Hmmmm, let me see if I have this theory down pat. Soooo, owners of originals that are already "original" and may be missing a few items will spend $500,000.00 + dollars to buy one of the new "Completion" car just to cannibalize it for some parts and then hope to get back their purchase price and resell the car minus the original parts they cannibalized?
Then do they pass on the original bill of sale and build sheet or disclose the "missing" parts? If they don't disclose the parts it's fraud. Not many want to expose themselves to that. If they do disclose the missing parts then what is the car worth now? Also, since all the cars will apparently differ in the amount of original parts they carry, which car do they buy?
If This type of game starts to occur it will kill the value of these cars as no one will want to pay "big" $$$ for them never knowing if the car they are buying has been "raped" of its original list of parts. I would certainly approach such cars with caution if this type of shenanigans starts to take place.
Also, in most scenarios parts are worth sold more sold separately than as an entire vehicle when parted out. Why not sell the entire stash if it really exists and to whatever extent it exists separately item by item? Likely would bring far more in the end and then sell the CSX 3000 chassis separately to be completed as CSX 3XXX with a suffix like "H" for "historic" stamped onto each chassis and completed by Kirkham or McClusky to competition specs (not SC) that would clearly identify what they were and remove the objectionable issue of having them purpost to be part of a series they are not.
If the original run were completed they would not be SCs. Historically, had they been completed to the 100 needed they would have been comp spec.
Also, while I don't doubt DeBeneste was friendly with Carroll Shelby and if was DeBeneste that "ended" up with this "stash of parts" which the world is just now finding out existed raises another fertile ground for some real questions.
If Carroll had these parts he supposedly would have had them for many years. No?
I have never heard or read about this stash before. Been around Cobras for 20+ years and have participated on numerous forums dedicated to Shelbys and Cobras. Never heard anyone speak of it. Am I missing something? If so please enlighten me.
The current Registry doesn't mention such a stash. At least that I was able to find. I don't know if previous Registries did.
Asked a builder of a well known and very respected replica company and a restorer of originals and very knowledgeable regarding Cobras if they ever heard about this stash. Nope.
Carroll was very close friends with McClusky and Lynn Park. Why didn't one of those two end up with the parts if he "sold" them. Why not a family member?
If this secret mountain of "Shelby gold" existed I am incredulous that it remained such a secret likely from the 60's and all of a sudden the announcement is made in 2015 and "pow" the world is in awe. Really?
Why wasn't the announcement made back in the time frame with the previous Completion series was being ginned up? Carroll never mentioned such an original stash of "parts" as I recall. Again enlighten me if I a wrong. All he mentioned was the existence of 1965 Chassis "he found out back" then later said after getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar that he "was just misunderstood" clarifying only that they are "true to spec" 1965 chassis built by McClusky. He had the perfect chance to say "he what I meant was these are true to spec 1965 chassis to be adorned with vintage original parts and components making them true 1965 cars". He didn't even when he as in a jam with the State of Californication back peddling fast trying to avoid criminal issues. If ever there was a time to wheel out this stash that was the time.
The article at the top of this thread and the other article said he wanted the project completed "after his death". Really? Think about that. Make sense?
Ah, no.
The pieces of this puzzle just don't seem to fit right to me.
Just say'n.
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