In 1968, Bob Russell paid a friend nearly $3,000 for a 1967 Austin Healey.  At the time, he was living in the "City of Brotherly Love".  Well, it turns out that "brotherly love" was the last thing on Russell's mind after he parked it on the street for the night.  To make things worse, Russell, then a graduate student at Temple University, was cash starved to insure the vehicle.

But, there is an unimaginable happy ending to this story, one that rivals the "Miracle On 34th Street".

Thankfully, he filed a police report at the time of the theft, even though after finding the car, there were mounds of red tape to overcome.  So, where exactly did this mystery vehicle surface after four decades?

e-bay! How about that?  Someone was trying to sell the car (now valued at between 20 & 25 "G's") through a dealer in Beverly Hills, California!

Russell, who took his future wife, Cyndy, on their second date in the Austin Healey over forty years ago, has fallen back in love again, hoping to now restore the car to original condition.

Guess what I'm doing tonight?  I'll be on e-bay looking for my 1966 "Hot Wheels" collection that I lent Jay Thronbrew.  If you happen to come across an orangy-reddish speckled "Beatnik Bandit", IT'S MINE!

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