THIS CASE REPORT FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA CONCERNS A VEHICLE SUSPECTED OF BEING STOLEN. A BURNT PORTION OF THE FRONT END, DEVOID OF PAINT AND WITH THE MICROSTRUCTURE ALTERED BY THE HEAT OF THE FIRE, WAS FOUND IN A PUBLIC DUMP. INFORMATION LED POLICE TO A FRONT SUBFRAME FROM A SIMILAR VEHICLE IN A SUBURBAN BACKYARD. THE TWO PARTS CONSISTED OF SEVEN INDIVIDUAL STEEL SECTION; WHEN PLACED TOGETHER AT THE OXYGEN-CUT SURFACES A GOOD PHYSICAL MATCH WAS OBTAINED. HOWEVER, THE STEEL SECTIONS WERE THIN AND THE PATTERN OF DRAG LINES ON THE OXYGEN-CUT SURFACES WERE NOT SUFFICIENTLY DISTINCTIVE TO PROVE COMMON ORIGIN. EMISSION SPECTROGRAPHY SHOWED THAT EACH OF THE SEVEN SUBSECTIONS WAS MADE FROM A DIFFERENT TYPE OF STEEL, CONTAINING DIFFERENT TRACE ELEMENTS. GOOD SPECTROGRAPHIC MATCHES WERE OBTAINED FOR SIX OF THE SECTIONS, AND THE DEFENDANTS CHANGED THEIR PLEA TO GUILTY. PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATE THE ARTICLE. A TABLE PRESENTS RESULTS OF THE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (GLR)