Ford_News
08-09-2010, 01:26 PM
Filed under: Aftermarket (http://www.autoblog.com/category/aftermarket/), Classics (http://www.autoblog.com/category/timewarp/), Coupe (http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/), Performance (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/), Government/Legal (http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/), Specialty (http://www.autoblog.com/category/special-limited-editions/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-cr-630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/#2743364)
Classic Recreations Shelby GT500 CR - Click above for high-res image gallery
Classic Recreations and its owner, Jason Engel, have been cleared of any wrong doing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Early last month, the restoration shop was raided by OSBI (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/09/report-classic-recreations-under-investigation-for-vin-swapping/) on the suspicion of VIN swapping and customer fraud. Authorities even confiscated multiple vintage Mustangs during a raid and stopped all business at the facility until the investigation came to a close. Later today, Classic recreations is expected to announce that all of the vehicles have been returned and that both Engel and his business have been found to be operating a legitimate, law-abiding restoration shop for vintage Ford Mustangs (http://www.autoblog.com/model/mustang).
According to sources close to the situation, the trouble began when someone mistakenly reported that workers at Classic Recreations were moving VIN numbers from one chassis to another - something that the OSBI frowns upon. In reality, workers were detaching the VIN tags in order to paint the vehicles, then reattaching the numbers to the same chassis after everything was said and done. As anyone who has ever suffered through a rusty project vehicle will tell you, the process is common place on any high-quality restoration. After the OSBI couldn't come up with a single customer to file charges, the bureau dropped the investigation.
Even so, we understand that the OSBI has warned Engel and his business about removing VIN tags for any reason whatsoever.
Gallery: Classic Recreations Shelby G.T.500CR (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/01crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/02crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/03crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/04crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/05crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)
Classic Recreations declared free of wrong doing (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19586557/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01-cr-630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/#2743364)
Classic Recreations Shelby GT500 CR - Click above for high-res image gallery
Classic Recreations and its owner, Jason Engel, have been cleared of any wrong doing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Early last month, the restoration shop was raided by OSBI (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/09/report-classic-recreations-under-investigation-for-vin-swapping/) on the suspicion of VIN swapping and customer fraud. Authorities even confiscated multiple vintage Mustangs during a raid and stopped all business at the facility until the investigation came to a close. Later today, Classic recreations is expected to announce that all of the vehicles have been returned and that both Engel and his business have been found to be operating a legitimate, law-abiding restoration shop for vintage Ford Mustangs (http://www.autoblog.com/model/mustang).
According to sources close to the situation, the trouble began when someone mistakenly reported that workers at Classic Recreations were moving VIN numbers from one chassis to another - something that the OSBI frowns upon. In reality, workers were detaching the VIN tags in order to paint the vehicles, then reattaching the numbers to the same chassis after everything was said and done. As anyone who has ever suffered through a rusty project vehicle will tell you, the process is common place on any high-quality restoration. After the OSBI couldn't come up with a single customer to file charges, the bureau dropped the investigation.
Even so, we understand that the OSBI has warned Engel and his business about removing VIN tags for any reason whatsoever.
Gallery: Classic Recreations Shelby G.T.500CR (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/01crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/02crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/03crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/04crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/05crshelbygt500cr_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/classic-recreations-shelby-g-t-500cr/)
Classic Recreations declared free of wrong doing (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19586557/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/09/classic-recreations-declared-free-of-wrong-doing/)