Stolen Car Found 42 Years Later
A Texas man has finally reunited with his car 42 years after it was stolen from his home.
Bob Russell never gave up on searching for his 1967 Austin Healy 3000 after it went missing, and decades later, his search paid off.
The convertible was restored to him via eBay when a California dealership claimed the car was purchased from a private seller. The cream-colored ride was available for a hefty price of $19,700 despite its VIN (vehicle identification number) matching perfectly with Russell's missing car.
"I'm not trying to sound indelicate, but you're selling my car," Russell told the dealer, according to Today News Gazette.
Due to a grave clerical error, the vehicle's VIN number was not entered correctly at the time of the crime 42 years ago. In Los Angeles where the car was being sold, police told Russell he could not recover it because it was not listed as an active stolen car.
Russell then took matters into his own hands and contacted the Philadelphia Police Department, with whom he had first filed the crime in 1970. There, the ordeal was sorted out, and Los Angeles police immediately impounded the stolen vehicle.
After paying $600 to release the vehicle from impound and another $800 to ship to ship it back to his Dallas, Texas home, Russell was officially back in possession of the British roadster.
Now that the vintage vehicle has been returned, Russell has big plans for it. The 66-year-old wants to restore the convertible to its original condition, therefore increasing its worth to up to $50,000.
Although he wants to make the car more valuable, Russell has no intentions of separating with the car again any time soon.
The British sports car is renowned for its automotive engineering and design firm, and are no longer being produced.
