Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!

Author Topic: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!  (Read 9460 times)

Alaskan_TA

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Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« on: November 08, 2009 - 10:27:29 PM »
A pal just sent me this link, awesome that it is now back where it belongs.  :cheers:

http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/story/1155538.html




Offline VTMopar

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2009 - 11:06:38 PM »
Incredible!    :) 
VT MOPAR

Offline 67vertman

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2009 - 11:25:20 PM »
Great story.  And it is the second car this month that was stolen more than 20 years ago to be returned/found.  :2thumbs:



Ron - Born and raised in Southern California

I got the 1970 Cuda, but still need the hot blonde to ride shotgun!

First car -1969 Road Runner 383 4sp

Current ride - 1970 Barracuda 440-6 4 sp Dana 60  (4:10)

Offline 4Cruizn

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2009 - 11:46:03 PM »
I Love a happy ending!   :clapping:

Offline 6packCuda

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2009 - 06:51:40 AM »
I live in Lincoln, NE and just heard about this yesterday. I've also met Paul Christophersen and visited with him quite a bit at a car show. He's pretty well known around here for doing a lot of wheeling and dealing with high end Mopars. He also thinks that any parts he has are made of gold. When I met him he was driving a bahama yellow '71 Cuda. Seemed like a real nice guy but after reading all of this he sounds pretty shady to me.
Dave

Offline ESGEE

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2009 - 07:26:08 AM »
Great story :thumbsup: He sure has a famous Challenger now.
Curious about that Galen thing :clueless:
70 Challenger RT/SE(Looking for 383 Magnum N0B196875)
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Offline bb71challenger

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2009 - 07:39:18 AM »
Great story :thumbsup: He sure has a famous Challenger now.
Curious about that Galen thing :clueless:

I was thinking the same thing, wonder if Galen made the bogus tags? That would sure put a dent in his business.
1971 Challenger (OO==== ====OO) getting close!
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Offline 360 'CUDA

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2009 - 09:21:46 AM »
Looks like the story is 90 percent BS to me.

I'm having trouble figuring out why the Grandson is owed the car, why anyone would change the fender tag but not the VIN if trying to hide the identity  and why we are supposed to believe the car was stolen in the first place.

Back in '82 the car might be worth $5000.  The only reason it's a big deal is the perceived value it has now, the "legend" that grew up around it and the fact that Christopherson might have screwed around on the phone.

I think there is something else to the story that has not come out yet. If I paid $35K for a car with a clean title and unaltered VIN I would tell the police to go pound sand.

Dead original owner, "Famous" stolen car with no Police report and a Grandson that thinks it's his for some reason.

« Last Edit: November 09, 2009 - 09:29:02 AM by 360 »

Offline Cdnchallenger

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2009 - 12:05:22 PM »
Either way... its a great story.

Offline moparmaniac59

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2009 - 12:32:27 PM »
What an amazing story. What makes it so crazy is that the car was recovered after having been stolen 28 years earlier. Awesome story that the rightful owner got the car back & with little to no damage/alteration and less than 1,000 miles added.  :clapping:


                                                     Matt B.
Matt

Offline cudax34me

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #10 on: November 09, 2009 - 07:58:08 PM »

Offline burdar

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2009 - 10:02:03 AM »
 :iagree: Something doesn't quite add up.  I think the story was poorly written too.  I mean the main reason for creating a fake tag(and NOT changing the VIN) is to make the car seem like it came from the factory with more options than it origonally had.  IF someone was trying to hide the fact that it was a stolen car, they would have changed the VIN.  The fact that the car was missing some components is nothing out of the ordinary.  People pull parts off cars all the time.  Someone I'm sure made more money by selling the car with the R/T hood and then turning around and selling the factory shaker stuff to someone else.

The article made it sound like everyone who had previously owned that car was somehow involved in a mass conspiracy to conseal the fact that it was stolen.  I'm sure all but a handful of people bought the car not knowing anything about its prior history.  As long as they got a clean title...that was good enough for them.  Putting peoples names in the article that had nothing to do with the car being stolen is wrong.  They are now thought of as being criminals weather they did anything wrond or not.  It's hard to clear your name in circumstances like that.

Offline ohio cuda

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2009 - 10:29:28 AM »
Well that was a great read. Thanks for sharing :2thumbs:

Offline 6packCuda

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2009 - 02:23:12 PM »
:iagree: Something doesn't quite add up.  I think the story was poorly written too.  I mean the main reason for creating a fake tag(and NOT changing the VIN) is to make the car seem like it came from the factory with more options than it origonally had.  IF someone was trying to hide the fact that it was a stolen car, they would have changed the VIN.  The fact that the car was missing some components is nothing out of the ordinary.  People pull parts off cars all the time.  Someone I'm sure made more money by selling the car with the R/T hood and then turning around and selling the factory shaker stuff to someone else.

The article made it sound like everyone who had previously owned that car was somehow involved in a mass conspiracy to conseal the fact that it was stolen.  I'm sure all but a handful of people bought the car not knowing anything about its prior history.  As long as they got a clean title...that was good enough for them.  Putting peoples names in the article that had nothing to do with the car being stolen is wrong.  They are now thought of as being criminals weather they did anything wrond or not.  It's hard to clear your name in circumstances like that.

I agree most of the previous owners probably didn't have any idea it was allegedly a stolen car. But, I think possession of stolen property of something that valuable is a felony whether they knew it was stolen or not. I could be wrong. Where Christophersen went wrong was when he allegedly denied owning the car to the FBI. That makes him look guilty as heck.
Dave

Offline burdar

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Re: Stolen Challenger R/T recovered!
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2009 - 05:06:30 PM »
I wasn't talking about Christophersen.  They mentioned other people in that story that once owned the car.  There was no need to say their names.