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Searching previous owners - BT7 Tricarb -62 sold in LA

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Novamonte

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I am trying to find previous owner(s) of my AH 3000 MkII Tricarb. The previous owner, located in Denmark, purchased it from the US some 15-20 years ago and had no information for me on its background, so it would be nice to find someone who can provide some further information. I have obtained a Heritage Certificate that provides the following info:

Car/Chassis Number: H-BT7-L/16938
Engine Number: 29E-RU-H/3261
Body Number: 16889
Date of Build: 14-19 December 1961
Destination (dealer): Los Angeles, CA

The car was originally Ivory White (now Colorado Red) with black trim and hood.

Thanks!
 
The Tricarb Registry is maintained by Bill Bolton (tricarb@aol.com). He has kept that registry for a long time and may be able to help you. The BJ8 Registry attempts to document the continuous ownership history of each car, but I do not know if any of the other model registrars try to do that.

You need to verify that all of the identity plates on your car are factory-issued and not reproductions, or the data on the certificate may be misleading.
 
Thank you Steve! I was not aware of the tricarb Registry, but will contact Bill Bolton to see if he has any information. I believe that the plates are all original, and the Danish authorities also stamped the VIN number into the frame as per the title when the car was imported, which obviously was a requrement at the time. I have also seen pictures of the car prior to the restoration, and the original color was white as per the certificate. There is also a CA tag plate partly visible on a picture. The first character is not visible, but the others are _EYB014.
 
I recommended that the identity plates be verified as original because I have seen so many BJ8s that turn out not to be what they claim to be. I am currently working with a UK BJ8 owner to get the registration corrected because the car was imported from the USA in 1989, apparently with an incorrect VIN plate already installed, and paperwork to match. The VIN plate is an original, but to another car. The body plate has the correct body number for the VIN plate, but an incorrect "batch" number on the top line and is therefore a reproduction. The certificate for the car matching the VIN plate has none of the features of the car itself. We know the true original identity of the car, and the certificate details match ALL of the corresponding features of the car; but now the problem is to convince the registration authorities to correct the paperwork. That can be surprisingly difficult. It's much better to verify identities before buying a car than afterwards.
 
Thank you Steve! I have no reason to believe that the VIN or body plates are incorrect, and all infomation on the certificate adds up (original color, OD, key number, destination and equipment). Moreover, I have not seen anything indicating that the car was not manufactured at the time stated in the certificate. The seat belt mounts in the wheelarches are period correct and all parts in the tricarb installation seem to be original. That said I can of course not be certain. Any tips on how the VIN and body plates are verified would be highly appreciated.
 
If all those items on your car match the certificate, then you're probably O.K. I've seen plenty of cases where missing plates have been "recreated" after an engine serial number has apparently been used to determine the original chassis number and body number for that engine. For BJ8s that are questionable, I ask that photos of the plates be sent to me. I've seen enough of them to tell whether the plates are original-issue or not.
 
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