[Nedsel]

Returning to the subject of the original thread...

It's interesting to play guessing games with the DMV paperwork. But why would Lanse Hasselrig want to obtain a registration for 2049? It was wrecked and undriveable, so why pay for license plates? The paper shown says it's a registration, but it also says "Vehicle not currently registered." Hence it may be a change of ownership document, as it lists both the registered owner (Haselrig) as well as the lienholder (Abiden). Given the indicated fees paid on the document, just $2, it appears to me to be a simple change of registered ownership with the state, which might explain why it looks different from a typical registration document.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of some friends with sharp computer skills, we have uncovered some new details about the early life of 2049. Here is a synopsis of the brief article from the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News from April 19, 1963:

"Private car entered in Pomona race - Can a guy take his private car off the street and race against the factory-built jobs? Al Abidin, 22-year-old Riverside enthusiast, is going to find out at the Pomona road races tomorrow and Sunday. He astonished race officials this week by entering his Shelby AC Cobra in the two-day meet and getting Ron Bucknum, West Coast driver of the year last season, to handle it for him."

As it turned out, Bucknum was already signed to drive "Ol Yaller III" so Abiden hired Ted Roberts to drive instead. And a photo has been located through vintage sports car photographer Allen Kuhn of CSX 2049 at the Pomona races in April, as #105, just as the race results in the Registry suggest. It's interesting to note that the car is still on wire wheels with stock flares, and shows some damage to the right rear wheel opening: