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Originally Posted by A-Snake
That’s a shame. 
I’m sure there are and were owners of original Cobras that may have cared less whether their cars have the correct original parts. I’m also sure there are owners that would like to correct perhaps errors in judgment by prior owners.
Finding original parts to restore or maintain an original Cobra can be very difficult whereas finding a suitable new part to create a replica is much easier. I believe any rare original part should be used first to maintain or restore original Cobras. Just my $.02 |
Like I said, anything is available for the right price. I would certainly entertain a discussion with an owner of one of the original cars that I have parts from. However, it would not be cheap for the parts to exchange hands to that owner or anyone else. I paid big bucks for these parts and just because the parts were on a particular car 30 years ago does not make me feel charitable toward the current owner. Also, although I would entertain a discussion with an owner of a car that orignally had my parts I don't plan on spending my time hunting for the car that originally had the parts just to see if they would like to buy them back. If they wanted them, they could have traced the ownership/restoration path backwards with a little research and had a chance to buy them before I did. I do actually agree with you that it is very good to bring the original parts back home to their original car but it is a little more complex to resolve when you follow the multiple threads of parts, cars, and owners over the years. Also, why limit this to Cobras. What about all the many car parts for sale for example on Ebay. Should these parts be returned to the car that they originally came from or should they go to the highest bidder? I think that if the owner of the original car would like to be the highest bidder then that would work just fine. Also, it can be more complex depending on the part. In the case of my sidepipes, sure we could just remove them and I have a replica set made. But what about my toploader? Should I take apart my car to sell the transmission to the owner of the original comp car that it was in back in 1965? A pretty complex subject actually. Again, I do agree with the premise of getting the original parts back to the original car but it is a bit more complex and not a problem I am interested in taking on. As you originally asked, "If the owner of 3051 can be located, would that cars original parts be available to them?". Again, sure for a price but I am not going to be the one hunting to locate them. If they end up finding me through research then we will talk.