Researching any info re: Paul Cunningham, Competition Cobra privateer

[twobjshelbys]

You try to make it sound like Shelby did something sinister. They did what is normal practice in the auto repair industry. If Shelby had a pile of parts, and that is iffy, and assuming the owner was contacted about removing them, then the only way to legally dispose of them is to declare them abandoned and get a mechanics lien title. It's done frequently by auto repair shops that get abandoned vehicles.

It's a clever move. I've got a car that is beyond repair. I took it to the shop to get it fixed. Repairs are $2K for a new engine or $300 to dispose of it at the junk yard. So I just leave it at the repair shop. Eventually repair shop will get tired of it sitting there, lien it, and eventually he'll have to pay the $300.

I still don't understand your motivation. You keep saying that you just want the history recorded, yet you keep circling back on making an air car out of some pile of parts somewhere. (Else why would you be so interested in a projected value? It's value today is scrap.) The Cobra community is too wise now to believe that if 2049 magically appears next week that it isn't highly suspicious.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

It's a clever move. I've got a car that is beyond repair. I took it to the shop to get it fixed. Repairs are $2K for a new engine or $300 to dispose of it at the junk yard. So I just leave it at the repair shop. Eventually repair shop will get tired of it sitting there, lien it, and eventually he'll have to pay the $300.

This is 100% accurate. when I had my bodyshop, I got stuck with dozens of cars like this. After the first two dozen, I got smart enough to not allow them to collect their belongings from the storage part of my yard without delivery of title. In other cases, I was smart enough to ask what they wanted for it, buy it, await title, then sell it off for a small profit.

Bill S.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

You try to make it sound like Shelby did something sinister. They did what is normal practice in the auto repair industry. If Shelby had a pile of parts, and that is iffy, and assuming the owner was contacted about removing them, then the only way to legally dispose of them is to declare them abandoned and get a mechanics lien title. It's done frequently by auto repair shops that get abandoned vehicles.

It's a clever move. I've got a car that is beyond repair. I took it to the shop to get it fixed. Repairs are $2K for a new engine or $300 to dispose of it at the junk yard. So I just leave it at the repair shop. Eventually repair shop will get tired of it sitting there, lien it, and eventually he'll have to pay the $300.

I still don't understand your motivation. You keep saying that you just want the history recorded, yet you keep circling back on making an air car out of some pile of parts somewhere. (Else why would you be so interested in a projected value? It's value today is scrap.) The Cobra community is too wise now to believe that if 2049 magically appears next week that it isn't highly suspicious.

You don't have to pay to dispose of a car at a junk yard. The junk yard will pay you even if they have to send a tow truck to get it. It seems the going rate for a beater with more than 200k miles on it is about $400. I know I got $400 earlier in the year for an old Altima that my son got as a hand me down from my father. My son crashed it into a divider wall getting off an exit of the PA turnpike. It was sort of drivable, so I managed to drive it several miles to my parent's house. I arranged for a company I found on the internet to get the car. They paid cash to my parents. Actually they accepted the car without the title in hand too because it was obviously beyond repair. I may have later just scanned a copy of the title and emailed it to them.

About 6 years ago, my Civic died with 283K miles on it. I had it towed to my local shop by AAA. The shop said the crankshaft pulley key had failed wrecking the crankshaft. I dropped off the title at my local shop, called a place to pick it up the car for junk. I think I got between $200 and $300 back then, but that was 6 years ago.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

You don't have to pay to dispose of a car at a junk yard. The junk yard will pay you even if they have to send a tow truck to get it.

Yes, and no, the junkyard cannot legally take the car and actually use it for parts, or crush it for scrap without the title. Sure it can be towed to a storage lot, either at the junkyard or elsewhere, where it will accrue "storage fees" (some months, I made more on storage fees than I did on the actual repair of a vehicle) but there it will sit collecting dust until legal ownership is obtained.

Bill S.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

but there it will sit collecting dust until legal ownership is obtained.

Bill S.

Which in the absence of a cooperating owner is accomplished with a mechanics lien.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

Which in the absence of a cooperating owner is accomplished with a mechanics lien.

100% correct

[USC_COWBOY]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

You try to make it sound like Shelby did something sinister. They did what is normal practice in the auto repair industry. If Shelby had a pile of parts, and that is iffy, and assuming the owner was contacted about removing them, then the only way to legally dispose of them is to declare them abandoned and get a mechanics lien title. It's done frequently by auto repair shops that get abandoned vehicles.

It's a clever move. I've got a car that is beyond repair. I took it to the shop to get it fixed. Repairs are $2K for a new engine or $300 to dispose of it at the junk yard. So I just leave it at the repair shop. Eventually repair shop will get tired of it sitting there, lien it, and eventually he'll have to pay the $300.

I still don't understand your motivation. You keep saying that you just want the history recorded, yet you keep circling back on making an air car out of some pile of parts somewhere. (Else why would you be so interested in a projected value? It's value today is scrap.) The Cobra community is too wise now to believe that if 2049 magically appears next week that it isn't highly suspicious.

The point being that the Cunningham family was never notified or alerted by SAI that they were done with their post wreck examination of the car. We obviously were entitled to get the car back. Where is the correspondence? Where is the notice of sale? Where is the SAI report on the wrecked car findings? I want the records to be correct, I want the ownership corrected and the proper history attached to Paul's involvement with CSX2049.
Everyone else in this discussion gets a pass and can hide behind their lack of proof/evidence; but the sole surviving family member is castigated for wanting the truth. Talk about circling the wagons.

I suggest you go back and read this thread from the beginning and please take note of what evidentiary documentation is conveniently missing. Look at how the same players keep showing up with their questionable actions involving not only CSX2049 but several other wrecked Cobras. Sure seems to me that there is an adopted process/recipe for resurrecting wrecked Cobras under very suspicious circumstances.

I hope others on this CC forum will chime in with their own stories of resurrected Cobras under suspicious circumstances, this chassis is far from being the only one.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by USC_COWBOY

I hope others on this CC forum will chime in with their own stories of resurrected Cobras under suspicious circumstances, this chassis is far from being the only one.

Dang, I'm rooting for you. A 77 year old man that wants to solve a decades old family mystery before he dies. I get it; we all get it. But you're marching uphill against turf, control, transparency and ego (and I'm not pointing a finger at anyone in particular). The majority of us on this forum are all men in their 60's and 70's, so we do indeed get it. I think we're all rooting for you. Most of us, that is.

[USC_COWBOY]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Dang, I'm rooting for you. A 77 year old man that wants to solve a decades old family mystery before he dies. I get it; we all get it. But you're marching uphill against turf, control, transparency and ego (and I'm not pointing a finger at anyone in particular). The majority of us on this forum are all men in their 60's and 70's, so we do indeed get it. I think we're all rooting for you. Most of us, that is.

Thank you