Well I stumbled on these photos this morning on my work pc. This was my 79 Devon Moonraker which was stolen from us about 4/5 years ago. We had her in the family for 4 years previous and had the best times, taking our new born children to all the shows and loads of holidays down to Croyde Bay. She never let us down and was a big part of the family. One Tuesday I got back from work and it had gone….Thieving bar stools……. Thought I’d share the loss with TLB. I always wonder if she is still on the road somewhere, is another family driving about completely oblivious it is a stolen van. I remember going to a few shows after and putting posters up out of desperation to find the van and all the contents…. Bad times…
I have a 79 Moonraker double top ,its legit though and has the brown canvas ,yours defo looks distinctive with the 2 vents on the side and the white stripe in the roof canves ,will be looking out for any van any colour with those marks. Really feel your pain mate have you another van?
I have had two vans since, second one is being restored as we type... should be ready by the end of may, fingers crossed. BTW the three white stripes (Thats duck Tape) this is van i bought with what little insurance money i received and all our savings... as i didn’t have an agreed value. I sold this one last Jan......
Shame - nice bus.... probably gone abroad I'm afraid. It's a sad fact that older vehicles like these are easy prey as many are not alarmed, have no immobilisers, have easy to access ignition wiring and are often left alone on driveways whilst owners are at work etc. with little to protect them. I'm sure you will agree that we should all do what we can to secure our vans, as the prices go up the more likely the unscrupulous thieves are gonna look at stealing these. Glad you were able to get another (two) and still able to enjoy all that these old vans have to offer, albeit that you will still be gutted at the loss of the original one..
Things is..... if you have had a van stolen then few years down the line you came across it what would you do????
Well you couldn't just claim it back - technically it belongs to the insurance company who paid out - contacting the police would be the best option as the new owner may be totally oblivious to it's status (although unlikely). All reported stolen vehicles in the UK go on a stolen vehicles register so unless it constantly goes through private hands without being registered with the DVLA and remains untaxed and un MOT'd it is unlikely to surface. Most people would surely do some sort of check before buying? I don't think the stolen vehicles register extends abroad though.
I cant imagine the pain....mines an ugly sod but i love it to bits....cant think anymore too sad....peace,love and hope to see you soon.
