[old5.0]

I generally try to avoid these arguments, but I have a few questions and observations here. First, I noticed that an observation was made on TC regarding the fact that Roger had no contact with DHPC, and that when warranty work was required, the car was returned to Bill Allen, and that this was somehow proof that the car carries no Dick Harrell connection. The logic of this statement seems faulty. Roger purchased the car from Bill Allen, why would he not have returned there for warranty work? It would seem that the onus would fall on Bill Allen to handle any coordination with Harrell on warranty work, not the customer. Had I owned the car, returned for warranty work to Bill Allen, and been told "Sorry, go see Dick Harrell" I would have proceeded to raise hell right there in the showroom. This seems like weak evidence on the part of those claiming that the car carries no connection to Dick's operation. How were warranty claims on cars sold in California, for example, handled(I believe Harrell's dealer network extended that far)? Surely these owners weren't told to have their new cars towed 1500 miles to Harrell's shop to satisfy said claims.

Next, a point of pride more than anything else. Someone on TC made the claim that the car was sold with a Harrell invoice to fluff it up for a market that didn't know what a COPO was. This is complete and utter bull@!*$. I'm no expert on Chevy supercars, but I am fairly knowledgeable regarding the musclecar scene in the Kansas/Nebraska/western Missouri area. People here were well aware of the COPO process. Mac's in Crete, NE and VanT in Topeka were both well known movers of COPOs at that time. I also have reliable information of more than half a dozen dealers selling one or more COPO Camaros/Chevelles in the northeast Kansas area alone. I'd bet that KS/NE/MO was second only to the Ohio/Pennsylvania/New Jersey area in terms of total COPO sales. A distant second, sure, but to claim that people here were unaware of then is simply incorrect. A minor point, but the idea that Bill Allen was somehow forced to add Harrell badges and paper to move the car seems ludicrous to me.

Next a general observation. It seems that there are people who now wish to discount the paperwork and the original owner's statements. Fine. But it seems as though these are some of the same people who in the past have venerated paperwork and owner history as the only true measure of a car's worth. It has been intimated, in fact, that an in-person review of a car itself is virtually worthless <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">without the accompanying paper and owner statements.</span></span> So which is it? Is the paperwork not enough in this case? If so, why? Are there not other examples of COPO Chevrolets delivered through Bill Allen and modified at Harrell's shop that are deemed legit? Even if the modification was something as simple as re-jetting the carb and modifying the distributor, that indicates something beyond the ordinary, doesn't it? What's the threshold for necessary modifications to be considered a true Harrell car? I believe that even non-converted Yenko Novas are still considered Yenko Novas so long as YSC paperwork exists.

There's more, but that's enough typing for now. Roger, it's a fantastic car and a story, and I've enjoyed following along. The recent turn of events is unfortunate, but as you said, you know what you have and what the paperwork shows. I know what I believe to be the case in this situation, and I'll tell anyone who asks that you have a legitimate Supercar.