In May 1968, Ivan Schneider was a successful trial lawyer in Manhattan when his Jaguar XK-E convertible went missing. Over 46 years later, Schneider will soon\u00a0be reunited with\u00a0the iconic British roadster.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0classic car\u00a0was found and seized by US Customs and Border Patrol agents\u00a0earlier this month. It\u00a0was in a shipping container bound for the Netherlands, and it had already left the port of Long Beach, CA. An analyst running\u00a0a routine export check through a stolen car database hit on the Jaguar. The cargo ship was ordered to return to port, where four other stolen vehicles were also recovered, including a 1969 Corvette that was stolen from Portland 26 years ago, a 1976 Mercedes 280 stolen 12 years ago, a 2007 Mercedes E350, and a 2014 Camaro ZL1.<\/p>\n
As for the Jaguar, Schneider purchased it forty-six years ago as a gift to himself for an especially profitable year. The original purchase price was about $15,000. In its current condition, the vehicle is now worth closer to $24k. Although the car is intact, the factory grey paint has been covered over with white, the interior is thrashed, and the body has a fair amount of scratches and some rust. Still, if restored properly, as Schneider intends to do, the Jaguar could fetch over $100,000.\u00a0Schneider, now aged 82, says, “I’m not 35 anymore. But it’ll be young again.”<\/p>\n
So who stole the car so many years ago in New York? We may never know. Michael Maleta, an investigator with the California Highway Patrol, stated that the person shipping the car to Europe had purchased it in Northern California three months ago, from another man who claims to have had it in his garage for forty years. The investigation is on-going, and Maleta says that “(Prosecution) will be difficult, but not impossible.”<\/p>\n
Upon first hearing that the car had been located, Schneider stated, “I’ve had a lot of great cars since then, but none of them as pretty. I’ve had every car you can think of. That was, in looks, my favorite car.”<\/p>\n
In 1967, the Jaguar XK-E convertible was the top of the line of the Jaguar sports models. Considered by many as one of the most iconic British roadsters to ever hit the streets, when Enzo Ferrari first laid eyes on the XK-E, he called it the “most beautiful car ever made.” Its graceful hood and sleek profile made the car a\u00a0timeless classic, so much so that a model was put on display at the Museum of Modern Art in the 90s. But, the aerodynamic, low profile design was not simply aesthetically pleasing, the car’s shape was specifically designed to minimize drag as a selling point for classic roadster lovers.<\/p>\n
Although beautiful, old Jaguars are known for trouble under the hood… Schneider admits that, and says, “I’ll use it as a Sunday car.”<\/p>\n
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