Forty-six years ago Ivan Schneider, successful Manhattan lawyer, bought himself the Jaguar convertible that would feature in a most unusual tale of unrequited love.
It was the first (and "prettiest") of many luxury cars he would own, his companion on fast drives — and the only one that was ever stolen.
Forty-six years later, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol analyst running a routine export check through a stolen car database came up with a hit. The 1967 Jaguar XKE was hot.
The problem: It was already on a cargo ship, in a container, headed for Europe, two days out of the Port of Long Beach on the Pacific Ocean.
Investigators with the California Highway Patrol and nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau got to work.
New York police still had the March 1968 incident report.
CHP investigator Michael Maleta spoke with Schneider in Florida, where he now lives. Schneider thought it was a prank.
"After we convinced him, he was excited," said Maleta.
After all, Schneider told the Associated Press on Wednesday, he would think of the car every time he bought a new one. And, he said, he is a car guy who has owned quite a few exotics.
For the months he owned it, he was in love.
"I've always said that was the prettiest," Schneider, now 82, said.
Tracing the car's history, Maleta learned the Southern California man exporting it to the Netherlands had bought it about three months ago from an owner in the San Joaquin Valley, who himself had it 40 years.
What happened between its disappearance from the concrete canyons of the Upper East Side and its California sojourn – hopes his investigation will answer that.
After its out-and-back sea journey to the Netherlands, the car is back in Southern California, more than two months after the law finally found it.
It's rusty and scratched, but still worth about $24,000 – and far more if restored, as Schneider plans to do.
He just won't push it too hard.
It's old, so is he, and though beautiful, it is known for trouble under the hood.
"I'll use it as a Sunday car," Schneider said. "They were never reliable."
At least, one day soon, it will be back home.
【新闻快讯】
近日，美国纽约市曼哈顿区一位老汉找回其46年前丢失的捷豹跑车。
据悉，该老人名为伊万·施耐德(Ivan Schneider)，现年82岁。46年前，伊万是一名成功律师，他购买了一辆捷豹敞篷车，但不久后被偷。这是伊万众多奢侈汽车中的第一辆，也是唯一一辆被偷的汽车。纽约警方仍有1968年3月份关于该事件的调查报告。
46年后，一名美国海关和边境巡逻分析师在例行查看出口数据时偶然发现了这辆1967年丢失的捷豹XKE汽车。问题是这辆汽车已经在一辆前往欧洲的货船上了。加州公路巡警和非国家保险犯罪局的调查人员已前往调查。
CHP 研究员迈克尔·马列塔(Michael Maleta)追踪汽车的历史发现，这辆车3个月前被一名荷兰人从加利福尼亚州圣华金河谷一人士那里购买，此人持有汽车40年之久。当迈克尔就汽车丢失事件询问伊万的住址时，伊万以为这是一个恶作剧。Maleta表示当他们联系上伊万以后，伊万很兴奋。他表示，自己是一个“汽车迷”，拥有非常多的跑车，但每当他购买一辆新车的时候，他都会想到这辆捷豹汽车。
这辆捷豹跑车目前已经生锈并且有了刮痕，但仍价值2.4万美元(约合人民币14.7万元)，伊万计划对这辆车进行恢复。不久后，这辆捷豹跑车将物归原主。
