In the Barn
Tom Cotter's Column
Last Cunningham C3 Discovered!
How can this be? How can all 25 Cunningham C3 coupes still exist nearly 60 years after being manufactured in West Palm Beach? But it’s true, thanks to the detective skills of one Chuck Schoendorf of Connecticut, US. Chuck is also the proud owner of a C3 coupe, #5214, which makes it the ninth Vignale-bodied C3 built. Chuck has done an incredible job restoring his car, which is equipped with Halibrand knock-off wheels and 40-gallon fuel tank. Chuck’s car was originally sold to a customer in Lima, Peru, who apparently took it racing.
Restoring his car sparked his interest in researching all Cunningham automobiles. Over the course of the past year, another Cunningham enthusiast – Larry Berman or Boston – began to identify C3s, one after the other. You see, Larry operates a terrific website – www.briggscunningham.com – so through his painstaking research, he slowly discovered the whereabouts of nearly every C3 built.
Except for one, serial number 5209, the fourth Vignale bodied coupe. The trail went cold somewhere in Connecticut. So Chuck began calling relatives of the two known owners. Dead-end after dead-end, then gold! Chuck heard that the daughter of the second owner may still own the car. A few more phone calls and he was speaking to her.Turns out the car was still stored in the backyard of her deceased father’s weekend house near the Long Island Sound. Chuck jumped in his car and drove two hours to the residence. What he saw was both good news and sad. The car was actually still intact and complete. But it had been sitting outside for close to a quarter century. It was very deteriorated. Still, the 25th and last C3 had been discovered. Chuck has negotiated with the owner, who hopes to have the car restored in memory of her father, Harry. But this weekend (September 17 & 18) the car will be displayed in the Barn-Find class at the Fairfield County Concours near Westport, Connecticut. If you have the chance, stop by and take a look at a piece of history.
Submit Your Barn Find To Be Entered To Win An Autographed Copy of a Best-Selling Barn Find Book!
What do gearheads fantasize about? The ultimate automotive treasure hunt! There are many urban myths involving significant and valuable cars
being discovered in the most unlikely of places. There truly exists, however, a significant amount of long lost automotive treasures hiding
behind sheds, camouflaged in barns and abandoned in fields. Tom Cotter's best-selling "In The Barn" book series, published by Motorbooks
(www.motorbooks.com) takes readers inside these amazing, inspiring and true barn finds.
collectorscarworld.com wants to hear your barn find story and you can win an autographed copy of one of Tom Cotter's books simply by
submitting your barnfind story to info@collectorscarworld.com. Every month, collectorscarworld will choose 1 winner (at random) from that
month's submissions. That person will have the chance to choose 1 book from Tom Cotter's books listed below. The book will arrive at the
winner's doorstep personally autographed by Tom Cotter.
Automotive Books in the "In The Barn" series include: The Hemi in the Barn, The Cobra in the Barn and The Corvette in the Barn
Barnfind-Stories
This Benz is in untouched and unrestored condition with first paint, leather, hood and side panels. It has not run for decades. It is a fantastic restoration/preservation project. This Tourenwagen with Chassis 30617 has only 7385 Miles left and is coloured green with black wings. The interior is equipped with black leather. It has a rightland drive Steering. Please contact the vendor for more details.
www.collectorscarworld.com/Newsletter/Detail2.aspx?d=2012-03-21&c=inthebarn
This 1939 Graham “Spirit of Motion” Model 97 Coupe was designed by the famous Amos Northup, and was unlike anything at the time. From its styling to its features the car is pretty wild. A factory hot rod from 1939, it sported dual exhaust, every option available and the 217-inch 6-cylinder engine had an aluminum head, aluminum pistons, and most importantly a supercharger.
Read more:
www.collectorscarworld.com/Newsletter/Detail2.aspx?d=2012-03-07&c=inthebarn
This 1969 Mercedes Benz 300SEL 6.3 is said to have been parked in an Oregon barn for the last 36 years. It is pretty far gone, but the seller documents the car and the story quite well. It has some interesting special-order options as well: extremely rare 300SEL 6.3 with a combination of options that likely make it one of the most unique 6.3's in the world.
Read more:
www.collectorscarworld.com/Newsletter/Detail2.aspx?d=2012-02-22&c=inthebarn
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