Dispute over ownership of 1960 Corvette sparks court battles between Florida man, Carlisle Productions officials

[Rob]

Dispute over ownership of 1960 Corvette that raced at Le Mans sparks court battles between Florida man, Carlisle Productions officials

Published: Monday, September 10, 2012, 7:09 PM
Updated: Monday, September 10, 2012, 7:10 PM

By MATT MILLER, The Patriot-News

The fate of a 1960 Corvette that is among the rarest of rare sports cars and was the subject of a decades-long search is revving up two high-octane court battles.

On one hand, Dan Mathis Jr., a Florida man, is asking a federal judge to declare that he is the true owner of the car, one of a trio of souped-up Corvettes that competed in the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in France 52 years ago.

The car was stolen from his drag-racer father in the late 1970s, Mathis contends, and it resurfaced only last month in a promotion for the Corvettes at Carlisle show staged by Carlisle Productions at the Carlisle Fairgrounds.

A simultaneous fight for ownership of the ‘Vette is being waged in Cumberland County Court by Carlisle Productions co-owner Lance Miller, his firm, and Kevin MacKay, a New York man who bought the car from Miller for $75,000 this summer.

Full Story: Dispute over ownership of 1960 Corvette that raced at Le Mans sparks court battles between Florida man, Carlisle Productions officials | PennLive.com

 

[Mac]

I wonder how much will be spent on lawyers before this mess gets sorted out?

-Mac

 

[67vet]

If Mathis has the proper documentation, then the story should be over. But, there must be more to the story that will eventually come out.

"The difference between a rumor and a fact is about 6 months."

 

[catbert]

Once a car is stolen, none of the subsequent "transactions" matter. The question is whether it was really stolen.

 

[Mac]

Once a car is stolen, none of the subsequent "transactions" matter. The question is whether it was really stolen.

I've run into that before.

Years ago, while working patrol, I was dispatched to a situation where a guy was trying to register an older Harley Davidson that showed as being stolen. He'd bought a bare frame from a wrecking yard and built a very nice cruiser on it. The problem? The frame was the remains of a stolen bike! The original owner was delighted to get his "old" bike back... The only thing that saved the guy who built the bike from losing everything was the wrecking yard did it's job and filed the bike as being salvaged/parted. Once the DMV put A & B together, they figured out what happened. The bike was stolen and disappeared until it was found stripped a few years later. The insurance company suspected the owner of fraud and refused to pay out. Long story short, the insurance company coughed up to the original owner and the guy who built the cruiser got his bike cleared/registered.

-Mac

 

[i10fwy]

Wait a minute here, Lance Miller sold this car for $75K? Isn't it like one of the most valuable vette's out there? :ugh

i10fwy

 

[Huskerman]

 

[67vet]

Catbert - you said it correctly, I didn't phrase it properly. It is the big "If".

Lance made a promise to his Dad that he would sell it for what he paid for it and not make a profit.

 

[c5vetter]

what I find interesting is that Mathis has a "purported" title that is showing August 2012 date on it!!! now, how convenient is that?

 

[SebringBill]

I wonder how much will be spent on lawyers before this mess gets sorted out?

-Mac

I'll wager more than the price Lance bought/sold it for!

 

[Rob]

AutoWeek has posted an update with more details:

Cunningham Corvette battle heads to courts - Autoweek

 

[GS Diva]

Very interesting story which I'm following closely...

Elaine

 

[67vet]

As it said in the article: most race cars don't originally get titles.

Hope this gets resolved soon.
Best wishes for Lance and company.

 

[catbert]

If the late judge bought the car as a "derelict," that implies without a title. When you do that, it's at your own legal peril, and any subsequent ownership is in doubt. Race cars back in the day, unlike now, were sold by dealers, with titles. There were no manufacturers "body in white" programs that sold shells and unstreetable cars to racers with no need to ever register it with a title. Ownership of that car is, in theory, provable, but we shall see. It makes little difference to me which wealthy collector get to keep it in his garage. I just hope it never goes back in a barn or warehouse.