You don’t even have to be into cars to know that cars get stolen all the time, and most of us have been fortunate enough to not have our prized possession swiped out from under us when we weren’t looking. A quick cruise around the internet and you’ll find dozens of news and information sites, like National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), who list the top stolen vehicles of the prior year.

If you check out those lists, usually they’re full of Hondas, full-size trucks, and maybe a few import sedans sprinkled in. What we don’t often see, are lists of classic or collector cars, musclecars, or even race cars that are stolen. These specialty cars are often harder to steal because they’re sometimes kept in locked garages or trailers, and security is usually pretty tight because the owner values the vehicle more than life itself. Well, sometimes. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t get stolen, and it doesn’t mean that they’re always found right away simply because they’re special vehicles.

Some owners get rather lucky, albeit many years later, when they see their beloved ride show up on eBay, or even Craigslist. Sometimes, reuniting with that car happens years – even decades – later, and the rightful owner gets their car back. We say sometimes, because the video above is one of those bizarre stories that you cannot fathom happening to anyone.

So is the story of the 1970 440 ‘Cuda that belonged to Rick and Jackie White. Rick had bought the car new in 1970, and spent years drag racing his beloved ‘Cuda. However, in 2001 he went out to his garage and noticed that the lock was broken, and his ‘Cuda was gone. They spent months trying to find it, searching local car shows, checking forums on line, all over the place, but the car wasn’t to be found. They still have the title, the keys… and the memories.

Then about a month ago, he got a letter from a towing facility that had it in storage. They wanted the storage fees on the car, and found the Whites because they were still listed as the registered owners. The man who put the car in storage claimed that he bought it legally, yet he never registered it in his own name. When the Whites tried to retrieve their stolen ‘Cuda – the person who put it in storage had paid up and removed the car. So what’s next? They called the police, and this is where the story gets very weird.

It seems they can’t get their car back because the statute of limitations has run out on the original crime – the theft of the car. The Portland police are trying to figure this out, but oddly enough, because of the statute, there isn’t a crime, therefore the current “owner” isn’t in possession of stolen property. Does any of this make sense to you? How is it possible that someone can steal a car, hold on to it for over ten years, and there’s nothing that can be done about it? We’re baffled too, watch the video and tell us what you think.