Honda Civic Type R Theft Victim Unintentionally Reacquires His Own Vehicle

      Honda, Adobe, Andrew P. Collin

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      There’s a saying, “If you love something, let it go. If it returns, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.” But what happens when that beloved item is taken from you? A man from the UK experienced a strange twist in his love for his Honda after his vehicle was stolen and he unwittingly bought it back.

      As reported by the BBC, Ewan Valentine’s 2016 Honda Civic Type R was stolen in late February during the night. Though he was “gutted” about the theft, Valentine was determined to find another identical model.

      Unfortunately, that version of the CTR wasn’t available in the United States. It’s an FK2, part of the ninth generation Civic, manufactured in the UK at Honda's Swindon facility.

      “It was something of a mid-life crisis car, and those are not easy to come by,” Valentine expressed. “I was quite set on getting it replaced before I have to settle for a family car,” he shared with the British publication.

      Fortune (or perhaps destiny) appeared to be on Valentine’s side… kind of. While searching for a new vehicle, he encountered a Civic Type R strikingly similar to the one he lost. It was located just 70 miles away and was of the same year, color, and even featured the “same slightly obnoxious exhaust system.”

      Many similarities existed, but this couldn’t be his stolen Civic. The one for sale had a different license plate, VIN, registration, and mileage. Moreover, the seller was a trustworthy dealership, rather than a sketchy Facebook Marketplace seller.

      However, after spending £20,000 ($26,626 based on current exchange rates) on the car, things took a strange turn for Valentine. For starters, the Civic had not even been cleaned. He discovered candy wrappers, a tent peg, and pine needles inside the vehicle.

      While it is indeed frustrating and unprofessional to sell a dirty vehicle, the random trash items could have easily belonged to Valentine’s original car. The real giveaway that his new Civic Type R was actually the one that had been stolen? His and his parents’ addresses were stored in the navigation system.

      “I nearly crashed, honestly, because I was in disbelief… My hands were shaking; my heart was racing,” Valentine recounted to the BBC.

      It’s astonishing how poorly the theft was executed. The thieves went through the effort of duplicating keys, altering the VIN plates, swapping license plates, and changing the mileage, yet they neglected to clean up or reset the navigation system.

      It sounds unbelievable, which is precisely what the police thought. Local authorities suspected that Valentine might have intentionally had his car stolen, potentially for fraudulent reasons. A Honda dealership verified ownership and discovered additional signs of tampering. Valentine believes that the dealership that resold his car was also duped by the thieves. Fortunately, this love story had a happy ending, with Valentine reuniting with his, uh, Valentine in the most car-related, serendipitous manner possible.

      Whether he will ultimately keep the recovered car is still uncertain; it may now serve as evidence.

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