Reshelling of a car.

[tux]

When a race car is re-shelled is it literally a brand new car minus engine, gbox etc?

Reason i ask is this car http://racecarsdirect.com/listing/55..._997_2012.html was re-shelled 3 times during its life time but still keeps the original chassis number.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by tux

When a race car is re-shelled is it literally a brand new car minus engine, gbox etc?

Reason i ask is this car http://racecarsdirect.com/listing/55..._997_2012.html was re-shelled 3 times during its life time but still keeps the original chassis number.

Just like the traditional woodmans axe (or more recently, "Tiggers Broom"). !2 new handles and 6 new heads, but it's still original...

[tux]

Ahhh i see, do they swap the chassis number plate or just make a new plate with the same number?

[MGDavid]

that would depend how mangled it is from the previous accident...

[terence]

I thought Porsche chassis numbers were stamped into the body-front right under the bonnet?
Not really the car it was, is it?

[JohnD]

Chassis no. isn't registration no. but this is how the DVLA sees it:

Keep a vehicle’s original registration number
A rebuilt vehicle can keep its original registration number if you can prove you’ve used:

the original unmodified chassis or bodyshell (car or light van)
a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original (car or light van)
You must also have 2 other major components from the original vehicle from the following lists.

For cars or light vans:

suspension (front and back)
steering assembly
axles (both)
transmission
engine
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registrat...built-vehicles

John

[Al Weyman]

What's DVLA got to do with a race car? Bottom line is it's not original the whole thing is a joke.

[Paul D]

I think the reshelling of a racecar such as this is somewhat different to reshelling a road car.

If, as the seller claims, it has been reshelled each time with new shells from Porsche (and not due to crash damage apparently, apart from the most recent reshell), then it's possible - and I stand to be corrected on this - that the new shells may have been provided by Porsche without chassis numbers, so the car could retain its original identity - or, at least, not have a conflicting identity when compared to the original shell.

However, to answer the original question, which was regarding what would be replaced during a reshell - well, there's no definitive answer to that, and it largely depends on why the car's being reshelled in the first place. In the case of this car, it looks like the first two reshells were simply to update the car to the latest specs for a particular series - different roll cage requirements, for example. So if that's the case, then it could literally be just the shell and associated parts that have been replaced and all of the major mechanical components may be from the original car. But in the case of a heavily crashed car, a lot more may need changing - suspension, steering, brakes, maybe even engine/transmission. Of course, in such cases, you've got to decide at what point it ceases to be a simple reshell and actually becomes an entirely new car!


People have been arguing about that one for years...