Researching any info re: Paul Cunningham, Competition Cobra privateer

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

CSX2049 was initially bought as an well optioned street car in 1963, it was turned into a race car some time thereafter.

Sure, the car was initially purchased in 1963 and paid for in full in August of 1963. It was converted to a race car prior to the crash in November 1963. And it seems that the owner of the car in April 1964 was still the person that paid off the bank loan in August of 1963 based on the letter about the mechanics lien shared by Ned.

We do not know who owned the car paid in full in August of 1963 based on what Ned has shown us.

There is what appears to be an application to register CSX 2049 for 1964 that was not sent into the state (as opposed to a 1964 registration). After all why bother to file the 1964 registration for a car wrecked in 1963.

Here are 2 possibilities that could explain Ann having a 1964 application to register CSX 2049 that she did not bother to send into California:

1) Ann could have been the owner of the car back in August 1963. She still had the application to register the car for 1964, but did not send in the application for the wrecked car because it was no longer drivable.

2) Ann purchased the wrecked car from Shelby American sometime after April 1964 if Shelby American eventually got the mechanics lien. She would have gotten a title for the car in 1964 when she first purchased the car as a wreck. She would also also have gotten the application to register the car in 1964, but would not have bothered to send in the registration application because she would never drive the car.

Possiblity number 2 allows for someone other than Ann to have owned the car when Paul Cunningham crashed it. And that owner could have been Paul Cunningham, but not necessarily.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

Sure, the car was initially purchased in 1963 and paid for in full in August of 1963. It was converted to a race car prior to the crash in November 1963. And it seems that the owner of the car in April 1964 was still the person that paid off the bank loan in August of 1963 based on the letter about the mechanics lien shared by Ned.

We do not know who owned the car paid in full in August of 1963 based on what Ned has shown us.

There is what appears to be an application to register CSX 2049 for 1964 that was not sent into the state (as opposed to a 1964 registration). After all why bother to file the 1964 registration for a car wrecked in 1963.

Here are 2 possibilities that could explain Ann having a 1964 application to register CSX 2049 that she did not bother to send into California:

1) Ann could have been the owner of the car back in August 1963. She still had the application to register the car for 1964, but did not send in the application for the wrecked car because it was no longer drivable.

2) Ann purchased the wrecked car from Shelby American sometime after April 1964 if Shelby American eventually got the mechanics lien. She would have gotten a title for the car in 1964 when she first purchased the car as a wreck. She would also also have gotten the application to register the car in 1964, but would not have bothered to send in the registration application because she would never drive the car.

Possiblity number 2 allows for someone other than Ann to have owned the car when Paul Cunningham crashed it. And that owner could have been Paul Cunningham, but not necessarily.

This is pretty much what I was thinking after trying to make sense of the paper trail. Are there no records at all of the original purchase in 1963?

I also wonder though, why on Earth would Ann Abidin buy a beyond-repair wrecked race Cobra in 1964 when a heap like that would've been of little value to anyone back then. Cobras were still production cars and not highly valued collector items.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Buzz

This is pretty much what I was thinking after trying to make sense of the paper trail. Are there no records at all of the original purchase in 1963?

I also wonder though, why on Earth would Ann Abidin buy a beyond-repair wrecked race Cobra in 1964 when a heap like that would've been of little value to anyone back then. Cobras were still production cars and not highly valued collector items.

I think Ned said that Ann sold the wreck to Lanse for $400. The wreck was probably worth that amount. You have magnesium wheels, engine, transmission, etc.

In the scenario that Ann bought the wreck from Shelby American after they got a mechanics lien, she presumably would have gotten it for less than $400 with the thought of reselling it to make some money. But to resell it to someone with a personal loan that took around 3 years to collect sounds odd.

Back to wild, crazy, unprovable speculation:
Hmm, what if Lanse had heard about the wreck being for sale and wanted to buy it. He went to his Dad and said "Can you loan me $400 to buy this cool wrecked racecar?". Dad says, "No". Lanse tries again asking his mom, who also says no. Lanse asks various other friends and relatives to help him buy the wreck, who all say no to him, until he asks his eccentric aunt Ann, who says "OK, I will buy the car for you, and you can pay me back $12 a month for 3 years. We will keep track of your payments on little scraps of paper".

Less likely scenario:
Ann owns the wreck, either as the owner from August 1963 or purchased it from Shelby American after a mechanics lien. She tries to sell the wreck for scrap or parts and finds absolutely nobody who wants the wreck except for some guy named Lanse, who offers to buy it from her for $400 over a reasonably short period of time. Ann says OK, and the reasonably short period of time to pay her turns into 3 years and Ann gets very frustrated that that she agreed to sell Lanse the wreck as a personal loan.