Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

It may be tempting providence even discussing this topic but so far, touch wood, I have been lucky.
I have had the VW badges on my former VW Caddy Mark One pick up taken two or three times, the odd aerial broken and my second Triumph Stag was found with doors open one morning in 1982.

Lucky so far, until last night or rather this morning.
Following an earlier post I have had certain new security measures fitted to my home.
I am a light sleeper and always have the bedroom window open, summer or winter. My daily driver is a Land Rover Defender TD5 110 single cab pick up.
It's in a nice metallic red, alloy wheels and in good order. It also has two levels of security - the standard LR system and something extra.

At 2.30 this morning the primary and secondary systems were activated, two sets of horns, flashing lights. I was out of bed in seconds and ran for the back door and heard the sound of a person or persons running and minutes later a car exited the church car park nearby without lights.

I reset the alarms on the Defender but something occurred to me - none of the new security lights had come on despite overlapping sensor zones.

Thought provoking.
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[badhuis]

35 years ago I discovered that my 1969 black Citroën 2CV had been stolen. Made a report to the police. Three days later my flatmates (we were all students) confessed they had moved the car to another parking place a couple of streets away. Just for a laugh. I could not, still can't, see the humour in that.
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[lowdrag]

Yes, in 1964. My Mini was stolen in the middle of the night and used to do a Post Office robbery. It remained missing for four weeks and then was found in Portsmouth docks on the bottom of the sea. Unfortunately a cargo ship had sat on it at low tide and it was about three feet high, covered in barnacles and had crabs baling out as it was lifted from the water.

[V8 Nutter]

My wife had an early Mini that was stolen. The thief slid back the window, took to two leads off the ignition switch, connected them together with a paper clip and used the floor mounted starter button. Easy!

[Peter_L]

[petelang]

I had my Mk1 Cortina stolen back in 1975. I had parked it a little way away from Redbridge underground station on Roding Lane which at that time was like a leafy country lane. I had to travel to Acton for a course. On returning at about 6.00 pm I walked back to where the car should have been but couldn't believe it wasn't there. You start to wonder, is that where I parked it? Maybe it's around the corner. After an hour of looking it dawned on me it had been nicked.
It was recovered about a week later and the thrives had stolen the rear seat squab (why???) cut the rear wiring loom in half (to stop the alarm sounding I assume) as well as ripping out the radio and speakers and making a right mess of doing so.
This was in the day of the 8 track player and my collection of tapes Al went too.
The Police got in touch some months later and asked me to go to the Police station as they had recovered some stuff. Sure enough, half of my radio gear was in a box with one or two 8 track tapes but the rest were missing. The Police said it was all found in a box in the back of a van. No back seat mind and I always wondered if the Police took a liking to my Queen album and others....
Peter

[peter scott]

[petelang]

Ah too early Peter. The Police weren't formed until 1977....
Peter

[peter scott]

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

A few years back SWMBO had a diesel Metro. She was out with it one evening when she rang me to say it had been broken into. It was obvious that an attempt had been to steal it. When the Police turned up they reckoned that being a Diesel had saved it as none of the scroats in the district were intelligent enough to work out how to hot-wire a diesel!

[petelang]

Not quite a "stolen" issue but my Dad had an Austin 1100 and with Mum decided to go on a flight to Jersey. Flying out from I believe Stanstead? It was only a two day break. He left the car parked in a Sidestreet of a town and off they went. When they returned there was the mother of all rainstorms going on and they walked back to where the car should be to find it gone! The rain continued to fall and they trudged up and down a series of streets, convinced they must have made an error. With no success they went off to find the Police station to report it probably stolen. By now totally soaked to the skin, the Police officer took pity on them and suggested they go in the Police car for a final look and there it was, in the one Street they missed.
Dad felt a proper Charlie. Mum was absolutely livid.
They arrived home still dripping and it took several days to dry out the inside of the car.
All future trips involved a taxi. Mum was having no repeat.
Peter

[Peter_L]

[victor 101]

Had my Classic Capri stolen many years ago, I borrowed my Dad's old Anglia and drove around Tottenham for an hour and found it, left the Anglia and took mine in case it disappeared again. I did go back for the Anglia, honest.

[Rootes75]

When I was a youngster, my father had his 1600E Cortina stolen from outside our house. He was a lorry driver and he went out to work about 2 ish in the morning. He got out there to find the car missing and had to wait until our local police station was open to report it. The Police found the car in Bristol, about 25 miles from us. No damage at all but just no petrol!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[lowdrag]

Well, um, lost but sadly not stolen. Picked friends up in 1972 to go to a stag night in town. Parked the car, got totally wrecked, taxi home and took three days to find the car. Pity really since it was one of the first two door (I can't bring myself to say "coupé") Marinas; you know, drum brakes, no servo, LHD wipers , creaky dashboard, plastic seats and chips were dearer not cheaper.