‘Senseless’ thieves torch GT6
Beloved Triumph is stolen and burned out by joyriders – and the owner points the finger at social media
The devastated owners of a Triumph GT6 gutted by joy riders are today urging fellow enthusiasts to keep their classics out of sight when unattended.
Gary and Gini Aldham moved to Bishops Stortford last November, bringing the Triumph GT6 with them that Gary had owned for seven years. Their new house lacked a garage, so Gary parked the GT6 in a public lane nearby, using it regularly. Gary said: ‘ The neighbours knew who it belonged to, and what was going on. It was an excellent little car; it had never run so well as it had before it vanished.’
Earlier this month, the car was spotted by an enthusiast who – having seen it sit in a similar location for long periods of time – wrongly assumed the car had been dumped and posted about it on social media.
Gini, Gary’s partner, said: ‘Facebook went wild, and plenty of people wanted to know exactly where it was. The car disappeared a week later, and was found burned out in a field. There’s nothing serviceable left at all.
‘We were hoping that because of social media, we might have got it back. Then I wondered if by us making it too hot to handle, whoever took it burned it out.’
When asked to comment, the Triumph Sports Six Club (TSSC) condemned the theft as ‘totally senseless’. Bernard Robinson, editor of TSSC magazine The
Courier, said: ‘We hope the very sad loss of this GT6 will be a warning to other owners – you can’t be too complacent.
‘You have to make time to protect your classic. Get up-to-date agreed cover and storage. It’s all about outwitting people. While you’ll never stop a determined thief, you can make it difficult for them. If the car has to stay outside, there are lots of car covers that will hide the shape of the car; taking the rotor arm or fitting a cut-off switch will immobilise it.’