Classic-Car Heist Spoiled

I have always used a collector car as a daily driver. It makes little errands a bit more joyful, and having the car out in public invites conversations wherever I go. My current car is a 1974 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1.3, which I’ve been using since 2015 without any incident — that is, until this past June.

I was headed out on a quick overnight trip from Portland to Los Angeles. I typically take a Lyft to the airport, but since I had some bulky equipment, I drove and parked in the parking garage next to the terminal. On a Tuesday afternoon, I left my car in row 2F, just across from an elevator lobby. Airports are usually highly monitored, so I didn’t think much of it. 

When I returned late Wednesday evening, much to my surprise, there was a full-size pickup where my Super should have been. I used the security phone in the nearby elevator lobby and explained the situation to a dispatcher, who asked for my license-plate number. Between midnight and 2 a.m., I was told, the airport conducts an “inventory” to map every vehicle with a license-plate recognition camera. Seconds later, the dispatcher told me that my car was in the second space in row 2F. 

“No, it’s not, I’m standing right here,” I replied.

A police officer arrived shortly to take my report. I dutifully supplied my information and took a Lyft home. I arrived at 1 a.m., exhausted and despondent. 

At the crack of dawn, only a few hours later, my phone rang. It was the same officer calling. He had reviewed security footage and saw my car being driven out of the lot at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The thieves were wearing masks and obscured their plates. Notably, they went straight for my car and left so quickly that no payment was required upon exit. It was unmistakably a professional job.

Professionals vs. amateurs

What to do? It was still early, so I turned to social media. I posted a picture of my car on Instagram and Facebook. I also posted in the regional Alfa Romeo owners’ forum. Then promptly at the opening of business, I called my insurance agent to file a claim. 

Not long afterwards, my phone rang again. This time it was Cindy Banzer, a friend and fellow Portland resident, who also happens to be president of the national Alfa Romeo Owners Club. She had recently had a vehicle stolen, which was recovered after she posted in a Facebook group called “PDX Stolen Cars.” She had me send a photo of my car so she could post it as soon as possible.

PDX Stolen Cars is a group of citizens who decided to take on the spike in car thefts. In the first seven months of 2022, more than 6,300 cars were reported stolen here, more than double the rate two years ago. Organized as a Facebook Group starting in October 2021, membership has exploded to more than 10,000. These folks spend their free time tracking down cars and they are having great success, retrieving on average two per day. 

But for the next couple of days, I was losing hope. Then at 11 p.m. on Friday, Cindy called again. “They found your car!” she shouted. 

Recovery

Luckily, a member of the group who is a mechanic at a collector-car shop, noticed an out-of-place Alfa Romeo parked only blocks from his home. He snapped a picture of it and posted it to PDX Stolen Cars. One of the group’s leaders instantly recognized it. 

Since she lived nearby, she drove over there along with a partner in a separate car. It was a good thing they went right away, as the current “occupants” of my Super were about to take off. The Facebook friend has a background in security, which she used to persuade the people to leave the car where it was until the police arrived.

When I got there, the police had just pulled up in three patrol SUVs. I provided the officers with documentation to prove my ownership. While they searched the car, I connected with the Facebook organizers, the mechanic who spotted the car, and Cindy, who had all converged on the location. I thanked them profusely for their efforts. Thankfully, my new mechanic friend was able to hot-wire the car so that I could drive it home. 

The Super was in surprisingly good condition. The only damage was to the ignition and a panel under the steering column, which cost less than $400 to repair. The car was filled with gas cans, garbage and five pairs of jeans. I also discovered a green meth pipe shaped like a skull. Finders keepers? It was immediately evident that this paraphernalia was used extensively, judging by the residue covering the interior.

Protect yourself

We are certain that the people who had the car when we retrieved it were not part of the original theft. My speculation is that someone was keeping an eye on the airport parking garage and thought my car was valuable, so decided to steal it. The Giulia Super is a great car; however, its relatively low value and conspicuous appearance probably became quickly understood by the original thieves, so they dumped it. 

While I will continue to use my Alfa daily, its days of making the airport run are over. I am also investigating some easy-to-install theft deterrents such as kill switches and tracking devices. 

Car thefts have been on the rise in many parts of the country. Should you have the bad luck to become a victim, be sure to get the word out quickly on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor and other enthusiast venues, such as club websites and online forums. As my story shows, sometimes the kind efforts of upstanding citizens can more than offset the criminal intent of the bad guys. ♦