I hate to see it go - Craig is suing for $400,000 for damages it got while sitting in the museum for 50 years. I've seen it a dozen times there and hate to see it go.
I hate to see it go - Craig is suing for $400,000 for damages it got while sitting in the museum for 50 years. I've seen it a dozen times there and hate to see it go.
BTW this is a great museum. They used to have some sweet industrial stuff years ago on display; screw machines, lathes, mills.
It's still my favorite. Coal mine......
Datsun310Guy wrote: BTW this is a great museum. They used to have some sweet industrial stuff years ago on display; screw machines, lathes, mills. It's still my favorite. Coal mine......
Seconded. Probably my favorite museum in the world.
MSI is my favorite museum.
However, this is all bogus. Never do an "Oral Agreement". Whoever made that with him probably passed away years ago. You leave your vehicle in the hands of a museum for 50 years, what do you expect to happen? It's been moved around several times for remodeling. I've been behind the scenes in the museum a couple times and they take good care of everything there.
Is it just me or did Breedlove always seem kind of like a dick? I'm an Arfons man, anyway.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I've been behind the scenes in the museum a couple times and they take good care of everything there.
"Damage included exterior panels that no longer fit, stretched intake duct mountings for the jet engine and graffiti where schoolchildren carved their initials in the aluminum finish, the lawsuit said. Missing parts included the driver's seat.
In addition, Breedlove said the vehicle's frame had been cut and "unprofessionally" re-welded — without his permission. The car was taken to a professional restoration shop, which estimated repair costs at $395,000."
Interesting description of taking good care of everything.
Did Breedlove suddenly decide he is going to DD this thing?
In reply to foxtrapper:
but who did the work- as it appears that it was cosmetically done after he crashed the car.
In 1964, he set a new record, clocking in with a speed of more than 526 mph. The historic run ended with his parachutes failing to deploy, and he crashed into a saltwater pool far beyond the course. It was the last time he drove the car. Breedlove went on to break the 600-mph barrier in a new car, the Sonic I. At the urging of his sponsors, the Spirit was cosmetically repaired and sent to the Museum of Science and Industry for exhibition — minus the jet engine.
So unless he can prove the condition that it was prior to the museum getting it, who's to say where the major issues were brought into the car?
Other than the damage from kids, unless there's clear documentation of who did what and when, and the condition that the car was when it arrived- it would be hard to blame the museum.
But if he finds that they did very wrong, he should send it to the Henry Ford- This car, the Goldenrod is a contemporary to Breedlove's car, and was restored quite nicely by the museum.
In reply to alfadriver:
The funny thing about Goldenrod is the 426 Hemi engines only produced around 600 HP each. Think what it could do now with the HP ratings that are possible.
When I went to the museum years ago it had a Fiero body splayed on the wall as an example of new auto technology, though I think the Fiero was out of production even then.
So, the car was his life, but in 50 years he never visited it to make sure it was being well taken care of? He did have the option of pulling it from the museum at any time if he thought it was being abused.
Appleseed wrote: Is it just me or did Breedlove always seem kind of like a dick?
Watched a program on TV when the Brits were getting ready to break the record with Thrust II.
The were interviewing Craig Breedlove and he seemed really sure that the British team were not going to make it. He was laughing about wind tunnel testing, claiming he never saw the need for it.
Maybe that's why his cars were able to go so fast, on their side.
Appleseed wrote: Is it just me or did Breedlove always seem kind of like a dick? I'm an Arfons man, anyway.
I bought an old history book about Art Arfons at our library book sale for seventy-five cents and resold it on eBay for $65.00 so I like him too.
NOHOME wrote: Did Breedlove suddenly decide he is going to DD this thing?
Sounds more like MSI decided they weren't going to display it anymore and we're honoring said verbal agreement of returning it to Breedlove.....if MSI owned it, they would have restored it themselves.
alfadriver wrote: But if he finds that they did very wrong, he should send it to the Henry Ford-This car, the Goldenrod is a contemporary to Breedlove's car, and was restored quite nicely by the museum.
The Goldenrod had deteriorated quite a bit from sitting outside at the NHRA museum for many years, so it was a good thing when the Henry Ford got it and restored it.
foxtrapper wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I've been behind the scenes in the museum a couple times and they take good care of everything there."Damage included exterior panels that no longer fit, stretched intake duct mountings for the jet engine and graffiti where schoolchildren carved their initials in the aluminum finish, the lawsuit said. Missing parts included the driver's seat. In addition, Breedlove said the vehicle's frame had been cut and "unprofessionally" re-welded — without his permission. The car was taken to a professional restoration shop, which estimated repair costs at $395,000." Interesting description of taking good care of everything.
Yeah thanks, I already read the article.
As Alfa pointed out, Spirit of America was wrecked. So it was rebuilt before it came to the museum.
So there are a lot of questions currently that have no answer currently.
Did Breedlove even come look at it after it was repaired? Did he care?He said he had a verbal agreement with the Museum to only leave it a few years and it ended up being 50. Did he send anyone to check on the car?
The museum had it in a couple different places over the years, so it has been moved around. The museum is also saying it was donated. MSI also has a bunch of privately owned borrowed cars on display that are immaculate.
I've seen people vandalize things that look to be impossible to reach places.
Moral of the story: Verbal Agreements are bogus and don't expect to get your E36 M3 back perfect when you forgot about it after 50 years, especially when you never checked on it.
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