An unsual 1960s British car is seemingly without an owner, and Red Deer RCMP are scratching their heads trying to find out who owns the “almost certainly treasured vehicle.”
On May 4, RCMP found and towed an Austin Cambridge from the Husky gas bar downtown.
Since then, police have tried to find the rightful owner, but have been unsuccessful.
The Austin Cambridge is possibly an A60 model, which were produced between 1961 and 1969. It is white in colour with a red interior and is in good condition.
“In the car world something that unusual grabs attention. It was like having something frozen in time. It was in remarkably good shape,” said Jim Sutherland, a local freelance writer who specializes in collector cars.
Red Deer Staff Sgt. Andrew Shepherd said neither the car’s licence plate nor vehicle identification number yielded any results.
“We’re wondering why someone would move it there and walk away from it,” said Shepherd.
According to Hagerty Insurance, a classic car valuation provider, the car would be worth about $9,500.
“How did it end up there?” said Shepherd. “Someone goes into their garage and sees their pride and joy stolen, they usually phone the police. As of yet, nobody has done that.
“It’s not damaged, it is in nice shape, we’re all scratching our heads.”
Although the car was built in the U.K. and imported, Sutherland noted it was a left-side drive car.
“You just don’t see them, they were somewhat disposable when they were made,” said Sutherland. “They were imported, but not in huge numbers.”
Sutherland said the one recovered at the Husky gas bar was produced in 1965. It is a stock car that wasn’t tricked out.
“We were going to Thursday night (Red Deer Cruise Nights) and I saw it there (downtown Husky gas bar),” said Sutherland. “We really wanted to track down the owner too because you never see them. We took a bunch of pictures of it.
“It’s a rare sighting to see one of those.”
Shepherd said if a vehicle is towed and not claimed within 90 days, the tow company can apply to have the vehicle turned over to them to cover their expenses.
The owner of the vehicle or anyone with information that may assist police in connecting this vehicle with its owner is asked to call Const. Alexander Power of the Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2300.
mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com