November 5, 2009 in City

Van stolen here 35 years ago turns up in shipping container

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Customs agents in Los Angeles got a surprise last month when they opened a shipping container headed for the Netherlands: a restored 1965 Volkswagen van reported stolen in Spokane more than 35 years ago.

Investigators are still trying to figure out how the van made it from Spokane in the midst of Expo ’74 to the Los Angeles seaport last month, though they assume it changed hands several times. The van was reported stolen from an auto upholstery shop on July 12, 1974; authorities have not been able to find the original owner, whom they would not identify.

The operators of a custom restoration business in Arizona were the latest to have possession of the van, which they refurbished and planned to sell overseas along with three restored VW Beetles, said Michael Maleta, an auto theft investigator with the California Highway Patrol.

He said the custom shop, which he would not identify, is also considered a victim in the case. The legal owner of the van is Allstate Insurance Co., which paid off the owner back in 1974, and the highway patrol turned over the van to the company this week.

Customs agents came across the van Oct. 19 in a shipping container at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport complex. When they ran the vehicle identification number they discovered it was still listed as stolen.

Maleta said that federal officials at the border check vehicles against the National Insurance Crime Bureau database, which includes all old stolen-car cases. Most police databases remove stolen cars from “active” status after five years – after which stolen cars may be sold and resold to buyers who can register the vehicles with state agencies, he said.

In 1974, the van was nine years old and the owner apparently was trying to spiff it up – taking it to a detail shop and then an upholstery shop in the 1600 block of West Second Avenue, from where it was stolen, according to the police report.

Maleta said the van had been restored to pristine condition. The value of a 9-year-old VW van back then would have been counted in the hundreds of dollars.

“Now it’s probably worth 27 grand,” he said. “It’s a beautiful van.”

Megan Brunet, a spokeswoman for Allstate, said the company has been digging through old records trying to find the original policy and theft claim. She said the company could not identify the original owner, under its privacy rules.

“We’ve been looking through our files to find the original policy,” she said. “Trying to find paper files from that far back can be pretty challenging.”

She said the company will likely have the van appraised and go through the process of getting a replacement title before selling it at auction.

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Seven comments on this story so far. Add yours!

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  Zelda Krup on November 05 at 5:29 p.m.

  Must have been on its way to the Dharma Initiative compound. Please check the bill of lading so we can know how the final season of “Lost” ends. Thx.

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  someotheroxford on November 05 at 6:53 p.m.

  Looks just like the van my dad rolled at Van Ness and Market in San Francisco in about 1968.
  

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  Meghann Cuniff on November 05 at 7:17 p.m.

  Zelda, you read my mind. I looked up the year of the Dharma van hoping it would be the same year, but alas, LOST fanatics say the Dharma van was made between 1968 and 1972.

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  Rifleman__Dodd on November 05 at 8:12 p.m.

  Does it have Safari Windows?

  I would suppose the Dick Tracys would have taken finger prints from it. There would be a LOT on the engine compartment etc.

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  Zelda Krup on November 05 at 10:09 p.m.

  Meghann — Dang it. Would have been fun if the years had matched. There's something about an old VW bus that conjures up stories. People wouldn't find this interesting if it had been a long-lost Honda.

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  cme on November 05 at 11:51 p.m.

  Oh, & i thought this story had a happy ending, until i read Allstate is in “legal” possesion of the van.

  One would think, there would be some kind of legal clause where the original owner can payoff Allstate what they paid in 1974 (probably $1,500) & regain ownership. However… the custom auto shop should also be paid off, or at least be able to remove their property from the Van.

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  KICRT123 on November 06 at 11:23 p.m.

  ALLSTATE SOULD FIND THE ORIGINAL OWNERS !!! THERE PAPERWORK AND DMV SHOULD NOT BE THAT HARD.
  ( ALLSTATE 'S CO . GREED ) AUTIONING OFF THE CAR FOR THEM SELF IS GREED . THEY SHOULD GIVE THE VW BACK TO THE OWNER THAT IT WAS STOLEN FROM . IF THEY CAN PAY FOR THE RESTORATION , LET THE ORIGINAL OWENERS KEEP IT ! IF THEY (THE ORIGINAL OWNERS) CAN NOT PAY FOR THE RESTORATION , LET THE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND THE RESTORATION SHOP SELL THE CAR AND SPLIT THE MONEY , INSTEAD OF CORP.GREED FROM ALLSTATE
  

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