Following two classic American cars being stolen within a month and only 20 miles of each other in the UK, they somehow appeared together for a demolition derby-style race just over a month later. In the UK, 'banger racing' is a full-contact racing format to a checkered flag rendering cars no longer fit for the road.
Unfortunately, both the cars were perfectly road-worthy when they were stolen and, assuming the stripped down and repainted vehicles are the same cars, met a violent end at the race track. Thanks to the eagle-eyes of Twitter user Manfacility Metal Works, the police are now involved. Unfortunately, the cars weren't intercepted and the police didn't show up before they were destroyed.
The two cars, a 1985 Ford LTD County Squire wagon and a 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix, were reported stolen on June 14 and June 16. The identical "race cars" both painted the same shade of blue, and showed up on trailers at Ringwood Raceway on August 7. The chances of the same two extremely rare (for the UK) American cars stolen together also are the same two models showing up on trailers in the same colors are too much of a coincidence not to raise suspicions.
This is unfortunate as these are both classics owned by enthusiasts. Just to turn the screw in a little deeper, the Country Squire was imported from the US around six months earlier by its owner, and there's footage of its alleged destruction below.
Craig Robinson, Ringwood's track director, said on Facebook that both owner's insurance companies have paid out on the stolen cars. The wrecked cars have been handed over to police to try and confirm the ownership, and there's an "investigation into the drivers that brought them into the raceway."
While neither of these classics are exactly Shelby trim Ford Mustangs, both are becoming genuine rarities, especially overseas. The Ford LTD County Squire, particularly, as it's a hefty beast and became popular to use in demolition derby events back in its home country of the USA.