Stolen ford cosworth stories...
Discussion
2 attempts on mine (a 2WD Sapph). First time they mullered the door locks with a screwdriver, but must have been disturbed by us returning as the door was open (in a public car park), the interior light & alarm going off being a tell tale sign all was not well.
Second time around, it was parked at my parents house where I was living, car parked in the garage and was always blocked in by Dad's Granada. I'd also secured the Henderson doors from the inside by having some bars welded up and bolted to the inner wall across the inside of the garage door. The garage was also linked to the alarm system in the house.
We went away for a weekend, got a call from the Police and then the neighbours about a suspected break in. When we got home, the Henderson door had been bent up from the outside, someone had obviously squeezed underneath and tried to get the car started. Again, the locks were damaged, but as I'd removed the battery before we went they might have had trouble getting it moving.
At the time I had a £500 excess on my insurance, with the damaged locks and paintwork needed , in both instances I didn't bother claiming,I ended up almost £1300 out of pocket. Sold the car soon after, as it had become a bit unreliable and I'd somehow managed to crack the head.
Second time around, it was parked at my parents house where I was living, car parked in the garage and was always blocked in by Dad's Granada. I'd also secured the Henderson doors from the inside by having some bars welded up and bolted to the inner wall across the inside of the garage door. The garage was also linked to the alarm system in the house.
We went away for a weekend, got a call from the Police and then the neighbours about a suspected break in. When we got home, the Henderson door had been bent up from the outside, someone had obviously squeezed underneath and tried to get the car started. Again, the locks were damaged, but as I'd removed the battery before we went they might have had trouble getting it moving.
At the time I had a £500 excess on my insurance, with the damaged locks and paintwork needed , in both instances I didn't bother claiming,I ended up almost £1300 out of pocket. Sold the car soon after, as it had become a bit unreliable and I'd somehow managed to crack the head.
JDMDrifter said:
Here's a quick question, did the Lotus Carlton ever become victim to large amounts of thefts?
A bloke around the corner from me had one when I was a kid.It was on a popular route home from school for a lot of kids, so we all used to gawp at it. Lovely, lovely thing but we all knew not to get too close.
He kept it blocked in and (no joke) behind an electric fence.....
JDMDrifter said:
Here's a quick question, did the Lotus Carlton ever become victim to large amounts of thefts?
No idea but about 17 years I owned an example of it's lesser cousin, The Carlton Gsi3000 24v, for about 6 months before it was nicked in Manchester. Same red as this one. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if this was actually my car.
NotNormal said:
JDMDrifter said:
Here's a quick question, did the Lotus Carlton ever become victim to large amounts of thefts?
Certainly a few over the years have been "had away", but as mentioned already, due to the low numbers made perhaps not as prolific as the blue collar cars being discussed.
andymc said:
Actually for numbers produced, the Fiesta RS turbo was the most stolen car at the time, I had two
I had two of these a black one that was stolen the first night I got it !!!!Second one in grey had various alarms including a Laserline System and also a reverse gear lock (cant remember its name). This locked the car in reverse via a lock on the gearbox tunnel. Once locked in reverse the car was immobilized as well. Kept it for 4 years and was never touched.
On a side note, paid 4.5k for the grey one at 18 months old with 9k on the clock had cost him 12k new. Guy selling it had loads of offers but no-one could insure it. I kept it for 4 years and 30k miles and sold it for just over 5k..
MattOz said:
Dad had two Sapphire Cosworths and neither was targetted in the 5 year period that he had both. Ironically, both the Sierra 2.0iS and the XR4x4 he had before the Cossies were nicked. The 2.0iS turned up in Manchester and the XR4x4 did two or three Post Office jobs in Birmingham before being recovered. The XR4x4 was then stolen from its next owner and never seen again. Fast Fords were definitely the weapons of choice in the late 80's and early 90's.
My dad had his XR4x4 stolen too but it was recovered though about 10 miles from home & it looked like it had done a few laps in a muddy field, I ended up buying it off him in a 1994 just before I turned 21, he did test drive a 3dr Cossie a few years before & I tried so hard to talk him into buying it but he never did sadly.Agree Fast Fords did seem to get nicked regularly back then.
In the mid 90's I had friends who lived in the Wick/Thurso area and when I visited them i remarked on the amount of Cossies around. It was at the height of the massive insurance prices for them and apparently it was one of the few areas where premiums were still low due very low crime rates.
in my younger days i used to retro fit cat 1 alarms to all sorts of cars.
the bosses bro in law had a sapphire running 330bhp or close to it and he wanted a new Cat 1 fitted. I had the factory immobiliser out and the car starting on another ford key in the time it took him to go over to the van for a roll.
He was not best pleased, the mechanics laid down a challenge to do it and I did it, no damage and car was much more secure when I finished fitting a cat 1 and separate secondary immobiliser.
the bosses bro in law had a sapphire running 330bhp or close to it and he wanted a new Cat 1 fitted. I had the factory immobiliser out and the car starting on another ford key in the time it took him to go over to the van for a roll.
He was not best pleased, the mechanics laid down a challenge to do it and I did it, no damage and car was much more secure when I finished fitting a cat 1 and separate secondary immobiliser.
Late 90's my uncle had a lovely white 4x4 that dissapeared while he was at a gig in the famous Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow never to be seen again.
He was gutted about that but the icing on the cake was when the cheap Granada he got as a runabout while waiting on a settlement was taken from the driveway by joyriders less than 2 weeks later.
He was gutted about that but the icing on the cake was when the cheap Granada he got as a runabout while waiting on a settlement was taken from the driveway by joyriders less than 2 weeks later.
Phil Dicky said:
I had two of these a black one that was stolen the first night I got it !!!!
Second one in grey had various alarms including a Laserline System and also a reverse gear lock (cant remember its name). This locked the car in reverse via a lock on the gearbox tunnel. Once locked in reverse the car was immobilized as well. Kept it for 4 years and was never touched.
On a side note, paid 4.5k for the grey one at 18 months old with 9k on the clock had cost him 12k new. Guy selling it had loads of offers but no-one could insure it. I kept it for 4 years and 30k miles and sold it for just over 5k..
my first was a black one bought at 2 years old for £6500, it had a Vecta imobiliser, alarm and multi lock and also a chain bolting the steering wheel to the sub frame of the seat, traded in two years later and got 5k for it against a calibra turboSecond one in grey had various alarms including a Laserline System and also a reverse gear lock (cant remember its name). This locked the car in reverse via a lock on the gearbox tunnel. Once locked in reverse the car was immobilized as well. Kept it for 4 years and was never touched.
On a side note, paid 4.5k for the grey one at 18 months old with 9k on the clock had cost him 12k new. Guy selling it had loads of offers but no-one could insure it. I kept it for 4 years and 30k miles and sold it for just over 5k..
GC8 said:
Vecta immobilisers were good until someone leaked a schematic complete with jumper points. I heard that it was a disgruntled ex-employee, but pre-internet most 'knowledge' of this sort was rumour at best.
I knew someone who had a Saphire 4X4, she had a Vecta fitted (I have a vague memory that the insurer insisted). Anyway, someone tried to take it but could not get around the Vecta. Sadly they just took the interior instead, adds anecdotal weight to the stolen parts angle.I lost a moonstone 3 door at the super road saloon dinner dance back in 96/97 time - the dinner dance was held at the Hinckley Island Hotel(?).
I wasn't feeling 100% (not due to drink) and decided to get some fresh air so took a walk out front to the car park. I thought I'd just check the car and so wandered over to where I left it - only to find an empty space and some glass!
Then I heard the unmistakable noise of a cossie starting - so ran in the direction of the noise and next thing I know is a screech of tyres and a my 3 door coming straight for me............
Side stepped out of the way and a thought flashed thru my mind to grab hold of the whale tail but (luckily) it went past too quick.
Ran into hotel and called Police, then returned to car park and sitting next to where the cossie was moved to was an unattended Toyota Supra 3L with engine running and ignition bypassed.
According to Police (who turned up 20 minutes later), the Supra had been stolen earlier in the evening.
By the way - Cossie was fully alarmed and immobilised and had a tracker fitted - yet she was never seen again.
(remember somebody having an RS500 in Dagenham around 87 - parked on a main road on the pavement at the end of a cul de sac - used to walk past it to catch train for 6 months or so before that disappeared too - surprised it lasted that long)
I wasn't feeling 100% (not due to drink) and decided to get some fresh air so took a walk out front to the car park. I thought I'd just check the car and so wandered over to where I left it - only to find an empty space and some glass!
Then I heard the unmistakable noise of a cossie starting - so ran in the direction of the noise and next thing I know is a screech of tyres and a my 3 door coming straight for me............
Side stepped out of the way and a thought flashed thru my mind to grab hold of the whale tail but (luckily) it went past too quick.
Ran into hotel and called Police, then returned to car park and sitting next to where the cossie was moved to was an unattended Toyota Supra 3L with engine running and ignition bypassed.
According to Police (who turned up 20 minutes later), the Supra had been stolen earlier in the evening.
By the way - Cossie was fully alarmed and immobilised and had a tracker fitted - yet she was never seen again.
(remember somebody having an RS500 in Dagenham around 87 - parked on a main road on the pavement at the end of a cul de sac - used to walk past it to catch train for 6 months or so before that disappeared too - surprised it lasted that long)
Mate had a 2dr RWD original 'ironing board' rear spoiler Cossie on a D plate, was stolen twice by the same scrote...
He sold it after the old bill basically told him 'it's your fault for having a car like that'... Thanks, he sold it and bought an Audi Quattro, never had any problems with theft...
My brother had an LC - it was never nicked, always parked on the public road, trouble was, it was a complete 'nob head magnet'... It got a breeze block through the back window - the scrote was apprehended by the old bill, his 'defence' was... 'That rich b@&tard - he deserved it'... Hmmm
I remember going to a football match ooop north on a Wednesday night, and as we got within a mile of the ground the traffic built up a bit, when the lights changed and the road cleared, clutch was dumped and a quick 1st 2nd (small 3rd gear) ensued, much to the amusement of the walking footy fans... Everyone loved the Lotus Carlton...
Except for the constable who was stood at the intersection... Baring in mind we had covered about 1/4 of a mile give or take, this chap (who clearly hadn't been on PE training given his rather large frame) ran the full distance to catch back up with us, finally, he drew his truncheon and wrapped it on the drivers window...
Through his gasping breathless vocals, he managed to utter (best Yorkshire accent to the fore please) "drive like that again son 'up here and you'll get knocked off"... Seems not EVERYONE loved the LC...??!!
Those were the days before hi-tech speed enforcement, we had quite a brisk drive home... We lost 3-0, but when the drive home is in an LC, who cares...??
It was a wonderful car - I'd buy one in a heartbeat...
;-))
He sold it after the old bill basically told him 'it's your fault for having a car like that'... Thanks, he sold it and bought an Audi Quattro, never had any problems with theft...
My brother had an LC - it was never nicked, always parked on the public road, trouble was, it was a complete 'nob head magnet'... It got a breeze block through the back window - the scrote was apprehended by the old bill, his 'defence' was... 'That rich b@&tard - he deserved it'... Hmmm
I remember going to a football match ooop north on a Wednesday night, and as we got within a mile of the ground the traffic built up a bit, when the lights changed and the road cleared, clutch was dumped and a quick 1st 2nd (small 3rd gear) ensued, much to the amusement of the walking footy fans... Everyone loved the Lotus Carlton...
Except for the constable who was stood at the intersection... Baring in mind we had covered about 1/4 of a mile give or take, this chap (who clearly hadn't been on PE training given his rather large frame) ran the full distance to catch back up with us, finally, he drew his truncheon and wrapped it on the drivers window...
Through his gasping breathless vocals, he managed to utter (best Yorkshire accent to the fore please) "drive like that again son 'up here and you'll get knocked off"... Seems not EVERYONE loved the LC...??!!
Those were the days before hi-tech speed enforcement, we had quite a brisk drive home... We lost 3-0, but when the drive home is in an LC, who cares...??
It was a wonderful car - I'd buy one in a heartbeat...
;-))
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