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Old 12-07-2012, 05:49 PM
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venus (Lydia)
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Better late than never!

Persistence here

MAN REUNITED WITH STOLEN CAR AFTER 42 YEARS
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July 12, 2012, 11:37 am



A man has been reunited with the love of his love after 42 years and his wife doesn’t mind one bit.


Bob Russell had his beloved 1967 Austin Healey 3000 stolen from him in 1970, and after years of searching, he’s finally tracked it down on eBay.

The car, which Mr Russell paid $3000 for, was stolen from him the morning after a second date with the other love of his life – his wife Cynthia.

Bob, originally from Philadelphia but now living in Texas, spent years searching for the car but knew as time went on he was fighting a losing battle.

'The fact that the car [could still exist was] improbable,' he told Associated Press. 'It could have been junked or wrecked.'

But not to be put off, Bob kept the car’s original key and title.

Finally, after decades of searching, he stumbled across the long lost car on eBay, going so far as to match the VIN and chassis numbers.

He phoned the seller, the Beverley Hills Car Club, to enquire about the sale.

“I hate to sound indelicate, but you're selling a stolen car,' he told them.

The car failed to meet the reserve for the eBay auction and the haggling began.

The car’s owner said it had been in the family since 1970.

“Well,” Mr Russell responded, “the car was stolen in 1970, so you can draw your own conclusion. They either stole it or bought it from the guy who stole it.”

After some persistent work with local authorities to find a stolen vehicle report from the 1970s, Mr Russell was finally reunited with his treasured vehicle – and all it cost him was around $600 in impound fees.

"It still runs, but the brakes don't work well," he said. "We're going to put it back the way it was."

With a little work, Mr Russell expects the car to be worth around $50,000.

Not bad for a $3000 investment.
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Old 12-07-2012, 06:15 PM
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koputai (Jason)
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About a 7% return actually, it's ok, but not a great investment.

Cheers,
Jason.
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Old 12-07-2012, 06:59 PM
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jjjnettie (Jeanette)
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What a wonderful story.
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Old 12-07-2012, 07:22 PM
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What a great story! Having owned some classic sports cars in my far too distant young years, I can understand his attachment to it.
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Old 12-07-2012, 07:39 PM
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Awsome , good to see the little fella getting a win from the scumbags .
Cool story .
I wonder if I will get a happy ending like this , on my 1952 ES2 500cc Norton single , that I had stolen in 1984 ,, Hmmm . there is still hope .
I still have a small piece of a barrel cooling fin I snapped off during a full rebuild in 1983 ?? .
Brian.
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Old 12-07-2012, 07:56 PM
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ha! saw that this morning, however i wonder if the car dealer he spotted it in was recompensed?
pat
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Old 12-07-2012, 07:59 PM
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blink138 (Pat)
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QUOTE" Cool story .
I wonder if I will get a happy ending like this , on my 1952 ES2 500cc Norton single , that I had stolen in 1984 ,, Hmmm . there is still hope .
I still have a small piece of a barrel cooling fin I snapped off during a full rebuild in 1983 ?? .QUOTE
Brian.
aw brian what a machine!
pat
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Old 13-07-2012, 02:42 AM
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That's a cool story.
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Old 13-07-2012, 10:20 AM
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taminga16 (Greg)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian nordstrom View Post
Awsome , good to see the little fella getting a win from the scumbags .
Cool story .
I wonder if I will get a happy ending like this , on my 1952 ES2 500cc Norton single , that I had stolen in 1984 ,, Hmmm . there is still hope .
I still have a small piece of a barrel cooling fin I snapped off during a full rebuild in 1983 ?? .
Brian.
Hi Brian,
I know exactly how you feel, do you still sleep with that piece of fin under your pillow
Greg.
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Old 13-07-2012, 10:23 AM
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Miaplacidus (Brian)
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Hey, maybe eBay has the laptop that was stolen from me 10 years ago... I'm pretty sure it had a 500MB HD. Sure to be worth a small fortune now.
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Old 13-07-2012, 11:07 AM
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Baddad (Marty)
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I had a bicycle stolen in 1969.
I kept a copy of the registration number that was stamped in the frame for years.

It never turned up.

Cheers
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Old 13-07-2012, 12:56 PM
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ZeroID (Brent)
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Hmmm, I don't think there are any cars or other gear that might resurface that I'd want back again ... maybe the old Mark I Consul because it was easy to work on but 1 tonne of scrap steel with only 1500cc and a 3 speed column shift .... Nah ! FORGEDDIT !!

And certainly not the ex ....
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