Picture: Kathy Royse

Over the years, muscle cars have transitioned from “cheap speed” to ‘luxury vehicles” in many regards. Don’t believe us? A Premium model Mustang GT comes with big shiny wheels, a luxurious leather interior, an advanced infotainment system, along with options like a glass roof and even bigger wheels.

And those big wheels sometimes draw unwanted attention. The Potomac Local paper reports that in recent weeks, wheels have gone missing off of several cars left in a commuter lot. Among the victims is a late model V6 Mustang, which was cruelly left on blocks.

Even the base model V6 Mustangs come with 17-inc wheels standard, though optional 19-inch wheels are “only” an additional $1,995. We’re not sure what size wheels were on Kathy Royse’s Mustang when she left it at the Virginia Railway Express station in Woodbridge, Virginia for her daily commute. But when she returned, her Mustang was propped up by what looks like a piece of timber.

Royse was not the first victim of wheel theft in this lot. Another commuter had the wheels of his Honda Civic stolen, though we imagine the chrome on the Mustang must have been an even more tempting target. It’s just another unfortunate side effect of the “upscaling” of American muscle cars.