Both of my Eldorados were crushed

"To make a long story short; my cars were caught in a family feud and were crushed…" If you want the long version, read the rest of the post.

 

After several phone calls, I have finally leaned what happened to my Eldorados. They guy who owned the body shop where my cars were being stored has a wife who was in the hospital in January and February of this year. He would come home for the night and then go to be with her during the day. It was on a weekend in late Jan. or early Feb. that he noticed two of his trucks and both of my Eldorados were gone from the field that they were stored in – a field by his body shop that was owned by his uncle. His focus was on his wife at the time, but he did enquire to his uncle about what happened; The uncle explained that his kids had the property cleaned off in preparation for his death. My friend is not on speaking terms with his cousins and after his wife came out of the hospital, he was behind on work, so he had to catch up. Also, he was trying to make as few waves as possible because he wants to buy the property from his cousins when the uncle dies – however, he believes that they will sell it to anyone except him due to their feud.

 

When I called to let him know I was getting ready to come after one or both cars, I got the bad news that they were gone and he called his uncle to find out who took the cars and where. His uncle got the name of the man from the cousins and my friend called him. However, he was only able to talk to the man's wife because he was out of state contracting another job. It was a waiting game for a week until the guy returned.

 

When he did return, he said that he had been hired to take both of my cars and my friend's two trucks to a scrap metal yard. I got the number of the yard they were taken to and called them. The owner remembered crushing two Cadillacs in the late Jan. early Feb. time frame.

 

To make a long story short; my cars were caught in a family feud and were crushed.

 

I know I may have some legal options, but going to court would cause me to make a dying man to testify against his own kids. The uncle never minded my cars being there. My friend has apologized dozens of times in the phone calls we have had. I don't know what to do- I can't get the cars back.

 

I just wanted to race my 70 Eldorado again in the autocross (after a pro touring conversion)….. Sure I can build another one, but it just won't be the same. I know the car is only metal, but the sentimental part is much more than that. I am so connected with the memories I had in that car (stupid I know) but I feel like a friend has died. I don't want to put a dying man on the witness stand I think despite my feelings, blood should be thicker than oil – they were after all, cars …

 

I am glad that still have the original engine in my garage. Maybe I'll feel like some of that car carries over to the next one… And maybe that's just plain silly, because its only a car…. No, I'm lying to myself. That car is ----- was--- the anchor point in my past memories. There are over three hundred collective stoplight drag race and autocross victories in that car with a kill list that includes; Camaros, Trans Ams, Chevelles, Novas, Mustangs, Monte Carlos, Cutlasses,  240Zs, 280Zs, a 6o's Jag convertible with a V-12, just about every year and kind of truck… the list just goes on an on.

 

I had quit racing on the streets years ago. The track is only what I had in mind. When I do build another car, I hope I like racing as much as I did when I was behind the wheel of my 70 Eldo. But with my last few low income jobs, a good quality car project may be out of reach for a while; it just seems to loose priority when bills are due….. Maybe I'm just down right now…. Or maybe I have missed so many years of racing that I have forgotten what it is like.

 

I had over 500 hours of research and over 500 hours of work in the 82, but it had never raced. I could replace the 82 easily with enough money and enough time. But my 70 Eldorado is gone and it is not coming back…. Nothing can replace my 70 – my first, my fastest, and my best car.

 

Cody G. Carson