Gen-Z Thieves No Match For Rare Brabham’s Manual Gearbox In Melbourne Heist

Last week, a car was stolen from a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Disappointing sure, but normally not too out of the ordinary considering how frequently that crime happens globally. However, this vehicle wasn’t your ordinary Honda Civic but rather a priceless vintage racecar.

As reported by ABC News, the car in question was a 1960s Brabham BT21, believed to be one of only six in existence reportedly driven by Sir Jack Brabham himself. Owner Peter Williams had been planning to compete with it in the Phillip Island Classic, a five-day historic racing event kicking off that weekend, hence why it was even remotely accessible to thieves in the first place. But interestingly, the car had been found abandoned by police just a few blocks from where it had been stolen.

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Williams believes the thieves were foiled by the Brabham‘s complicated startup procedure. “I don’t think they knew how to turn on all the switches to be able to start it properly,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne. He also mentioned that the clutch had been destroyed, meaning the thieves must have been able to start it in some capacity.

Even if we assume they managed to get it running properly, these historic racecars typically have such finnicky drivetrains that the average person wouldn’t be able to just hop right in one and drive it away, which is likely why the clutch was left in an irreparably damaged state. Regardless of what actually happened with the car, Williams was grateful that it was able to be returned to him, albeit disappointed (understandably) that he could no longer race it at the event.