T-Bird Stolen in 1976 – Recovered

A Palo Alto classic car enthusiast got an unexpected phone call from Palo Alto police today informing him that his 1956 Ford Thunderbird stolen in 1976 had been recovered in Southern California.

Ronald Leung owns a rental car business and thought police were telling him one of his rental cars had been recovered but instead they told him that the car he spent more than two years restoring in the 70s only to have it stolen months later had been found.

“It’s like a shock. That was really great news,” Leung said.

According to Palo Alto Police Department spokesman Brian Philip, a woman in the Ventura County city of Moorpark had recently purchased the Thunderbird on eBay. When she attempted to register it the California Department of Motor Vehicles was unable to locate the Vehicle Identification Number listed on the car’s title.

She took the car to a local California Highway Patrol office where an officer located the correct VIN inside the engine compartment. The correct VIN was listed in the CHP database as belonging to Leung’s stolen car.

“We have stolen cars recovered all the time but I’ve never heard of one being recovered after 21 years before,” Philip said.

Leung, who spent many years working in law enforcement for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, said he also believed the car would never be recovered.

“I was surprised that they recovered it. Usually if it doesn’t get recovered within four months it’s gone,” Leung said.

Leung bought the “Sea Spray Blue” Thunderbird in 1974 for $1,500.

“It was rough when I got it. I restored it over two, two-and-a-half years,” Leung said.

Leung also repainted the car white.

“Those colors they used back then were an acquired taste,” Leung said.

The car was stolen two or three months after the restoration was complete from the parking lot of the auto body shop he owned at Forest and High streets in Palo Alto, according to Leung.

Leung intends to travel down to Southern California next week and retrieve his car and it will not be for sale on eBay any time soon.

“I’m going to keep it. It’s going to be passed to the kids,” Leung said.

Original Story