23 years ago, a collector’s 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo was stolen. While some luxury vehicle heists remain unsolved forever, federal port inspectors in Los Angeles have recovered this cherry-red treasure by simply checking the vehicle identification number. Facepalm, anyone? I would hope that if any of our Porsche rentals were snagged, authorities would be able to locate them sooner!

The stolen Porsche

The stolen Porsche was set to be shipped to the Netherlands, and has obviously been well-traveled in the decades since its theft from Las Vegas in 1988. The car has been registered in New Jersey, Florida and Washington State, leaving authorities to wonder how the exotic sports car was ever registered without the VIN flagging the car as stolen. The owner is listed as an insurance company, which paid off the original owner when the car was stolen.

The classic car is missing the engine, but would have been worth around $70,000 if it were still intact. The simple act of inspecting outbound shipping cargo led to the recovery, something that is apparently done on a random basis, much like an airport strip-search—auto thieves know this and take advantage accordingly.

Random fun facts about outgoing cargo loads from the U.S.:

•    Between 500 and 1,000 automobiles are exported from the ports of LA and Long Beach
•    Cargo checks have increased lately via random physical inspections and X-ray scans of containers
•    Approximately 51 illegal vehicles and 49 engines were intercepted over the past year. Reasons for the interceptions included undeclared items, stolen items, undervalued items and fraudulent documents.

 

Don’t miss our (completely legal) fleet of luxury exotic rental cars in a city near you on your way out!

 

 

 

 

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals