TR 4 Stolen ALP 71B

[Sean.Callaghan]

Just though I would post this.

 

My TR4 (ALP 71B) was stolen 22 November in the early hours from Leigh on Sea in Essex. Some form of pick up vehicle was used - Police advise that it was not driven on any roads that evening.

 

Picture attached. Very pretty really (my view anyway).

 

The vehicle was in very good condition. Details as follows

 

Body white (no rust - the car was purchased from TR Bitz having been restored by them about 18 months ago)

Surrey Top (new addition with new lining)

Other new additions - sports exhaust manifold and large bore exhaust, electronic ignition and new SU carburetors & fuel pump.

Interior was blue with white piping (new).

White dash and original steering wheel.

Mileage 94,300.

Chasis No CT57740

Engine No CT5846E

 

I had just fitted a reconditioned back axle as well.

 

Keep a watch out for me. You never know.

 

Sean

 

[RogerH]

Hi Sean,

I feel for you. What can you do if it is trailered away.

 

The crazy thing is you can buy log books on EBay every now and then - what is the world coming to.

 

Roger

[Fireman049]

If I had to leave my TR parked outside my house I'd connect it to an anti-poaching detonator.

This is a device that has a blank shotgun cartridge inserted and a trip wire which you could connect to the car.

If the car is moved then the the device gives off an almighty 'BANG'

 

PLEASE ~ no comments about such devices being unlawful for domestic use!

My house and property are my 'castle' and I'll defend it the way I see it ~ and stuff the Liberal minded.

 

Tom.

[Alec Pringle]

Unfortunately the window of opportunity in which to retrieve a Classic stolen to order is a few days at best, and more likely a few hours only.

 

Any thief sufficiently organised to effect a trailer removal in the early hours would have his next moves well planned . . . . . either the car is in an export container within hours, and shipped to Europe; or just as quickly it is in a workshop being stripped into component parts, the sum of the parts may well be worth more than the whole car; or it is being 'rung', either with a simple logbook or with a 'restoration project' bought for a few grand to cloak the identity of a lovely car worth several tens of grand.

 

It's not just the sale of logbooks that facilitates ringing, although this is probably the easiest route. Any old scrapper, resto project if you prefer, can be legitimately purchased and then left fallow for a year or two before being utilised to provide a convincing new identity for a stolen car. One reason why the mortal remains of Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts sell for stupid money . . . . .

 

I'm with Tom here, if someone chooses to try and burgle my garage then it worries me not if they finish up impaled, electrocuted, or otherwise terminated with extreme prejudice. At least they will have failed, and won't be in a position to try again . . . .

 

Cheers

 

Alec

[AndyR100]

Others may think differently, but Social media (in particular Facebook) can be extremely helpful to get the message and details and images of the stolen car spread as far as possible in a very fast time.

Definitely worth trying.

[North London Mike]

Hi Sean

 

Sorry to hear your news, scumbags !

 

A point of clarification if I may, was the car parked outside or did they break into your garage, drag it out and then lift it ?

 

May help discover a pattern and help others. A planned break in and truck points to inside info, compromised data base, followed home from a show etc etc

 

Hoping for a recovery

[TR 2100]

Sickening. Just hope for a successful outcome.

Was it garaged or on the street?

 

AlanR

[Sean.Callaghan]

The TR was usually under a car port on the driveway but always under cover. When stolen it was parked in the street - but again with a cover over it. It was between parked cars so its removal was not straight forward. I live on a hill and the reason it was in the street was to allow me to bump start it - the starter motor had given up and it was going to the garage in a few days. The car had not been around for about 7 weeks as it had been in at a (reliable) local garage having the replacement axle fitted. So in my view they had been aware of the vehicle for some time and were simply watching and waiting for it.

 

A professional job yes. The car was parked about 10 feet away from a neighbours bedroom who heard nothing. A neighbours CCTV caught a recovery vehicle gingerly coming down the road at about 1.10 am.

 

I was toying with the idea of a tracker but too late but that is the way forward I think. Hidden away somewhere inaccessible with a battery and a notification alert to your phone.

 

I think members should be aware that the risk is not the vehicle being driven away (I think you could leave the keys in the ignition and they would still not use them) but the vehicle will be towed or transported away. The police advised that it can look less conspicuous in broad daylight and I agree. What would be unusual about a classic car being lifted away by a recovery vehicle - we all know how unreliable they can be. Any transporter vehicle will have false plates, they will cover up your classic so no number plate readers can read that either and then the transporter will stay off main roads where the cameras are. I did my own bit of investigating by going to some local shops and houses that had CCTV pointing onto the main roads out of Leigh on Sea. I can say that all were very helpful and either looked or downloaded for me the footage but nothing yet.

 

I suspect it was not a lift. Too noisy and time consuming. More likely a transport with a trolley dolly that can lift the front wheels very quickly and you are away.

 

Did the social media thing. It has had about 2000 shares on Facebook and on the morning of the theft the picture was on some car geeks Instagram page/account who has about 180,000 followers.

 

If I hear anything I will of course update.

 

Sean

[TR5tar]

Hi Sean,

 

I was sorry to hear of this when I first read Rachel's post on Facebook a few weeks back.

 

We had a theft of a 6 in our area about 18 months ago. On that occasion, it looked very much like an opportunist job. We spread the news of the theft on classic car Facebook pages, but didn't have any joy there. However, when we put the news on a local community Facebook page, a lady contacted the owner to say that she had spotted a car hidden under a cover that might be the stolen one. And it was.

 

Unfortunately, in your case, it's clear it was a professional job, and no doubt the thieves had been watching for sometime. Sadly, as Alec says, the more time that passes the less likely there will be a happy outcome.

 

I like Tom's idea of the blank shotgun cartridge on a trip wire and have toyed with doing that. Only thing stopping me is that I know I'd end up setting off myself!

 

Fingers crossed that you do get some good news about your car Sean. If not, then I hope you get the full insured value and can replace the car with another that you love equally as much.

 

Cheers, Darren

[Andrew Smith]

Sean,

 

I do hope you get your TR4 back and the police nab the scum who lifted it - sorry for bringing up 'the elephant in the room' but how does your insurance stand with it being parked in the street overnight?

 

Cheers

Andrew

[Guest ntc]

Interesting read in CCW classic car theft up 30% now done by gangs

[CONCRETE24]

Hi Sean,

 

Sorry to hear about this - I only just saw this today - should the topic be moved from the Forum Rules section to somewhere more prominent e.g. Technical Chat\Bar\TR4 Forum?

Anyway, I hope you get it back and it doesn't 'completely' ruin the Christmas period for you.

 

Regards,

Michael.

[Geko]

The car had not been around for about 7 weeks as it had been in at a (reliable) local garage having the replacement axle fitted.

 

 

Per experience, that's where I would start looking in priority. The garage workers have access to the car documents and your address

[roy53]

Very worrying as i also live in Leigh on sea.

My guess is that they would have let it roll down the hill and then loaded it.

Shame you couldn't read the number of the recovery vehicle.

The garage workers do seem to be top of the lift due to timing but there are plenty of scumbags around.

 

But none of this will make you feel any better. Wish you well.

Interested to know the garage you used ,perhaps better to PM me the details.

 

regards ROY

[Sean.Callaghan]

Hi Roy

 

Its was the garage in Rectory Grove but I can vouch for them.

 

Michael - not sure how you move the topic but car security is a real consideration before I spend my insurance payout on another vehicle. I was reading an old forum on car security (steering lock and fuel cut offs etc) but these are all quite redundant if they use a lift or wheel dolly mechanism and I suspect that is the theft process going forward that owners need to be aware of. Any classic is not going to be driven away. It will be lifted or trailered and then covered to avoid the cameras. That means trackers should be fitted to any car of value with an alert to your phone.

 

Sean

[P Odell]

Just found your post. Really sorry to hear your TR4 was stolen. I was a previous owner having bought it from a colleague when I was working in Denmark in 1967. I brought it back home to UK when that contract finished and sold it in the 70s when I was posted abroad again. I loved that car and really enjoyed it, being in my 20s at the time while, as far as I can remember there were no speed limits outside towns in Denmark. The overdrive was often useful, and I recall one colleague desperately trying to get the handbrake off, being unfamiliar with flyoff brakes when I was temporarily absent. Thanks for posting the picture; glad to see it was still white.

Peter Odell