A cautionary tale
Not a day passes, I’m sorry to say, when my Facebook feed doesn’t include a post about yet another stolen Land Rover. Thefts have reached epidemic level and, while it’s always heartbreaking to read that someone’s pride-and-joy has been ripped out of their life – for Land Rovers really are so much more than mere transport to their owners – it was truly shocking to see that a friend’s Series II was taken recently. That’s bad enough, but this wasn’t just any old Series II – it was the most original survivor.
Julian Shoolheifer’s very early 1958 Series II, chassis no 64, registration LMS 940, was totally original and was in the ownership of a single estate until Julian bought it. I say ‘was’ but the hope is that the vehicle still exists; all too often, thieves will torch a stolen vehicle if they think it has become too hot to handle, yet there has not been a single sighting of it in the weeks since it disappeared. And that’s despite literally thousands of ‘shares’ on social media.
Unlike many stolen Land Rovers that are taken from roads and driveways, Julian’s was tucked away in a securely locked modern farm building, behind a locked gate. He couldn’t have done much more to protect it. And it got me thinking about my own Series I, which is stored in an open-fronted barn on a private estate. It’s hidden well away from public roads, and it’s also behind a locked gate, and I’ve never really worried about the likelihood of it being stolen. But clearly I should.
Ironically, I also rent a storage unit just a few miles away, where I could hide the Series I away. However, it would be all too easy to break into and I’m loath to leave
‘i’ve never really WorrieD aBout the liKelihooD oF My lanD rover Being stolen. But clearly i shoulD’
anything valuable in there. Julian’s experience has spurred me into doing something about that: reinforcing the main doors, adding extra locks. The reality is, however, that if thieves want something badly enough, they will always find a way in. All you can do is hope to slow them down.
Popular opinion on the many Facebook posts about Julian’s Series II is that a tracking device is well worth fitting. It seems that thieves will often park a freshly stolen vehicle somewhere really obscure for a few days, to see whether anyone discovers it. That tells them whether a tracker has been fitted, and whether they can safely begin to transport it to its ultimate destination. Trackers aren’t expensive these days, and I’ll certainly be investigating one for my Series I.
Normally I like to write in these pages about the pleasures of owning a classic, so I apologise for the depressing tone of this instalment. But it’s something we have to bear in mind more than ever before. And as for Julian’s much-missed Series II, as the late Shaw Taylor used to say on ‘Keep ’em peeled!’