And police say they caught the thieves…
A rare 1954 Morgan coupe which was in the process of being restored has been recovered after it was reported stolen on February 26 in Sonoma, California. The rare British car can fetch a hefty price on the market, even in pieces like it was at the time two thieves swiped it, although unloading a hot car like that can prove to be fraught with pitfalls. That fact hasn’t seemed to slow down the rapid rise of vehicle theft in North America and elsewhere, with classic cars square in the sights of many thieves.
Find out the worst cities in the US for car theft here.
According to a local report, the Morgan in a state of disassembly was being stored in an open trailer at a rural property. The suspected thieves broke through a neighbor’s fence, then detached the trailer from the truck it was hitched to, towing it away with their own vehicle. Inside the trailer was the car frame, body, engine, and wheels and they were content to make off without the trim pieces.
The owner of the 1954 Morgan is a classic car mechanic. He apparently had been working on the restoration of his personal car for over 25 years, which likely means he was being exceptionally thorough, and it was nearly complete. In one night, two thieves tried to wipe away all his work for a quick score, which is just awful.
Detectives were able to track the vehicle and trailer down to a Petaluma property and served a search warrant on March 9, finding the stolen Morgan as well as tools and the trailer. The report doesn’t mention if any damage had been done to the classic car and we’re hoping none was done, but that would be a miracle. The two suspects were arrested, cited, and then released, so there’s justice for you.
We can’t stress this enough, but everyone who has a rare, collectible vehicle(s) needs to take extra steps to secure it. That something extra shouldn’t be a garage door secured by an automatic opener, which are surprisingly easy to defeat. Even if you don’t think anyone wants it, we can guarantee there’s someone willing to swipe it and turn a profit on your property somehow. While this story has a happy ending, most times they aren’t so great.
Source: KPIX, Sonoma Sheriff
