November 1, 2007 – Unique Performance is raided

Unique Performance was a specialy production company that was under license from Carol Shelby and Chip Foose to produce high performance models of various cars, including the new Mustang and Camaro. On this day in 2007 Unique Performance of Farmers Branch, Texas was raided by the local police department due to Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) irregularities. Customer complaints stating that people putting forth huge chunks of change, sometimes upwards of $200,000, were angry about not getting their vehicles delivered for years. An investigation led to the findings and the raid. When police entered the compound where the performance vehicles were being built they found 61 vintage vehicles, mostly Mustangs, in various states of construction. The cops found that the vin plates under the hood and elsewhere were fake and beneath them were areas that were highly scratched, as in, the original VIN had been removed. Following a lengthy investigation the local prosecutors office filed 25 felony charges against the company, mostly involving fraud and title-washing. The case become federal when cross state sourcing of vehicles became involved. In order to pay back customers and make up for lost wages for ex employees who were not a part of the scandal the company’s assets were liquidated via auction. Following this the US Attorney in Dallas decided not to pursue the case, despite the hard evidence. However the Dallas County District Attorney’s office did pick up the investigations. Editor’s note: I can not find information regarding the resolution of this case. If anyone has more information I would love to hear it.  ImagesScratched VIN plate (source CBS 11 Dallas