BobinVirginia Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) I always enjoy hearing stories of interesting cars that have been lost but thought to still exist. Does anyone have a story to share? Edited March 14, 2022 by BobinVirginia (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Corvair people still like to believe #6000 of 1969 production is around somewhere. GM is silent on it. That is the very last Corvair built. #5998 and #5999 are around. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Maybe not "thought to exist" but wish it did is the Reeves Octoauto. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 1951 Studebaker Commander business coupe. 1958 Studebaker President Broadmoor station wagon. Factory records show one of each were produced, but neither have surfaced yet. There was also a prototype six cylinder van made for Westinghouse for their evaluation and testing. Again, it has not been discovered as of yet. Craig 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCHansen1 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Jim Morrisons 67 GT500, known as the blue lady remains MIA after Morrison thoroughly beat the hell out of it in SoCal. Most consider it gone forever, but you just never know... Tucker #42 is still the only Tucker that remains unaccounted for, there are legendary stories of it discovered by a police officer along the banks of the Mississippi outside of Memphis, and it disappeared not long after. There are lots of versions of that story about, different legends, but ultimatley that is the only one MIA. Keep you eyes peeled! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCHansen1 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Jim Morrisons 67 GT500, known as the blue lady remains MIA after Morrison thoroughly beat the hell out of it in SoCal. Most consider it gone forever, but you just never know... Tucker #42 is still the only Tucker that remains unaccounted for, there are legendary stories of it discovered by a police officer along the banks of the Mississippi outside of Memphis, and it disappeared not long after. There are lots of versions of that story about, different legends, but ultimatley that is the only one MIA. Keep you eyes peeled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 About 40 years ago it was rumored that there was an Edwardian Rolls Royce in Newport RI, still in the hands of the family of the original owner. A good friend of mine, sadly gone now, followed up on this to the point of going to the house (mansion or estate would be a more appropriate term) and asking if he could see it. Jack was a soft-spoken gentleman — not in the slightest the pushy type and whoever he spoke to admitted that they did indeed have such a car...and took him to the carriage house to see it. He told me it was a 1912 or 1913 ghost...rebodied in the early to mid 20s, probably by Brewster, as a touring car. It was clean, up on jacks and completely untouched since it had been stored away. If it hadn't been run in years, the family chauffeur turned the engine over regularly and dusted it off. The family was wealthy when the car was new and was still wealthy...they had no interest in selling it and didn't care to be bothered by aggressive collectors. The fact is, money was the least of their worries so what could you offer them for it? Does the car still exist?...there is no reason to think it doesn't. Has an early ghost with a later touring body surfaced in the area since then? I've been out of the RR loop too long to know but I certainly haven't heard of it if it has. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCHansen1 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 I also understand they may have finally found the missing DB5 used in Goldfinger, stolen out of a Florida warehouse in the late 90s. Word is it has finally been tracked to the midde east, and recovery efforts are supposedly underway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studemax Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 1 hour ago, 8E45E said: There was also a prototype six cylinder van made for Westinghouse for their evaluation and testing. Again, it has not been discovered as of yet. You talking about this? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 The L29 Speedster is a good one, but probably doesn't exist. https://www.classicspeedsters.com/blog/2019/3/27/speedster-gone-the-case-of-the-disappeared-cord-speedster 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 J242 exists and has been in the same family for 60 years, but unseen to the public in decades. I think a couple of forum members have seen it in the last few years. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 The one you have all seen before is The Stutz Schumacher Special, there were a number of articles written in the 90s wondering where it went. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 And the guys in the Graham club thought this was gone years ago. But nope. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 8 hours ago, Studemax said: You talking about this? This one: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunsmoke Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) The L29 Speedster is a good one, but probably doesn't exist. Reading through AQ Vol 6-2 yesterday quite coincidentally and this illustration by John Hanna showed up of the Cord L29 Speedster, hard to imagine it did not survive. Published Fall 1967. Edited March 13, 2022 by Gunsmoke (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 11 hours ago, JV Puleo said: About 40 years ago it was rumored that there was an Edwardian Rolls Royce in Newport RI, still in the hands of the family of the original owner. A good friend of mine, sadly gone now, followed up on this to the point of going to the house (mansion or estate would be a more appropriate term) and asking if he could see it. Jack was a soft-spoken gentleman — not in the slightest the pushy type and whoever he spoke to admitted that they did indeed have such a car...and took him to the carriage house to see it. He told me it was a 1912 or 1913 ghost...rebodied in the early to mid 20s, probably by Brewster, as a touring car. It was clean, up on jacks and completely untouched since it had been stored away. If it hadn't been run in years, the family chauffeur turned the engine over regularly and dusted it off. The family was wealthy when the car was new and was still wealthy...they had no interest in selling it and didn't care to be bothered by aggressive collectors. The fact is, money was the least of their worries so what could you offer them for it? Does the car still exist?...there is no reason to think it doesn't. Has an early ghost with a later touring body surfaced in the area since then? I've been out of the RR loop too long to know but I certainly haven't heard of it if it has. The car still exists, in a very private collection along the east coast. I can’t remember if the body was Holbrook or Judkins. It’s very sexy.........and parked next to a bunch of cars that can only be described as “pre war world class”. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 A Darrin Cord would be an interesting find. Or maybe it's a Sakhnoffsky. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) The “recently” missing 1933 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Dietrich Sport Phaeton that disappeared in the mid 50’s has supposedly recently turned up.........and if one is to believe who was very quietly talking about it.....and consider what is in his garage..........I place the odds of it turning up sometime at better than even odds. Edited March 13, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) Then there is the Cadillac V-16 Aerodynamic Coupe from the 1934 Worlds Fair went missing in 1971 and absolutely nothing has been seen, heard, and no rumors of it anywhere that I know about. I chased it down to the best of my meager abilities...........and got bupkis.......... Edited March 13, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 2 hours ago, alsancle said: J242 exists and has been in the same family for 60 years, but unseen to the public in decades. I think a couple of forum members have seen it in the last few years. It's disassembled, although the pile still resembles a car. The engine was in the late Dale Adams' shop, I don't know what happened to it after he passed. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 31 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: A Darrin Cord would be an interesting find. Or maybe it's a Sakhnoffsky. That is pretty cool. I think you posted it before? Have any history? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 This was still around in the 50s and then disappeared. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Rudolf Caracciola's 500K Mercedes hasn't been seen since the 60s but it still exists. It would bring a mind blowing amount of money. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 I have posted the picture. It was part of the collection at Mace Motors in Canton, NY. My daughter went to St. Lawrence University and I stopped the old dealership the first day. Old Mr. Mace and I hit it off. I used to stop in every trip. He liked having some stop who knew what the cars were. Once I was there with my wife and he had to leave. "Just lock up when you leave" was all he said. The Darrin comment is only half joking. I have seen some late 1930s or early 1940s picture on two similar cars, perhaps this one, that mentioned Darrin getting into a couple of Cords. I can see him doing that. During the time my daughter was in school I was thinking more about a repop Auburn Speedster he had. The Cord had a bit too much fluff in the execution for me. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 James Dean's Porsche has been rumored to be around for years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 2 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: I have posted the picture. It was part of the collection at Mace Motors in Canton, NY. My daughter went to St. Lawrence University and I stopped the old dealership the first day. Old Mr. Mace and I hit it off. I used to stop in every trip. He liked having some stop who knew what the cars were. Once I was there with my wife and he had to leave. "Just lock up when you leave" was all he said. The Darrin comment is only half joking. I have seen some late 1930s or early 1940s picture on two similar cars, perhaps this one, that mentioned Darrin getting into a couple of Cords. I can see him doing that. During the time my daughter was in school I was thinking more about a repop Auburn Speedster he had. The Cord had a bit too much fluff in the execution for me. Now I remember, he had some Duesenberg II's in that building including a rare phaeton I think? The Cord has the Darrin "dip" but Dutch loathed ornamentation so he would hide the Landau bars inside the tops on the convertibles. In this case it is added ornamentation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 This hasn't been seen since before WWII. So I'm "hoping" it still exists. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 The Stork made me think a body man from Spain did it. These were reproductions. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 There is a picture of the Jordon Speedway Ace sitting in a driveway in Cleveland after WWII. Maybe Jason or Matt will find it one day. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 1 minute ago, 60FlatTop said: The Stork made me think a body man from Spain did it. These were reproductions. This one is actually pretty rare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Here is an aluminum body car waiting..... and waiting for paint and trimming. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) This car exists but was unfortunately restored back to stock configuration so it is hidden. The windshield was hanging in a friends garage for years. Edited March 13, 2022 by alsancle (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) THANK YOU ALL! This a great topic, so nice to see all the photos of lost cars. I tracked a car I got a ride in back in 1974 for over forty years, hoping to find it and Vintage Race it. It turned up in the Mark Smith collection. I really don't think he knew what he had until a few months before I called. Fortunately for the car and history he gifted it to the Revs Institute. Bob Edited March 13, 2022 by 1937hd45 (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Here's the story of a missing (or, more correctly, misidentified) car that was eventually found. I've mentioned this before...I'd encourage anyone who likes history to subscribe to Mark Felton's channel. I'm not really a WW2 buff, but his presentations seem to be pretty well documented and very engaging. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 I think this is probably lost forever? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 What about the Eldo concept car? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 This isn't exactly missing but you will never see it again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 This still existed 15 years ago. Some of our ACD guys on here may know where it is and if it is being restored. It is a one off fuller body on a L29. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 This was unseen for decades and scattered in to pieces and now all the pieces are in the same building. Hopefully it gets put back together? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Our own John Mereness thought he saw this car twenty years ago in pieces. This may still be somewhere to be found. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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