Speedometer date/build date -- your experience?

[Eminence Gris]

I'm counseling someone who is disputing the originality of a speedometer. The date stamp on the back is 9 months prior to the "build date" of the car.

It's my assumption that Porsche didn't pre-order relatively expensive components like this and have them sit on a shelf that long.

What's everyone's experience with the speedo date relationship to the build date?

[Simonjjb]

I'm counseling someone who is disputing the originality of a speedometer. The date stamp on the back is 9 months prior to the "build date" of the car.

It's my assumption that Porsche didn't pre-order relatively expensive components like this and have them sit on a shelf that long.

What's everyone's experience with the speedo date relationship to the build date?

I bet they did in the early 70"s before "just in time" , inventory turns and working capital metrics became important. Mine is dated 6 months earlier.

[Frank Beck]

5-8 months is not uncommon. Had a Dec build ‘67 with May gauges.

Bill, how about a little more detail in regard to the dispute? Someone is obviously questioning originality but are they trying to return a car or just get some scratch back? I find these situations intriguing.

My “counsel” to a buyer who didn’t have a professional PPI done would be “suck it up and hopefully you’ve learned not to be lazy, cheap, or impatient on the next car you buy”.

Documenting speedo dates and bezel originality is one of our primary checks on a supposed original car.

[Eminence Gris]

5-8 months is not uncommon. Had a Dec build ‘67 with May gauges.

Bill, how about a little more detail in regard to the dispute? Someone is obviously questioning originality but are they trying to return a car or just get some scratch back? I find these situations intriguing.

My “counsel” to a buyer who didn’t have a professional PPI done would be “suck it up and hopefully you’ve learned not to be lazy, cheap, or impatient on the next car you buy”.

Documenting speedo dates and bezel originality is one of our primary checks on a supposed original car.

Hey, Frank, this is definitely a case for forensic archaeology.

In this case, the car is an 82 SC with a 150 MPH speedo. Would have been delivered with an 85 MPH speedo & my contention was that whatever miles accumulated on the original likely went away when the 150 version was put in. Seller contends the 150 was there from the get-go. CoA build date 8/7/82, speedo date 12/81. No indication in the warranty booklet of a swap (nor any stamps beyond delivery) Carfax has no records prior to 2004.

I know experiences in the longhood era are minimally indicative, but this forum tends to have people who pay attention to this stuff, so at least I get a data point...

[Frank Beck]

In this situation how could anyone know or prove the number of miles on the car prior to installation of the different speedo? The point is that it’s not the original speedo so mileage is not original.

So what’s the beef? Is the buyer claiming damages because he bought a car that was represented as “original mileage”?

Slippery slope for all of us here; if a car is driven an inch with a broken odo gear before its fixed then it’s not technically original mileage.

If you want this dog to hunt it’s going to bite you.

[Eminence Gris]

In this situation how could anyone know or prove the number of miles on the car prior to installation of the different speedo? The point is that it’s not the original speedo so mileage is not original.

So what’s the beef? Is the buyer claiming damages because he bought a car that was represented as “original mileage”?

Slippery slope for all of us here; if a car is driven an inch with a broken odo gear before its fixed then it’s not technically original mileage.

If you want this dog to hunt it’s going to bite you.

Nah, this is a misrepresented BAT auction. Not my purchase, but I was pulled in via an inspection for a prospective bidder & later conversation with the "winner." Ironically, the car was so good that if the seller had been honest about the "warts" I'd still have recommended the car. It just rubs me the wrong way when people make blatant misrepresentations. To be clear, the mileage discrepancy was the least of the issues.