Yes, it used to bother me, too, that American manufacturers and their Canadian
affiliates were destroying their history by scrapping their prototypes. But,
as we read more about the public's increased willingness to bring suit, it makes
a little more sense that manufactures don't want to be unnecessarily liable.
And, as I said before, some show cars are not practical. I worked for the local
auto museum about 22 years ago when ILZRO (the Lead and Zinc Research
Organization)
donated a Lamborghini Miura that they had modified to show off lead and zinc
uses for cars. The car was originally a Lamborghini Miura Spider one-off show
car, so it was unusually low, too much so for running over almost anything in
the road or using any standard curb cut, and it had neither a top or side door
glass. Most show cars are even less practical.
Thank heaven for guys like Joe Bortz, who have the resources and will to save
many discarded prototypes and show cars.
I went to school in the Valley, and had been by the Barris showroom several
times. You'll notice that he now owns the Monkeemobile. When I commuted to
Hollywood
for work, I passed the Dean Jeffries shop each trip(you could see it from the
Hollywood Freeway). He's responsible for building the Monkeymobile, his shop
was about ten minutes from Barris, and the Monkeymobile was parked outside for
maybe three or four years. Go to Wikipedia.org for MM info. Dean Jeffries shop
was also close to Ken Miles shop (what a slim Tiger connection that is).
As an aside, John Logan recalls only seeing the white Lincoln Futura show car.
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