Appeal: Has anyone seen this 1978 Karmann VW Beetle, it was stolen Friday 1 September

Have you seen this car?

Ms Caroline Copland, 42 who is a strategic marketing consultant, was visiting her elderly father in Battersea when she had her 1978 Karmann Volkswagen Beetle stolen from Albert Bridge Road, in London SW11 on the night of Friday, 1 September.

After having a lovely evening with her father, she returned to where she had parked her classic Karmann Beetle, only to discover that it had been stolen.

However, this distinctive light blue vehicle with a white soft top roof and the Karmann badge logo on the side, is unlikely to have been stolen to order as its owner and the car had never parked there before.  

The Met police do not believe joyriders are involved and have suggested that an opportunist thief to be the most likely culprit.

The car was described by Classic Car Magazine as the “trendiest, most status-free soft top ever built,” these cars are fast becoming increasingly collectable and is worth in the region of £15k. 

With enormous determination Ms Copland has kicked-off a social media campaign, #findBelle which is fast trending on Twitter, within a matter of hours.

This car is no ordinary car, it has “enormous sentimental value with years of cherished memories.”

Please help find my car stolen from Albert Bridge Road London SW11 on the night of 1st Sept. Huge sentimental value only. Please please RT pic.twitter.com/sSjgyqNTKk

— Caroline Copland (@CarolineMarys) September 2, 2017

Ms Copland’s campaign has now reached more than 1.6k re-tweets within just two days.

She told LondonLovesBusiness: “Of course I’m gutted to lose a car which I enjoy driving and which is a bank of fabulous memories, but most importantly the car is mine.  How dare some thieving s*** decide to take it.”

In April, the car’s Air Flow Meter packed up.  This part is no longer made and it took Caroline, and Jacks GarageW10, over 2 months to locate a refurbished part in the US and another month to have it shipped over at a sensible price. 

She added: “I’ve only had the car back for three weeks, and was looking forward to the rest of the summer driving it.   

“Additionally, in the car is a picnic rug I had as an 18^th birthday present and a photograph of my late mother as a child that I was taking it to be reframed – my mother died three years ago tomorrow.  

“How dare they steal all these things so special to only me.”

The VIN number of the Karman VW Beetle is: 1582050600 and its registration number is VMP 95S.

 

If anyone has any information or even witnessed this theft, please contact [email protected]in confidence or contact the Metropolitan Police on 101or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. You can also contact the Met contact centre via Twitter.