Mystery of Stu Hilborn streamliner continues...

I talked to Bruce Meyer last week- he's still looking for any leads on the car. Not neccessarily to own it himself, would just like to see it found and properly preserved. He said the trail went cold after it left Oklahoma and ended up in the Frisco Bay area longggg ago.

 

We are waiting for 3WLARRY to get some pics of it , the one that his friend has in a barn .I really hope that his friend does own the real car,that would be fantastic!!!

 

You feeling OK Jim? You're usually more on top of things like this. There was a big long post about it not to long ago.

 

Well, Bruce said he's never been to Tulsa with a brief case full of money in his hand or heard of any remains there- if that means anything.

 

Yeah, I got knocked around in that post for looking for the truth, and most of that post dissappeared.

 

Yeah right! the car is in okla, i dout if there will ever be any pics of it show up on the hamb or any where else. enough said.

 

Sounds like this is the "Oklahoma Mafia's" equivilent to Jimmy Hoffa's resting place. They know where it's at, but they aint talkin'.

 

If Mr. Mac says it's true, I believe him. If it were me, I'd show lots of photos but keep it locked up tight. The owner, however, has right to do what he wants

 

I had bought a 37 tube axle from a guy in Fla. that swore he had parts of the Hilborn streamliner, and had known where there were more parts of it, I told him I wanted to put him in contact with Bruce, after I got Bruce excited about it the guy wouldn't answer his phone or email, finally the email addy was no good. left me holding the bag looking like a idiot. The guy was hip to some pretty intricate details about the car and really seemed sincere and straight forward,... never had a clue it was BS. ( but I did get a good deal on the axle)

 

Jim, at the begining of this month you were at the same show as the guy who owns it. I would bet my paycheck you walked within 10 feet of the owner and even stopped to admire the hot rod that he had there. He's a very nice man.

Take my word for it, the car is well cared for and couldn't even be bought for a million dollars. How do I know? I asked him. He was aware of the previous post on the HAMB. He does not want to be identified and I will abide by his wishes as I'm sure will the other HAMB folks that know who he is.

 

Yeah, I took a picture of his car- it will be in the coverage.

 

Can someone recommend a good source for the history on this car and travails? It's frustrating that something of historic importance is not shared with others who would benefit from viewing it. Rather a selfish thing on the face of it.
Why wouldn't you want to at least show it to Stu Hillborn?

Most of the really secretive collectors I 've met seemed to be most concerned that their exwives didn't take the stuff in the divorces. Nothing more mysterious than that.

 

Wasn't it supposed to have been crushed or whatever? Destroyed regardless?

Sooooo...if that didn't happen...is the "possessor" the actual last verifiable owner?

And if not, to have it plastered in all the mags etc could mean losing it in court...and NOT to an exwife either! To the guy who can actually prove he owns it!!!
The person who intended to have it destroyed in the first place!!!

What was so many pounds of junk then is now expensive automotive art. The situation has changed from when the car disappeared...so I'm not saying the possessor is a common thief in such a case. (IF it turned out to be the case at all!)
He WOULD be a guy in a sticky situation however.

Now...what side of that potential fence would you want to be on!?!?

I'd WANT to side with the rescuer...the guy with foresight...but legally where would he stand?

ALL the above totally hypothetical of course!!! On the surface it has potential...but you know how that usually works.
Considering how elusive the car has proven to be, I see no reason not to approach all potential reasons why.

HOPE someone has it somewhere...

 

Ok I'll fess up. I own it and I'm in the prossess of making a streetrod out of it. Hell I figured it needed to be restored anyway.

It's already been tubbed and subframed in the front. I'm waiting on the newest version of the new Hemi with even MORE electronics to hide the actual engine and a 8 speed manual trans.

Probably gonna send it over to Boyds for one of his paint jobs and then it's slated to go on the show circuit to Promote Billet products.

I sure hope no one is offended

 

Somebody smack Rudy......Please.

 

Sounds like he was smacked 1 too many times already.

 

So, let me get this straight: Masons are to Holy Grail as Mystery Owner is to Hillborn Streamliner?

What's the point of preserving it if it's going to be hidden and denied? It might as well have been destroyed for all the good it's doing people.

Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but right now all I see is something arbitrary and stupid.

 

i have always thought that same thing. . . why keep a car around you have no intentions of showing, driving, or want anyone else to either. . . something as important as that, stowed away never to be seen is criminal IMHO


as for the ownership thing?

sometimes we dont pick the car, it picks us. . . i believe if its in your blood, the car owns YOU. all we do is pay the bills and keep em in order

 

I always thought private property was just that-PRIVATE. If the owner wants to show it off,fine. If he doesn't, that's his choice too. I don't think he owes me or anyone else the right to see it.

 

same set up with grabowski's kookie kar


the guy that owns it will not show it to anyone, but some day it will be saved and put back as it should be. just takes time!

 

All the historical stuff aside...here's a hypothetical situation.

Have you ever known a guy with a hot rod that seemed to really love his car...never ever drove it, but would never part with it? Then one day that guy just up and dies...and what happens to that car? Most of the time it gets sold, and someone makes some changes and puts it back on the road.

See any parallels? I realize that private stuff is private and that's that...but maybe someone should remind Doc (if that's who really owns it) that he can't take it with him. If he's going to restore it or at least let people look at it and learn from it in its present state, then that's great! If not, when will the time be right? It's going to happen eventually, why not be around to enjoy it?

Back to the historical side of things...

Let's say you had a car with a ton of history that you knew was really important to hot rodding as we know it, and you knew it should be seen by generations of hot rodders to come. But you knew that because of time, money or skill restraints, you would never be able to restore it or have it restored to it's former glory. Would you rather let it sit and rot, never to see it restored in your lifetime? Or would you rather see it go into competent hands and have it brought back to what it once was...so that when it was finished and displayed you could proudly say that you had a major role in preserving an important part of hot rod history?

I know what I'd do. And I'd probably build another car I could actually enjoy with the money that came from turning it over for restoration.

Just some observations.

 

I think I'm confused. If you know who owns it why is this a mystery to you and why the post then???

 

That's exactly what I thought!

 

Denise,

I'm not speaking for JimA, but from reading his posts it sounds as if Bruce Meyer led him to believe that the car was not in Oklahoma anymore.

If "the guy" told you that he had the car, than he probably does.

What I don't understand is why he told anyone in the first place if he wanted it to remain a secret? Did someone let the cat out of the bag when they weren't supposed to?

Surely the question of the car's whereabouts popped up when the Miller intake mysteriously appeared on his T. What did he say when he was asked where the intake came from?

Then again, life is full of little mysteries.

A tricky situation...On one hand he could be commended for saving the car from the crusher for this long, on the other he could be scorned for not letting it be seen by the hot rodding public for so long.

 

Well, before this post I had an idea who supposedly owns it. But that was confused by the story that Bruce Meyer had shown up at this guys house with a bunch of money only to get turned away. Well, Bruce never heard of this owner or showing up with an armful of money. I respect that he wishes to keep the ownership private, was just confused by the tall tale previously posted right here. It's removal signaled either it was partially false or the owner did not want the tale out in the public. My curious nature about historic hot rods would not allow me to leave it there. I get the idea that somewhere something is stored that is supposed to be the remains of this car. How much or how little of it remains to be seen. I've seen other people have one part of a car and say they own the original vehicle. I'd personally love to see what's there. But if he wishes not to share that's his right and I respect that.

 

Hillborn Steamliner wrecked in 1949. Wreck eventually sold and then passes through several owners. Various people claim to have bits. At present someone, somewhere is purported to have the pristine, immaculate wreckage. This someone refuses to confirm or deny. Cloud watching, tea leaf reading, navel gazing and wool-gathering from "the usual suspects" has produced a small whirlwind, a tempest in a teapot of rumor, denial, acrimony and Tom-Foolery.

Is that about it?

 

Tech: need a tool to put cat back in bag.

 

Are you saying that it got wrecked again after the crash that Stu himself was in, before the car went 150mph in like 1947 Because Eddie Miller (the guy who actually made the 4 carb intake that was in the original car & purportedly now on Doc's T-ster) is actually the guy who rebuilt the car while Stu was laid up in the hospital right out in his front yard under a tree with a very young son (Jim Miller-who also made the 4 Carb Miller intake that is on Jim Lattin's recreation) watching his dad hammer out the aluminum & re-body most of that car. In a sense, It was no longer the car that Bill Warth pounded out either back in like 1934 when it was running a banger. If you study the photos of this car, front axles changed as well as rear axles, The frame remains the same. That would have been about it.
I see pics of this car in its last incarnation in "The Birth Of Hot Rodding" by Robt Genat & Don Cox and the quote is" Stu sold his streamliner in the early 50's, It showed up in Edna Kansas for an NHRA drag meet in 1954. The streamliner coudn't compete because it did not have a required roll bar, but it was allowed one test run where it reached a speed of 107mph"
Nothing has ever been stated about another wreck in 49 @ the lakes where this car 1st broke the 150mph barrier just ahead of team Burke & Francisco.
I'll talk to Jim Miller when they have the 2 day meet next month and see what kind of light he can shed on the subject.
As for Doc, If he does own it, he should maybe get in touch with Jim as I believe he has all kinds of re-construction photos of the car when his dad was rebuilding it.