Stolen Amelia Earhart Car Found In El Sereno

CBS Los Angeles ^ | February 26, 2018

[nickcarraway]

Amelia Earhart went missing in 1937, and nearly 80 years after her mysterious disappearance, a car that once belonged to the aviation pioneer was reported stolen.

The car was found on Monday night on the corner of Lombardy and Alhambra in El Sereno. It was towed by law enforcement so it could be returned to its original owner.

The car was found thanks to a a CBS2 viewer tip. The viewer saw the story we aired and called the LAPD to take a look to see if it was the car.

Jim Somers, the man from the city of Orange who now owns the car, said the green and black 1932 Hudson Essex Terraplane was being housed in a trailer in an industrial complex in Orange when it was stolen Friday.

Somers told CBS2’s Michele Gile the trailer had been secured with a safety lock to hopefully prevent the car from being stolen.

The owner had transported the car out of his shop on W. Collins Avenue to the industrial center in preparation for a car show Saturday.

The distinct vehicle is estimated to be worth between a quarter and a half-million-dollars. Only 14 of the models still exist.

[mass55th]

Yeah, I did read the story. That’s why I asked the question. The article says the car went missing in 1937, but doesn’t give any info about where it’s been since that time, or how it ended up in the present owner’s possession. The article is poorly written.

[Mears]

She went missing in 1937,not the car.

[mass55th]

Thanks for your reply. Too bad the author couldn’t be bothered to do the proper research in order to write an article worthy of publication.

[Liberty Valance]

Wake me up when they find her Lockheed Electra and Cord Convertible.

[Impala64ssa]

1932 Terraplane

Long ago I knew a mechanic who was WW2 vet who spent most of the war working on US and British army vehicles in Europe. He said they called the Terraplanes that came out later just before the war TERRIBLE pains, because the clutch and shift mechanisms were a vacuum-electric set up, like a precursor to automatic transmissions. It looked good on paper, but in practice not very reliable.

[Impala64ssa]

We saw some of those Cords at the Auburn Museum in Indiana. They were beautiful cars years ahead of their time, and went for over 4k a YYYYUUUGE amount of $$$$ back then.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks nickcarraway.

[Crucial]

That’s a beauty. Glad they recovered it.