There is a process for getting an "abandoned vehicle" title in Tennessee. I'm currently doing that with a Suzuki motorcycle that was given to me without paperwork to get the Nashville codes department off a friend's back. It involves getting a VIN number verification from a law enforcement facility and a value appraisal from a licensed dealer, and some paperwork submitted through your local county clerk's office, but it's a pretty straightforward process. On low-value vehicles and antiques, it doesn't even involve posting a bond equal to the appraised value.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!