If it weren’t for some home detective work, this 9-second streeter may never have called New Zealand home.

You’ve heard of those scam stories. Well, I got sucked in,” says the owner of this seriously tough 9-second Street Camaro, Rick Baker.

The look of disbelief on my face probably showed my confusion, because to me the car looks pretty well perfect. And it is. Rick explained the situation by going on to say, “There’s a lot to be said for doodling and taking notes, ’cause if I hadn’t the Camaro wouldn’t be here today.”

“My son and I were on eBay having a look for our next project. It had to be a ’68 Camaro, and a big block. Not keen on a rebuild we searched for a turnkey beast. The advert said this one had a fresh engine and was in show condition, even if the pictures were a bit blurry.”

“That was it. The ‘buy now’ button was pressed. I asked for the seller’s number to talk with him. After a few hours we were talking and the seller, David, insisted on a 50% deposit as us Kiwis are apparently time wasters. I was placed on hold while he answered a call or two, and that turned out to be my saviour.”

After wiring across the 50% deposit, Rick decided he’d head to the States and pick the car up in person rather than sending a transporter as he’d said he would to David. Just six days later he was standing in front of the given pick up address dumbfounded. All that lay in front of him was a derelict house, with no one nearby knowing the seller and the house having sat empty for years. (more…)