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Thrust-powered Land Speed information => Discussions on absolute land speed records => Topic started by: J79 on January 20, 2018, 07:06:18 PM

Title: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: J79 on January 20, 2018, 07:06:18 PM
Lawsuit filed.

https://jalopnik.com/former-land-speed-record-holder-to-sue-museum-for-fucki-1791067864 (https://jalopnik.com/former-land-speed-record-holder-to-sue-museum-for-fucki-1791067864)

Matter settled. Car returned to Craig Breedlove.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-breedlove-jet-car-museum-lawsuit-0124-biz-20170120-story.html (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-breedlove-jet-car-museum-lawsuit-0124-biz-20170120-story.html)

Does anyone know how the frame was damaged? Did they drop the car or hit it with another vehicle while moving it inside the museum? Hard to prevent vandalism from school children.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: Milwaukee Midget on January 20, 2018, 07:34:54 PM
He parked a car in Hyde Park for 50 years?

When I'm in Chicago, I can't find a spot for 50 seconds to grab a hot dog from a street vender!

Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: edinlr on January 21, 2018, 12:25:09 AM
Sad to hear that this happened.  I wonder how Illinois handles lawsuits against non-profits?  In Arkansas it is virtually impossible to sue a 501(c)3 due to their charitable functions.  My guess is only the attorneys will win on this one.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: PorkPie on January 21, 2018, 04:48:18 AM
Craig has all right to do it, as the racer was loan out and the museum broke the contract in several ways very bad. I know the whole story and I can not believe how the museum acts in the last 50 years......

Sad to hear that this happened.  I wonder how Illinois handles lawsuits against non-profits?  In Arkansas it is virtually impossible to sue a 501(c)3 due to their charitable functions.  My guess is only the attorneys will win on this one.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: edinlr on January 21, 2018, 11:37:37 AM
It is not the right, in the US anyone can sue anyone else, but in many states it is hard or impossible to sue charities.  I hope Craig recovers on this. 

When I was a kid in Texas he brought the Screaming Yellow Zonker car to our Corvette shop for emergency body and paint work after an incident.  He was a very nice guy as I remember.  I owned an AMX in those days and he told me about racing one at Bonneville, so I am sure that helped start this lifelong passion of mine.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on January 21, 2018, 01:30:02 PM
I know the whole story and I can not believe how the museum acts in the last 50 years......
PorkPie. How did the Museum damage the frame and damage the panels? I can understand how school kids can vandalize by hopping over barriers and carving their names into things.

Is the car going to Rio Vista, CA (60 miles east of San Francisco) where Craigs shop is/used to be, or to another museum?

How much do you think the car would sell for if it needed to be sold?
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on January 21, 2018, 02:54:54 PM
Found this note

"They moved it two times through the freight elevator — they have a 17-foot freight elevator, and of course the car is 38 feet long,  so they cut it apart twice and welded it back together twice, and unfortunately now the body panels don’t fit because of the frame misalignment and everything.”

"The lawsuit claims that Spirit of America suffered damage while in the museum’s care over the last 50 years, noting that children had scratched names and initials into the aluminum skin, and that the frame was poorly cut and re-welded while the streamliner was moved through the museum’s elevator. Additionally, the fuel tank, water tank, turbojet tail cone, miscellaneous front suspension components, turn-around dolley, and Tony Nancy-built seat were also found to be missing, leaving Spirit of America without a wealth of one-off, original parts. Even the custom-made tires by Goodyear (which were $25,000 in 1962, nearly $200,000 adjusted for inflation) were periodically left flat, causing damage to them. Throughout the 50-year stewardship, the suit also claims that the museum made numerous repairs without Breedlove’s consent, and failed to report the extent of Spirit of America’s damage to him."

“They tried to camouflage the damage with a quickie-fast paint job and a bunch of bondo before they shipped it [back],” he reports. “The people who built that car were the best professional that existed in this country, it’s just sad to see what happened.”

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/heres-craig-breedlove-suing-chicago-museum-science-industry-400000/ (http://www.hotrod.com/articles/heres-craig-breedlove-suing-chicago-museum-science-industry-400000/)
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: noboD on January 21, 2018, 03:43:41 PM
Can you honestly leave any object in someone else's care for 50 years that has no financial interest and expect them to take care of it? Most museums I know of charge to keep objects on display that they do not own unless there is a big interest to bring people in. Does anyone other then car people even know what the Spirit is?
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: Milwaukee Midget on January 21, 2018, 04:09:18 PM
Let me put my previous cynical comment aside.

I've seen the Spirit of America at the S&I, and it was displayed with a whole lot of other large items.

I guess what I don't understand is how they can get a locomotive in without damaging it -

http://www.21stcentech.com/chicagos-museum-science-industry/

- and the 999 sat directly across the room from the Spirit of America for years.

Hell, they've got a 737 hanging from the ceiling in the same exhibit!
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on January 21, 2018, 08:44:05 PM
Picture of the car in the museum.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on January 29, 2018, 04:50:03 PM
Sounds like if you leave your car with a Museum and a contract to maintain it and they cut the car in half to fit inside an elevator
Breach of Contract
Dereliction of Duty
Gross Negligence.

Where is the car now?
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on January 31, 2018, 07:07:59 PM
Here is a picture of the framing. Where was the car cut? I'm guessing it was cut behind the drivers seat and forward of the engine. You would end up with 2 pieces about equal size.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: Stan Back on January 31, 2018, 09:16:54 PM
Where do you think they cut the locomotive?
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: Seldom Seen Slim on February 01, 2018, 06:58:45 AM
Stan, all my life I've wondered where the rest of the locomotive was stashed.  I must have yanked on the controls of that steam engine a hundred times - never without wishing the rest of the machine were there for me, too. :? :?
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: N72727 on February 02, 2018, 04:43:51 AM
Just found this :

https://lincolnwoodautobody.com/about-us/
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: floydjer on February 02, 2018, 10:00:41 AM
That rudder steering scares me.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: J79 on February 02, 2018, 04:08:13 PM
On their website it says: "Restored by Lincolnwood Auto Body for Museum of Sience and Industry Chicago."

Does that mean
1. they painted/restored the car in 1965 before it was put in the Museum?
2. when the car was in the Museum, did they cut the car in half to put it in the elevator and put it back together?
3. did they restore the car in 2017 after Craig Breedlove removed the car from the Museum?


Just found this :

https://lincolnwoodautobody.com/about-us/
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum Science for damaging his Spirit of America
Post by: N72727 on February 03, 2018, 04:56:29 AM
On their website it says: "Restored by Lincolnwood Auto Body for Museum of Sience and Industry Chicago."

Does that mean
1. they painted/restored the car in 1965 before it was put in the Museum?
2. when the car was in the Museum, did they cut the car in half to put it in the elevator and put it back together?
3. did they restore the car in 2017 after Craig Breedlove removed the car from the Museum?
I don't think that the photos with the panels in the paint booth are from 1965.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: N72727 on February 05, 2018, 07:01:00 AM
Nice replica :

https://flic.kr/p/nqRqGZ
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: kiwi belly tank on February 05, 2018, 11:46:05 AM
Looks about half size.
  Sid.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: J79 on February 05, 2018, 11:55:18 AM
Using the binder paper that is in front of the model, I would estimate it is about 6 feet long.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: Stainless1 on February 05, 2018, 12:00:14 PM
figuring a 10 ft pop up my guess is 15 ft.....
what does the winner get....  :cheers:  a cup of coffee for $3  :cheers:
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: ggl205 on February 05, 2018, 12:21:28 PM
figuring a 10 ft pop up my guess is 15 ft.....
what does the winner get....  :cheers:  a cup of coffee for $3  :cheers:

The model looks to be situated dead center between two 10' pop ups so I am going with J79's 6' estimate.

John
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: salt27 on February 05, 2018, 12:34:49 PM
I'm going with 10'   
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: Podunk on February 05, 2018, 07:52:38 PM
Judging from the pickup in the background I'll go with 15 ft. If I win I'd rather have an apple juice like the Truck Stop Cafe used to serve. But if I win I'll split it with Stainless.
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: salt27 on February 05, 2018, 09:13:49 PM
Yeah, you're probably right, if it wasn't longer than 10' they wouldn't have two easy ups. 
Title: Re: Craig Breedlove sues Chicago Museum for damaging his 1965 Spirit of America Car.
Post by: N72727 on February 06, 2018, 12:58:07 AM
The question should not only be about the size of this model, but where it is today.