WSJ today: stolen/recovered VW Bus to get 911 engine?

[Decolliber]

For Mikey's Missing Microbus, What a Long Strange Trip It's Been
'Party Van' Stolen 35 Years Ago Finally Found; Woman Wants It Back, but It's Allstate's Now

By MIRIAM JORDAN

Michele "Mikey" Carlson Squires was brushing her teeth Friday night when a TV news report about a Volkswagen microbus caught her attention. Stolen 35 years ago in her hometown of Spokane, Wash., the van was discovered by customs officers at the port of Los Angeles during a routine search of a container bound for Europe.

"It looks like my car," she thought at the sight of the 1965 blue-and-white VW with an accordion sunroof. She had one just like it that was stolen back in 1974. "Wouldn't it be funny if that was my van," she told her boyfriend, Earl Roethle.

On Monday, a call to the insurance company confirmed the 44-year-old bus was indeed hers. It was running perfectly and in pristine condition with 70,000 miles on the odometer.
This 1965 Volkswagen bus was bound for Germany when customs agents seized it at the port of Los Angeles in October, 35 years after it was reported stolen in Spokane, Wash.

Now, Ms. Squires, 58 years old, says she's hoping to be reunited with her "beloved hippie mobile," which disappeared from a repair shop during the 1974 World's Fair in Spokane.

Back then, she was a "wannabe hippie" who wore bandanas, bell bottoms and halter tops. Ms. Squires was 21 when she bought the bus in 1972 from a local car lot. She recalls being told it had only one previous owner. "I paid $600 to $1,000," she says. "I'm not sure."

She used it to cart around five girlfriends who waited tables with her at Cathay Inn, a Chinese restaurant in Spokane. Several of the women have known each other since kindergarten and remain close to this day.

They sometimes took joy rides to nowhere. They piled into the bus for "progressive dinners," stopping at one friend's house for cocktails, at another's for appetizers, at yet another's for the main course and so on. They did things they'd rather not reveal.

"It was the '70s. We used this vehicle to go out and celebrate life with each other," says Janice Updike, a member of the original sextet. "It was kind of like a party van. This is before seat belts and all that safety stuff. We'd load up, head over to Idaho, have a good time and come back."

"Did we ever have fun in that van," recalls Ms. Squires, who still works as a manager at Cathay Inn.

"I grew up hearing about how they would run around in Mikey's van," says Stephanie Fletcher, whose mother, Maralee Appa, was also in the group. "They'd go to the lake to party."

Then, one day, it was gone.

Ms. Squires had taken the van to a local upholstery shop in the summer of 1974, where she ordered seats that could fold over for sleeping. "We wanted to turn it into a camper."

Admitting that her memory is fuzzy, Ms. Squires says she recalls that a man from the upholstery shop called to inform her that the bus had been stolen. "I was heartbroken," she recalls. She filed a claim with Allstate Corp., which paid out $2,500, according to a spokeswoman for the insurance company. Having paid the claim, Allstate now owns the recovered car.

Ms. Squires used the money to buy a VW camper. A year later she was married. Her husband owned a VW Beetle. They went on to own five more VWs, until she decided that "I'm getting too old for clutches." Gone are the Volkswagens; the husband, too. Today, a divorced grandmother of five, she drives a burgundy Chrysler Pacifica.

What happened to the blue-and-white bus between 1974 and its seizure on Oct. 19 remains a mystery. Authorities have no idea who stole it.

Before being exported, every vehicle must have a certified or original copy of the title as well as a note authorizing it to leave the country. "Through a system check and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, we were able to determine this vehicle was stolen," says Todd Hoffman, director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.

Agents opened the container and checked the vehicle's title against the vehicle identification number. They then contacted California Highway Patrol and the Spokane Police Department. A redacted police report, incident number 74-58814, states that the vehicle was stolen between 6:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on July 12, 1974.

An investigation is in progress, says Mr. Hoffman, who believes the vehicle has changed hands several times since 1974. The Arizona businessman who tried to export the car isn't a suspect in the case, he says. He declined to give out his name.

"I feel bad for him that he refurbished it...because it was taken away from him," says Ms. Squires of the Arizona exporter.

Each day, between 500 and 700 vehicles are shipped out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, the country's busiest. Typically, one of them is found to be hot.

"Stolen vehicles we intercept are typically high end, worth over $50,000," says Mr. Hoffman, the port customs director.

Despite its age, the hippie mobile wasn't any old car: Car restorers say it could be worth between $25,000 and $35,000.

The microbus, also known as a Kombi or Type 2, was first manufactured by VW in 1950 as a utility vehicle on an extended chassis of the Beetle. Electricians, plumbers and small traders used it to haul tools, packages and sundry items. A people-carrier version was introduced to transport children to school in countries like Brazil. In Central American cities, it was used in commuter fleets.

In the U.S., the boxy bus developed a following among hippies and became a counterculture symbol of the '60s. About 800,000 of the first- and second-generation VW microbuses were sold in the U.S. through the '70s.

"I don't think anybody at VW had an inkling it would turn into a cult vehicle," says Steve Keyes, director of press and public relations for Volkswagen of America Inc. "Or, that a 40-year-old restored one could be worth $40,000."

Today, the spiffiest of the unassuming vehicles can command $120,000. Collector clubs can be found from California and Arizona to Germany and Japan.

"Everybody wants one," says Lenny Copp of West Coast Classic Restorations in Fullerton, Calif., who says he souped up a VW for Jerry Seinfeld. Admiring a photo of the stolen VW, he notes, "Just look at how cute it is."

Both beautifully restored VW microbuses and beaten-up ones roam the country. In the comedy film "Little Miss Sunshine," the family journeys in one from New Mexico to California. In the Disney Pixar movie "Cars," the hippie character named Fillmore is a VW microbus painted in psychedelic colors who sells homemade biodiesel for a living.

For now, the vehicle is at a secure location in California. Typically, stolen cars go to auction if they are recovered. "In this case, because it's so unique, we're exploring other options," says the Allstate spokeswoman.

Ms. Squires has been in touch with Allstate, which she says has a record of an insurance policy in the names of her late mother and father.

Intent on owning the car again, Ms. Squires hopes that Allstate will give her first right of refusal. Her son, Kyle, who refurbishes cars as a hobby, already is planning to put a Porsche engine in the old bus.

"I don't think I could afford 25 grand. I am hoping under five," says Ms. Squires, who earns $17 to $20 an hour. Then, on second thought, she adds: "There is always the charge card...I have a little in retirement. My boyfriend said he'd help."

Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A1

[pete3799]

Didn't someone post ,yesterday, about buying a VW bus and having it shipped over seas?

[CBRacerX]

The previous owner is not getting this back for "under five" - I saw the pics and it looks great!

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by CBRacerX

The previous owner is not getting this back for "under five" - I saw the pics and it looks great!

She is probably hopibg Allstate will sell it to her for the $2500 settlement received when stolen. It would make a good story/advertisement.

[chiroracer]

A 356 or 912 engine would be ok if nothing gets cut .911 engines are better for bay window busses.

[mholbrook38]

Having some experience with Allstate, I can tell you they could care less about this lady and she will certainly not get the bus back for that little money. More likely, they will get an appraisal and offer it to her at full appraisal value. Another concern is that since this is now a recovered stolen vehicle, it should get a branded "salvage" title which will certainly have an effect on its value.

From the pictures I saw it was a pretty nice restoration done on it. I think the only "winner" here is Allstate.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

And the Wall Street Journal, which has a nice nose for quasi-news like this. They used to call them the A-frame stories, after the A-shaped graphic that marked them on the front page, but now that the page has been redesigned I don't know what they call 'em, but they're still a daily delight, though BTF (below the fold).

[ckissick]

Normally, such a nicely restored car is worth way more when it's completely stock. The Porsche engine would diminish its value. I'm not sure what impact a salvage title would have. If it lowers the value, then put in a Porsche engine.

[Grady Clay]

Can some Pelican track down this lady and offer our support?

She needs her car back.

Yes, Allstate has a claim, what they paid off but no more. I suspect the doctrine of “acting in good faith“ applies.

If her son wants to build a 911 power original ‘hippie van’ for his mom, even better.

Please, someone take up this cause. I'll help.

Best,
Grady

[Shadetree930]

I have the engine for her ....

[gsmith660]

Originally Posted by Shadetree930

I have the engine for her ....

Sweeeet!!!!!!!!!!!!! love the sound of the turbo spooling up

[BryanM]

she needs it back? she was paid the claim! she is owed nothing.
what about the guy who just sank a pile of money into it?
i bet allstate will appraise it differently in this situation than they would if they were looking at paying a claim on a totalled microbus.

[Jeff Burger]

The guy who sunk a lot of money into the van restoring it has undoubtedly been paid. The European buyer seems to be the one left standing without a chair.

I purchased a 911 rolling chassis from a now infamous defunct porsche parts business that was in new hampshire. To make a long story short after restoring it I presented to the state for inspection to get ny state title. Within minutes they came back and told me the car was stolen . I was told the legal owner was the insurance company. After long discusions the insurance company , they opted to sell me the chassis for the value I purchased it for calling it the "recovery value " . I am not sure whether it was a claims person doing the right thing or whether they did not wish to fight in court over the value of the parts and work I added.
My point is the person who restored it may get the option to buy it a second time for the value he purchased it for before he restored it. However, in this case it is further complicated . The new owner is the European buyer and it would seem to me his chances of coming out of this without getting financially toasted will rest on the commitment of the seller.

[gumba]

If she thinks $25K for the bus is expensive wait until they add up what it would cost to put a 911 in it.