[Seattle Sam]

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While we are exploring situations here:

A car has a firewall job done when it was only 1.5 years old as a repair while under insurance. The firewall effort was not concealed, and was just ripped across the floorboards - rockers and all. The original green paint is still visible on this blue car.

What is it? Is it acceptable as a repair? The motive at the time it was done was to repair it, not to defraud anyone.

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Aren't cars this badly damaged normally totalled by the insurance company? And, if someone pieces two cars together, a salvage title is issued? I just don't think this sounds like a realistic scenario.
-Sam

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Believe me Sam it's a realistic scenario with a real world Supercar.

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I stand corrected, there's no denying facts!

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Now the real hypothetical is what if the rebodied Supercar that got rebodied back in the first 1-2 years of the car's life goes on to make some real race history for itself with the "donor" body? What if we learned tomorrow that Ed Hedrick's DY sYc Camaro was rebodied when it was only a few months old? We do know it had the quarter panel smashed and replaced after a flat towing incident which is actually why that particular car was given to Ed, but let's pretend the damage was so extensive it required a firewall job before Don handed it over to Ed. If you found that car today, what would you call it? It would definitely still be a "rebody" by definition, but I probably couldn't help but call it the Holy Grail. Interesting discussion...

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Is the history of a car what makes it valuable? I think it is, and for proof I offer up the importance of original documentation and history in enhancing the value of any super car or muscle car. The Ed Hedrick car is certainly more interesting to people than, say, another Daytona Yellow Yenko with no docs but on the VIN list. And unrestored cars tend to draw more attention than the perfect restoration, because we are always interested to see a car as it was "in the day".

Based on this, I would say that your example of a car that was firewalled early in its existence, would still have its history, even though it is missing most of the sheet metal it left the factory with.

What is more valuable, a car with it's original "skin" or sheet metal, but a replacement engine, trans, and rear, or a "firewalled" car with it's original "heart" or drive train? Which would you rather have? I know there are some who say "I would never own a rebody" and there are others that insist on the original, documented drive train. Some even accept only unrestored cars! But for most of us, these are available in such limited number as to be nearly unattainable. SO, would you buy that COPO with most of its original sheet metal but non-original motor, or would you buy the one with all replacement sheet metal ("rebody") but the original motor, trans, etc.??