It really is the modern anti-theft device!
We’re always amazed at how many people these days have absolutely zero skill when it comes to manual transmissions. The latest embarrassing example comes out of Melbourne, Australia where thieves tried stealing a super rare Brabham BT21 race car from a house, but couldn’t figure out how to work that third pedal.
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The car, which was set to compete in a race just a few days later, was swiped from a suburban house. Understandably, the owner feared it would never be recovered. However, the thieves must have been from – how do we put this nicely? – a younger generation.
The Brabham BT21 was found a few streets over, the thieves seemingly having given up on driving away in the car. The clutch was broken. Owner Peter Williams told ABC Radio Melbourne he thinks the would-be thieves couldn’t figure out the proper sequence to start up the engine.
With how much modern cars coddle drivers, anyone who’s not familiar with classic vehicles, especially race cars, trying to get something like a Brabham BT21 started would be pretty much impossible. Many believe this theft attempt was put together by organized crime, however they weren’t organized enough to train their guys on how to start up and drive the targeted machine.
This is hardly the first time a would-be car theft was thwarted by a stick shift. With manual transmissions becoming rarer with each passing year, we hear about fewer of these cases, but they always make us laugh.
Melbourne police are asking the public to come forward if they saw anyone struggling to start or drive the open-wheel racecar on the night of March 8 or in the early morning hours of March 9. If you did, you could help ensure these criminals face consequences.
Source: 9 News
Images via Victoria Police
