MY GRANADA HAS BEEN STOLEN!!!!!!

[bmcnut]

Couldnt agree more. I'm realy into banger racing and classic cars and ive been banging on about how bangers is good for classics in way of spares, knowelage etc blah blah blah and for this to happen is a real kick in the teeth. There are two kinds of people in banger racing, the kind that only race rotton cars, sell/give away spares whenever possable, own a classic of their own etc and the other kind that can only be described as theifing scum. I'm convinced the car has gone for banger racing, but I don't count this against any of the good guys in the sport and for that reason I would never turn my back on the sport. It does make me view it in a slightly jaded light though, and I wish something could be done to stop cars being taken for it, alarms immobilisers and trackers are a good start (I only have myself to blame there) but as far as stopping these cars being raced, it realy would be so so difficult to do. Theyve done a good job of hiding it mind, I know alot of people in the sport and no ones seen it yet. It shows how seperate these kinds of people are.

[Lankytim]

It would have been stripped immiediately and the VIN number removed. Even if the police find the car theres no way of proving that the cars stolen. Banger racing isnt to blame here, its the scumbags who steal cars to race!

[bmcnut]

very true, its probably stripped, built and painted by now. Ive got an idea as to what meeting it might be going to, but it could and probably will go anywhere. If I see it ill know its the one 110%, but as you say proving it will be difficult, but thankfully not impossable. I knew exactly where any rust was on the car and its all on record. Not failsafe I know, but there are other possibly unique features about the car. One thing I do know is I'm not getting it back. Theifing scum.

[Lankytim]

If you spot it inform the police. Theyve done people for racing nicked cars after catching them red handed. From what ive heard they wait till the end of the meeting to make an arrest so they can watch the racing!

[Matt Jones]

Whatever you do, make sure you pass on VERY clear instructions as to the whereabouts of distinguishing features on your car to the police.

I really hope your car is safe and sound, waiting to be found by someone.

Good luck.

[jammzr]

lankytim said:

If you spot it inform the police. Theyve done people for racing nicked cars after catching them red handed. From what ive heard they wait till the end of the meeting to make an arrest so they can watch the racing!

Do you mean they wait for the stolen car to be raced before arresting them Surely the whole point is to recover the car undamaged? Or will it have already been too trashed to repair during prep for it being raced?

[Paul H]

bmcnut - my condolences & hope you manage to find / recover your car.

jammzr said:

Or will it have already been too trashed to repair during prep for it being raced?

Almost certainly the case. In addition, does banger racing a stolen car count as attempting to destroy evidence?

[Matt Jones]

amazonsprite said:

does banger racing a stolen car count as attempting to destroy evidence?

Lol

Keep us posted with this, I'm keen to see how it plays out. I only hope it's in your favour.

[Lankytim]

If it was recovered in a "built" state but unraced then it would still be a write off. Holes in the doors, roof and bonnet, wings trimmed back and probably chain marks in the roof from a hiab.

The police could arrest them before they raced it but I think for them its just a free day out at the banger races! I heard a story about a massive American limo that was pinched and raced. It was only 5 or 6 years old or something so stood out like a sore thumb. Police turned up, identified who it was they needed to arrest and waited to the end of the meeting before busting them. Thieves were convicted too.

Of course the car COULD be parked up in a car park somewhere after a pi$$ head couldnt be bothered to pay for a taxi....

[vicsmith]

Quite right, even now it could still turn up, when the Capri got nicked a few years ago there was no-one to tell me it might have gone for banger racing, so I never even suspected it, (at the time Capris were still being bangered, think theyve banned them or something now?) so I just waited for the police to get in touch and they eventually did, and the Capri was eventually fine, having been nowhere near a banger track. Might just be the same story here.

[bmcnut]

I wish it was. The facts are the car was ideal spec for racing. Solid, manual (no need to convert), base model (less to strip), no sunroof (stronger), 2.3 (bit less likley to spin up out of corners on the dirt). There is absolutly no chance of it being stolen for anything else. if it was and whoever had taken it had abandoned it in a carpark or in a country lane then sooner or later someone would have spotted it and A)contacted the police or B) told me or C) picked it up for racing anyway. Ive told police where its likley to go if its raced(I know it could go anywhere in the country) so it may yet get found, but even now or even 2 days into it going missing it probably got stripped and effectivly written off.
If anything good is to come out of this then I hope the scum that are responsable are charged and banned from the sport, that is of coure if it IS banger racers, it could of course be anyone for any reason.............

[Lankytim]

4 speed box too (I think), better for racing than 5 speed. The car would have been quite a prize for a banger racer.

[dollywobbler]

A Mk2 Granny Buyers Guide due out in a popular weekly classic car paper next week will make mention of the need to improve on the standard security - although that goes for anyone who owns a classic really, especially an 80s one where people still remember how easy they are to pinch.

[tombo509]

Sorry to here about your granada, theiving pikey scum!

[64impala]

I hope this turns up I really do. Although there's no evidence to suggest it has been nicked for bangers, the fact that it's the ideal spec makes it a little co-incidental. My family have owned all of the favourite banger cars (Mk1 and Mk2 Granadas, Farina A60, Rover P5) and we used to occasionally get people sniffing around them.

Recently the Practical Classics Granada got nicked by a banger boy and was allegedly seen on the track.
A beautiful 1971 Plymouth Satellite station wagon was alos tea leafed and seen on the track - there was only 1 of these in the country!

[Lankytim]

Just goes to show, if you own a granny take precuations!!!!!

A cheap tracker to find it after its been pinched or even a big sticker saying a trackers fitted may deter the theives.

[vicsmith]

Just a bit off topic but I had someone claiming to be a banger racer asking about an A-reg Polo and my mates 1988 Escort when it was here. Was he off his head? He was talking about racing them!

[alistairk]

I think there are classes for smaller cars. A chap I used to know bangered Minis and Metros

[Lankytim]

Mk4 escort.... you can race anything but.. urrgh!!

[gearoil]

64impala said:

A beautiful 1971 Plymouth Satellite station wagon was alos tea leafed and seen on the track - there was only 1 of these in the country!

I fear this was it, seen here at Buxton Raceway July '06...

www.tim-catley.co.uk/Buxton9/photo02.html

Tea leafing C U Nxt Thurs.....