Stolen in October, a 1973 Holden Torana XUI was recovered with parts taped back together.
A 1973 Holden Torana XUI is not an inexpensive car on the collector car market. Rarely sold to the public, examples that do cross the auction block have no problem pulling well over $100K, and even more when they’re in great condition. So when one goes missing, it’s no small loss. When it was recovered, it’s said that parts of the car were reduced to being held together by tape.
In the early morning last October, a 1973 Holden Torana XUI was stolen from a shed in Napier, on New Zealand’s North Island. Shawn Hardin (pictured above) was caught with the car, and he has several stories about why he had the car, saying he didn’t steal it himself. Shawn claimed he bought the car for $20k and a swapped Harley Davidson motorcycle. He was then charged and pled guilty to receiving stolen property.
Video shows two car thieves kicking in a door to enter the shed. They also tried to take a $170K boat, but couldn’t figure out how to tow it. After the failed attempt to take the boat, they came back and stole the one of a kind Holden muscle car.
“Indications are that this vehicle has been specifically targeted. Its removal required two vehicles that were blocking its path to be broken into and moved to allow the removal of this car,” the report said.
The car had suffered extensive damage, including damage to the steering column and interior. Additionally, the transmission was severely damaged.
Not shockingly, the man caught with the car also had a meth pipe in his pocket, and had a criminal history that including a charge for stabbing his former partner in front of his kids in 2005.
