at the
idea
> that a car like this might pass a TAC inspection just because it has
enough
> evidence that it began it's life on one end as a Tiger. To say this is one
> of the original Tigers that left the factory 30+ years ago is stretching
it
> if you asked me. Only part of the car left the factory as an original
Tiger.
> Once the TAC sticker is on a car like this do you really believe it will
> ever be disclosed that the car is a salvage vehicle? All I'm saying is
that
> the TAC inspectors have enough knowledge to catch these salvage cars
during
> the TAC process and to have a special sticker to identify them for those
> people without the same knowledge as a TAC inspector. It seems to me a
very
> blatent cop-out if you ask me when someone says that isn't what the TAC is
> for and buyer beware when these same people know that all the people
> involved with the TAC process protect this information with their lives.
To
> prove my point I'll ask if one of the TAC inspectors will please publish
on
> this list for all to see all the things to look for to determine if
someone
> is purchasing an Authentic Tiger, a Fraud, a modified Tiger, a Salvage
car,
> etc., etc. I'm sure there are a lot of buyers out there who would like to
> know what to look for so they can make an informed decission. The reason
> I've seen on this list that this information is not available to the
public
> is to keep the bad boys from building fake Tigers. But then didn't someone
> say that couldn't be done? Nothing wrong with a TAC program that sets the
> highest standards and then has levels that can be met. But to say the
levels
> don't matter they're all Tigers or they're not seems to me to take the
lower
> standard and therefore looses its credibility. I know longer know what the
> designation tells me.
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