Thieves steal rare sports car with no clutch or engine

Jul 27 2009 by Rob Pattinson, The Journal

A FORMER Tyne Tees TV technical chief and his son have been left puzzling how audacious thieves stole a rare sports car from them.

Ray and Barnaby Baron are at a loss as to how their Alfa Romeo Minari Club Sport kit-car was sneaked away in the dead of night despite having no clutch or engine.

The collectors’ item – the first of only 13 ever made, and four still known to exist in the world – was taken on Friday night, from outside Barnaby’s home, in Kenton Bar, Newcastle.

The thieves were able to wheel the car out of a narrow arch and tow it away, using a rope or on the back of a lorry, without alerting anyone in the neighbourhood around Skendleby Drive.

The father and son, both keen amateur mechanics who spent hours working together on the vehicle, now fear an organised ‘hit’ targeted the car, which has been in their family for 20 years.

Barnaby, 26, whose mum Jill Baron used to read the news on BBC Newcastle, has said he’s livid someone would rob him of an childhood memory.

The IT employee, said: “I was devastated, It wasn’t so much the financial aspect, but the sentimental value.

“My mum used to drive it to work everyday. My dad used to take me to school in it. I was insured to drive it as soon as I passed my driving test.

“Working on it was a real source of bonding for my dad and I. We’d invested heavily in it.

“I just don’t know how the thieves did it. I’d like to think it was just opportunists, but you just can’t rule out serious criminals being involved.

“Whoever has stolen it planned it. They came up with a good plan then executed it well.

“It must have been a team effort, but I don’t know how they found out about it.

“I can only think they’ve managed to get it on some sort of skates and wheel it out.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see it again, I really hope so.”

Former Tyne Tees head of presentation Ray, obtained the car by swapping it for one of his light aircraft in the 1980s.