Tim Cole wrote:
If the Hollingsworth statement were true then the parts book should indicate such by Vin number. For example, rod bearings for the 39 Eight came in two versions before and after Vin number such and such.

As it stands that statement needs to be backed up. Otherwise it's subject to a Melville style rebuttal - "So it was written and so it was!". If the 18th series 160 was the first use of that body I might buy it, but given the same parts were being used in the 17th series I don't because there is no changeover taking place. They already had the parts to be consistent.

As it stands that little blurb sounds like some of the old politics in a particular car club that I was involved with years ago. We'd get a letter from somebody like Turnquist trying to modify the definition of authenticity to serve the needs of one of his customers. In those cases we had to consider whether it was worth it to generate hostility. Later on there was a takeover and things really changed insofar as body swapping was concerned.