Man Purchases His Stolen Civic Type-R Without Knowing It Was His Own | Carscoops

      Criminals duplicated a car, leading to significant confusion for law enforcement, insurance, and the owner.

       10 hours ago

      

      

      

      

      

       by Stephen Rivers

      

      

      

      

      

      

      A man in the U.K. has reported that his Honda Civic Type-R was stolen by thieves earlier this year.

      Three weeks later, he unknowingly repurchased it, not realizing it was his vehicle.

      Insurance companies and authorities are now trying to figure out how to proceed in this case.

      Sometimes life presents challenges so strange that you begin to wonder if you're unknowingly part of a hidden camera show. That's precisely what occurred with Ewan Valentine, who discovered one morning that his cherished car had mysteriously vanished from his driveway.

      Feeling utterly devastated, he took to Instagram on February 18 to express his frustration. “Some absolute rats out there,” he wrote. His treasured vehicle was (and still is) a 2016 Honda Civic Type-R, which he had purchased around three years prior. In a bizarre turn of events befitting a crime podcast, he ended up repurchasing it just a few weeks ago. Yes, he bought back his stolen car.

      Initially, Valentine took all the steps one might consider in such a situation. He reached out to the authorities, searched online for signs of his car, and even asked the community for assistance. “STOLEN Type-R, taken from Solihull/Olton area at 3:05am. They arrived in what looks like a Cupra Leon. Please share and let me know if you spot it. Thanks and much love,” he posted.

      Unfortunately, none of that was effective, leading him to reluctantly move on. While searching for a new car, he coincidentally found another Honda Civic Type-R that seemed ideal for him. It was the same model year, the same color, and even had the same type of exhaust he had installed on his original car. However, it couldn’t be his car—there were crucial differences.

      The mileage was incorrect, the license plates differed, and the VIN did not match. Furthermore, his investigation into the VIN of the new car returned no issues. Believing he had merely found his car's twin, he decided to proceed with the purchase, spending approximately £20,000 (around $27,000 at current exchange rates). Once it was back in his possession, certain details began to raise suspicions.

      He noticed familiar items inside the car: a lone tent pole, some Mars bar wrappers, and a wheel lock key in a Tesco bag. This prompted him to check the car's integrated navigation for previously entered addresses. Sure enough, his address, his parents' address, and other familiar locations appeared. This was indeed his car.

      At this point, he sought additional verification and contacted the police again. A local Honda dealer confirmed that the VIN recorded in the ECU matched his original VIN. The thieves had cloned his car to another one elsewhere, executing this deception convincingly, according to Valentine.

      As reported by Road&Track, police have halted the investigation and have not made any arrests. The insurance company is also deliberating on how to manage the situation. While this presents a peculiar dilemma, Valentine appears delighted to have his beloved car back.

      Photos Ewan Valentine / Instagram