Public help to save stolen VW
Prized Beetle was stolen from a residential street in broad daylight
The classic car community on social media has successfully saved a Volkswagen Beetle from being cut up for parts within 24 hours of it going missing.
Distraught owner, Mark Hopley’s 1956 Strato Silver ragtop was stolen on the morning of 15 August from Taunton Road in Bridgwater, Somerset, after he took the car out of his secure garage ready for a trip later that morning.
Mark’s wife, Paula, took to Facebook to let people know that the distinctive car had been stolen and could potentially still be in the Taunton area.
The post was picked up by the classic car community and shared over 7500 times in just a couple of hours.
The thieves forced the driver’s window open to break in and the ignition was chiselled out. It was spotted several times before being abandoned by some garages at around 10pm the same day. After enthusiasts helped to identify the Beetle’s location, Mark passed on the information and eight police cars turned up to secure and recover the car.
A cutting saw had been left in the back, presumably in preparation for it to be cut up for parts. The thief also left a smartphone behind, which the police are now looking through.
Mark says: ‘We must have got about 30 messages throughout the day and I was getting calls and updates from other VW enthusiasts who had seen it to let me know where it was.
‘I’m so grateful to everyone on Facebook as I honestly think it wouldn’t have been found without them and it would have met a slow painful death being cut up for parts.’