VW Beetle stolen 40 years ago in Tennessee discovered in Michigan

Thursday, February 20, 2014

photo In a handout photo provided by the Customs and Border Protection, a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle stolen 40 years ago in Tennessee is seen in Detroit.

DETROIT - A Volkswagen Beetle stolen 40 years ago in Tennessee has been discovered in Detroit before a journey to Finland.

Federal agents making a routine check of the car's paperwork learned that the 1965 model was reported stolen in Knoxville in 1974.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Ken Hammond says agents made the discovery Jan. 30. The white car was being shipped by rail to Canada from Detroit. Hammond won't identify the current owner but says the Michigan resident didn't know the Beetle was stolen decades ago.

Hammond says the Beetle was going to be restored in Finland. An engine was part of the shipment.

It's unclear what will happen to the seized car. Knoxville police spokesman Darrell DeBusk says stolen car reports that old would be kept on microfilm.