THIEVES FILMED IN THE ACT STEALING A MGB

The brazen theft of an MG from outside the owner’s home in broad daylight has raised wider concerns over stretched police resources and what appears to be an epidemic of stolen classics.

In a case that carried the hallmarks of a commissioned theft, MG Owners' Club member Kay Pinnock (pictured right) returned home from work late on Thursday, November 1, to find that the beloved 1971 MGB she’s owned for 45 years had gone missing from the busy street outside her residence in south, London. The 65-year-old was astonished when she examined CCTV footage to discover the thieves had used a red Hyundai to push the car down the busy street, later establishing that it had been placed onto the back of a yellow low loader lorry before being driven away.

Fortunately, Kay’s heartache turned out to be was short-lived, as the car was found later in Biggin Hill, Kent. But it was the nature of this theft – and the window it has opened on the gloomy world of classic car theft – that will leave a bitter taste in the mouth for fellow owners. Figures from the Daily Telegraph in October revealed that more than 27 rare classic cars have been reported stolen within the last month, and unlike in Kay’s case, none of them have been found.

In recent weeks we’ve also heard of an Opel Manta being stolen in the Midlands and a Mini taken from Kent. Not a day seems to go by without another classic going missing. Our advice would be to invest in a good quality tracker to significantly increase the chance of the vehicle being recovered should the worst happen. Thankfully Kay could be reunited with her beloved MGB, but it’s a case that serves as a stark warning to classic car owners everywhere.