a retired sales manager from Southlake, Texas, never stopped searching for his 1967 Austin-Healey after it disappeared from outside his Philadelphia home in 1970.

 
The car was stolen the morning after he took his future wife on their second date, giving it deep sentimental value that went far beyond its price.

“I never gave up looking for it,” Russell said. “The fact that the car still exists is improbable. It could have been junked or wrecked years ago.”

Russell originally paid a friend $3,000 for the sports car and spent years casually searching for it online, though he admitted he had little hope of ever finding it again. That changed in 2012 when he spotted a familiar-looking Austin-Healey listed for sale on eBay by a Beverly Hills dealership.

Suspicious but hopeful, Russell contacted the seller and confirmed that the vehicle identification number matched his original car. He still had the original title and key, though he no longer possessed a copy of the police report from the theft.

With the help of Philadelphia police, Russell discovered the original stolen-car report had never appeared in the FBI’s national crime database due to a clerical error in the VIN. Once the mistake was corrected, the case was reopened, allowing Los Angeles County authorities to impound the vehicle.

Russell and his wife, Cynthia, flew to California to reclaim the car. Today, the Austin-Healey is valued at approximately $23,000.

“It still runs, but the brakes aren’t great,” Russell said. “We’re going to put it back exactly the way it was.”

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