Serious Question...

This is true. There have been cases where a car (any car, not just Ferraris) have VINs changed out and resold with a different history. This is mostly done with stolen vehicles.

If I had a Ferrari, I wouldn't want my VIN to be published mainly for the reason I stated above and also because of tracking the owner and location.

 

Let me add one more thing: It is VERY VERY VERY easy to get a real VIN without ever seeing the car. If you only care about getting a correct 17-digit VIN, the only thing you need is a computer, internet and a bit of knowledge.

I have a list of more than 120 VINs of Enzos in the US. And a list of more than 20,000 VINs of Ferraris in the US. Easy to get, completely legal, without seeing one of these cars and without the help of other persons.

Scary? Not at all! It's far more scary that dealerships can give you new keys without a proper identification of the person and the car. THAT is scary, not the stuff about a VIN or a license plate ...

Just my two euro cents ...

 

I find it very hard to believe that any Ferrari dealer would make a key for anyone with just the VIN written on a scrap of paper, especially an Enzo key, as they are quite unique...not to mention the limited universe of owners.

I tried to have a key made for my car by a locksmith and they wanted the car and registration present along with my ID before they would do it.

 

here ya go:


http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2167428/detail.html

 

Very interesting article Uro. Try posting an ad to sell a car on E-bay. You can't do it without submitting the VIN#. Same goes for the Ferrari Market Letter-what a great place for a thief to start his/her homework.

I spoke with a few Ferrari dealers about theft when I bought my first F-car in 2001. The general consensus was that Feraris were not often stolen, due to the difficulty of reselling them either as whole cars or as parts. But I guess they could be shipped abroad to a country where it's easier to dispose of them.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau these are the most stolen cars in the USA (in order of thefts):

Toyota Camry
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Chevrolet Full Size C/K pick-up
Ford Full Size Pickup (150/250/350)
Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
Ford Taurus
Toyota Corolla

Other agencies report the Cadillac Escalade in the top 10, and the 1995 Saturn LS as the most stolen car of 2003.

Now here is the list of stolen Ferraris:

Year Make Model Rate / 1000
1994 FERRARI 512 18.5185
1995 FERRARI F355 7.5614
1991 FERRARI TESTAROSSA 3.9216
1990 FERRARI TESTAROSSA 2.3474
1999 FERRARI F355 1.4409
2000 FERRARI 360 0
2000 FERRARI 456 0
2000 FERRARI 550 0
1996 FERRARI F355 0
1999 FERRARI 360 0
1999 FERRARI 456 0
1999 FERRARI 550 0
1995 FERRARI 348 0
1995 FERRARI 456 0
1995 FERRARI 512 0
1995 FERRARI F50 0
1994 FERRARI 348 0
1997 FERRARI 456 0
1997 FERRARI 550 0
1997 FERRARI F355 0
1993 FERRARI 348 0
1993 FERRARI 512 0
1993 FERRARI MONDIAL 0
1992 FERRARI 348 0
1992 FERRARI F40 0

So don't buy a 512 or a 355. The rest of you are pretty safe.

Of concern is the morphing of some fairly cheap older Ferraris like the 250 GTE 2+2 into 250 GTOs. I have heard stories of owners of the more expensive and exotic historic Feraris being very surprised to hear that another 250 GTO exists in another country bearing the same VIN#. When you get into this territory there is some serious money to be made by unscrupulous dealers converting forty thousand dollar cars into 14 million dollar cars. As an aside, when Jim Glickenhaus was gracious enough to allow a bunch of us to his restoration facility, he explained the difficulty of establishing the provenance of the car he was restoring, much of it caused by Ferrari itself, which swapped bodies, engines and VIN numbers often in the early days. This can mean the difference between a multimillion dollar collectible and a much cheaper clone.

Carbon: What is a "Scuderia Sebring GT 2+2 LWB Carbiolet Speciale", and when are you coming to the track with me?

 

Uro:

Yeah, a Chevy maybe but not a Ferrari. I suppose you can't say never, but highly unlikely. The F dealer knows every newer car (worth stealing) in his territory and its owner.

 

Auctually there has been one F50 stolen. Man walked into Algar Ferrari of Philly wanted to buy the F50 took it for a test drive, when the dealer and him got out to switch drivers, he took off. No word of its whereabouts, my guess would be Middle East. And too think just 3 days earlier, i had touched that car