Stolen Car Recovered After 42 Years

[Old Moparz]

Too bad the story didn't have more details, like what was the status of the car all this time. The VIN was never changed, so I'm wondering if it was ever attempted to get it registered.   

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-man-finds-stolen-car-42-years-later-203003133--abc-news-topstories.html

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Bob Russell could not be blamed for losing hope that he would reunite with his 1967 Austin-Healey. Stolen outside his Philadelphia apartment 42 years ago, the British roadster seemed a lost cause. But thanks to the Internet and some creative police work, Russell has his pride and joy back.

When Russell, then a graduate student at Temple University, returned home the morning after a date with his future wife, his car was nowhere to be found. For decades since, he searched for his beloved ride in vain. On a trip to Washington, D.C., he stared at a parked Austin-Healey for half an hour in hopes of finding a distinctive marking to no avail.

On a recent eBay session, though, his luck changed: the cream-colored car was listed for auction by a Los Angeles car dealer, with a final bid of $19,700. Russell, who now lives near Dallas, knew the car was his because its vehicle identification number (VIN) matched the one on the title he kept since the theft.

"I'm not trying to sound indelicate, but you're selling my car," Russell told the dealer.

After Los Angeles police told Russell they could not recover it because it was not listed as an active stolen car, Russell called the Philadelphia Police Department, which, luckily for him, had a few tricks up its sleeve.

Deborah Sanborn, in the department's information-systems division, dug up a Teletype report about the theft in an archive. In order for Philadelphia police to communicate with police in Los Angeles, the case needed to be active in the FBI's information system, which it had not been for about 35 years, said Walt Bielski, a detective in the Philadelphia Police Department's major crimes division.

There seemed to be no way to fix that problem without creating a new one, re-entering the case would cause it to be counted incorrectly in 2012 crime statistics. But Lt. Fred McQuiggan devised a clever solution: create a new category, "re-entered stolen vehicle," which would allow the theft to be activated without adding to the city's current crime tally.

After Bielski filed the report, the LAPD impounded Russell's car and said the retired sales manager could pick it up whenever — though not without paying $600 in towing fees. Russell said he did not mind paying the fees at all when he picked up his Austin in Los Angeles on June 18. He was just happy he did not have to fight for the car in court and amazed at the odds he had beaten.

"The chances of it being it one piece were slim to none. The chances of me finding it were slim to none. Fifty coincidences had to coincide to have this happen," Russell said. "I should have bought some lottery tickets."

The Austin-Healey 3000, discontinued in 1967, is not in the shape it was in the day it was stolen, but Russell said he plans to restore it to its former glory. The interior needs work, the paint needs a new coat and the top needs to be replaced, he said. Bielski said the car is the oldest stolen car in his department's records.

"I think it'll probably stay that way for a long time," he said.

[Old Moparz]

This version of the story has a few things the other had left out, like how the dealer offered it to him for $24,000.....

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-finds-stolen-car-ebay-42-years-article-1.1112124

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The last bid on the 1967 Austin Healey 3000 didn't meet the reserve of $19,700, so the car was still for sale.

Russell explained to the dealer that the car belonged to him, but the dealer countered that the car was bought from a man who claimed it had been in his family since 1970, according to AP.

"Well, the car was stolen in 1970, so you can draw your own conclusion," Russell said. "They either stole it or bought it from the guy who stole it."

The dealer offered to sell the car back to Russell for $24,000.

[Budnicks]

Great story... Good to see justice after 42 years, I wonder if the LA police dept. will pursue any Auto Theft, receiving stolen property or any other type of charges, to the guy who sold it to the dealership that claimed, "it had been in his family since 1970"....

[GOTWING]

my supervisor told me the story of how his white w/ black stripes 69 Camaro Z-28 was stolen in NY in the early 70's, it was never found. The insurance co. gave him $2,200