Kombi stolen in 1974 turns up

A VOLKSWAGEN Kombi van stolen 35 years ago in Washington state has been found in a shipping container bound for The Netherlands.

Customs agents found the 1965 van on October 19 when they opened a shipping container at the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport, The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported. They ran the vehicle identification number and discovered it was listed as stolen.

Law officers said the van, which is"in great shape," was stolen froman upholstery shop in Spokane on July 12, 1974 -- while Spokane was hosting the 1974 World's Fair.

Authorities have not been able to find the original owner, whom they would not identify.

The operators of a vehicle-restoration business in Arizona were the latest to have possession of the van, which they refurbished and planned to sell overseas, said Michael Maleta, an investigator with the California Highway Patrol. Maleta said the shop is also considered a victim in the case, and declined to identify it.

The van now legally belongs to Allstate Insurance Co, which paid off the original owner's theft claim back in 1974. The Highway Patrol turned over the van to Allstate during the week.

Maleta said the van had been restored to pristine condition.

"Now it's probably worth 27 grand," he said. "It's a beautiful van."

Megan Brunet, a spokeswoman for Allstate, said the company is looking through old records trying to find the original policy and theft claim.

"Trying to find paper files from that far back can be pretty challenging," she said.

The company will likely have the van appraised and go through the process of getting a replacement title before selling it at auction, she said.