[Tommy]

There was a comment over on a Corvette forum that went something like this: "Only 50 of the original 20 1967 L88 Corvettes still exist." This sarcastic comment reflects the common belief that many of the technically perfect and certified cars currently in circulation are reproductions of the factory originals. For the con-men who made the reproductions they are not genuine L88s. For the buyers who now own cars that can't be proven to be reproductions, they are now genuine. So the understanding of what genuine means comes down to what you know about the car. ... As long as both parties in the conversation know the real history of the car, repairs and all, you don't even need to use the word genuine. The car simply is what it is. .... Using the word 'genuine" in an ad or a conversation with an uninformed person is simply a way of implying it is not a known reproduction. So, in my opinion, a heavily repaired car with its original VIN plate can be called genuine. But the seller needs to share information about the repairs with the buyer.