What If Your Stolen Collectible Car Ended Up In A Demolition Derby?
What if someone stole a couple of collectible cars in your town? And then what if the same make and model of cars, spray can painted in wild colors, ended up in a demolition derby a month later in the same town? That is apparently what happened at Ringwood Raceway in St. Leonard, U.K. A 1985 Ford LTD Country Squire and a 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix came to an inglorious end this way.
The two cars were participants in the Ringwood Unlimited Bangers Farewell event. Someone noticed that under the spray can teal paint, the two unusual cars (in the U.K. anyway) pretty much matched the reported stolen cars taken in nearby Andover and Salisbury. The LTD had the classic woodgrained sides and a 5.0-liter V8. The Grand Prix has classic mid-1960s GM style, and the big 6.4-liter V8.
Could the two stolen cars be salvageable?
His Ford wagon had only arrived in the U.K. in December last year. He has only just registered it. Granted, it’s not a Ferrari Lusso, but it appears to have been a fairly clean example of the LTD wagon. It is similar to the “Family Truckster” station wagon in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
You can see by the images that the demolition mangled the cars beyond being put back to pre-demolition condition. Soon after, the police confiscated then impounded the cars. Mark Wright told the Drive he believes it is his station wagon. “They left things on the car which were recognizable, there was no question it was my car,” he said.
Could there be other cars like this in the U.K.?
Confirming what Wright says is that going through car registrations in the U.K., his is the only 1983 Ford Country Squire in the country. He also said that the police told him they would let him know what their car theft investigators find. “The people running the banger racing site, and the regulars that attend it, were horrified by the whole thing,” Wright said. This was the raceway’s last race. The track will be demo’d to plop in housing units.
Attesting to the mood of the world right now, the Drive asked him if he would be getting another Yank tank soon. “I’m doubting as to whether I would go down that path again, you kinda lose faith in human nature.” If this had happened to your pride and joy, we’re sure you would probably feel the same way. Let’s hope the police find the thieves, and that Wright sees some justice served, on a Sterling silver platter.
