Help how to authinticate a rare vehicle

Guys I have a 1973 Chevrolet Firenza CanAm 302(right hand drive). Specs are Chevy 302 with a M21 tranny.Its a factory race car that they only made 2 of.Chevrolet gave the rights to build the cars to Basil Van Rooyen in South Africa.He built 2 road race cars and 2 rally cars.One of the road cars was distroyed so it would make this car the only one in existance.The 1973 Chevy "lil Chev" is the only car ever built outside the USA to make Chevys top 100 cars of all time.So my qustion is how to authintacate it? I have researched the car for the past month with little concrete information for the documentation.The vin does match but I need more proof.The car raced all over the world but theres a long story that goes with the car.How do I go back and check race reg. to see if the vin numbers match the race registration? If its ok with the staff I'll post the last owners name??? Any info. would be greatly recieved.I just need to know if it could be a clone or the real thing.I have tons of pictures and if any of the GRM staff would like to see the car I'm only an hour from you.Thanks!

Got any chassis codes or anything like that? Fender tags, etc? I bet you could trace it if it was ever sold with a VIN or something, from when Chevy sold the chassis to the guy that built it.

They were Chevy factory built race cars,but built in South Africa.The only vin is in the door.I've tried tracing it but it came here from the UK.I've talk to the guys in SA but the trail gets cold fast.It was a race car so no title.

Heres the only vin on the car.Its in the door they didn't put the vin plate in the normal place on the dash.I have decoded it but thats all the help it provided.If it is the real deal its the lowest vin number for a race car recorded.

Hmmm the find and research of this would make for a good story in the mag, especially if you can make it drive.

If I can authentacate it,I have a 302 and M21 to make it run.It needs a lot more than just the engine it needs brakes,rotors,calipers,drive shaft,axles...

I'm of no help, but those wheels are berkeleying cool and I wish you well with that little beast.

Still, a 1 of 1 car that's the only one in existence would be quite a find.

I have nothing more to add. Good luck sir. Post a build thread. LOL

I don't recall ever seeing centerlocks that old before.

This may help. Best of luck in your quest. What a cool find! http://www.africanmusclecars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=507&start=10

The wheels are 16" not sure if they are original to the car or an upgrade at some point.thats one of the mysterys of the car.I'm also trying to find what the original brakes were on the car.

unevolved wrote: I don't recall ever seeing centerlocks that old before.

Are you not counting peg drive Dunlops?

Google turns up nothing on this car for me. I've been trying to find period photographs so we could at least all do a bit of comparison between the livery/type faces. I'm intrigued by this thing.

Also from the African Muscle Cars forum:

http://www.africanmusclecars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=427

It starts getting good at the bottom of the third page, but there are (25) pages.

It might be the "Guest Car" which was Maroon and White, or maybe "Big Bertha"...."Old Nail" is another one, but it seems as of the time of that thread it was alive and well in the UK.

Hope that helps. ,

~John

Any chance of getting in touch with Basil or team members? Seems like that was a very well known car - also a few replicas out there.

JFX001 wrote: Also from the African Muscle Cars forum: http://www.africanmusclecars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=427 It starts getting good at the bottom of the third page, but there are (25) pages. It might be the "Guest Car" which was Maroon and White, or maybe "Big Bertha"...."Old Nail" is another one, but it seems as of the time of that thread it was alive and well in the UK. Hope that helps. , ~John

I'd say to join that forum, contact FirenzaGT ( or Lino)...and tell him/show him what you have.

OK,a Guy named Ed Hubbard brought the car here from South Africa via the UK.The car was restored and was going to be raced in verious countrys by Hubbard or one of his drivers.Hubbard said he raced the car but records prove other wise.The car was held by the South African gov. because of moneys owed on the car for the restoration work preformed on it by Basil.Some how Hubbard got the car out of SA and Raced it/had it raced.When you question the South Africans about it they don't like talking about the car for what ever reason.When the car was brought here it was repainted the colors you see now.

I have tried to join several forums in South Africa but there filters wont allow it.I have a friend in SA and he has attemped to join the forum and were waiting on a response.but no luck as of two weeks ago.

Okay....go to the link I provided. Hit the top right hand corner search button. Enter "Ed Hubbard" in the search query box. Hit enter. Read all entries.

In reply to JFX001:

I owe you like a life time supply of beer.I have read articals for the past month and you solved the mistery.I got it thats the car.WOOT.thanks!!!!!

Wow, THAT was fast. Seems like a rare car. Well found.

Follow up any and all paper trails first....get concrete evidence. Once this gets around, you might have guys crawling out of the woodwork to get a glimpse...or else.

And, you're very welcome, always cool to see another car guy mystery solved.

I can't help you with the wheels though (inside forum joke).

The only mystery is the time between 90-92 when the car was not accounted for.According to Dick Mawson its the car but after Ed got it and he was charged with Fraud here in the US the car vanished and was bought by the new owner 15 years ago and has sat where it is sense then.Ed also had Dan Gurneys GT40 too.But thats another story.

concrete evidence is hard to come by on this car too.When Ed died so did the paper trail due to it being confiscated by the feds.lol

How the jeebus on a pogostick did you get a hold of it? Looks like it was drug out of some sort of long term storage.

Those are not GM rivets holding the VIN tag on.

That being said, I doubt they would have bothered getting the correct rosette rivets from GM just to hold a S.A. issued tag in place.