DeLorean's Soul

["James LaLonde" <deloreandmcxii@xxxx>]

This is an interesting question that my girlfriend and I were 
pondering over the other night. It suppose it could be applied to any 
car, but moreso to a rare (some would call it an endangered species 
of) car such as ours.
What actually makes our DeLorean OUR car. Or better phrased; what 
determines if vin 4009 is still vin 4009.
Some may say simply the vin plates or the legallity of the situation, 
but that's hardly romantic enough for MY DeLorean.
Some may say the Frame... but can I not give my car a NEW Stainless 
frame? And yet she would still be 4009.
In fact, over the course of 50 years I could go through the car and 
practically replace EVERY part of the car, and yet she would retain 
the vin 4009. Putting aside such trite things as "the law" or "common 
sense"; why is it that a car that (hypothetically) 50 years ago 
consisted of completely different parts... is still consider by the 
owners and world at large to be the SAME CAR?
Do our cars have some intangible essence akin to a soul? That after 
I've replaced the engine with a Northstar v8 (again hypothetical, 
I've no plans to do that), and replaced the frame with a stainless 
one, and am forced to replace all the stainless pieces due to hail 
damage, etc... etc... IT IS STILL THE SAME CAR?
At what point do we give in and admit we've hacked the car too 
much... that it has undergone too extensive of repair to still be 
considered vin4009... or even a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 at all!?

Hey, the list has been kinda slow... humor my crazed rantings-
James L vin4009