Ok folks, I think Mark figured this out and it sounds very plausible. He called me back today and said "It's the Husband." "What about him?", I said. He said he thinks that she is naive about the the value of the car but the husband isn't. When first talking about the car she was very open with Mark, but a few days later when she started mentioning "the friend", she didn't seem quite as open with him. He says now he thinks she was being coached.
I believe the car exists and the clueless owner sold it for what she said. However, I think (well Mark thinks and I agree) that the husband found out from her how loose-lipped she was being about the car and crafted the story of the "friend" to throw any curious eyes off. I mean, if you bought this car for dirt cheap, wouldn't you want to make sure that your spouse wasn't going around blabbing about the car, especially the purchase price? I sure wouldn't want my wife telling just anyone about it. I believe that it's still at the body shop and that she does intend to paint it red, but I think the friend is fabricated. Also, the fact that he wants to cut it up into a racecar should throw anyone off from pursuing it.
When, Mark was on the phone with her today she was being very short and curious with her answers about the car:
"Would you mind if Barry contacted him to show him pictures of his 440 Cuda for a possible trade?"-- "No, I know he wouldn't do that."
"So is there anyway you could get in touch with him for us to see the car?"--"I'll ask, but he's already started on it." (Yeah right, like he was so anxious to start cutting up this rare car that he was on the car trailer with a sawsall while it was going down the road.)
Anyway, at this point, that's where we think the story leads.
We're supposed to still go see their other cars so maybe I'll be able to feel out the story better myself. I'll get pics of the Hemi Roadrunner too.