A stolen 1965 Volkswagen Microbus is recovered 35 years later and Allstate decides to donate the proceeds of its auction to charity.
A love bus goes missing
Here at LotPro.com, an interesting story regarding a 1965 Volkswagen Microbus crossed the wire this morning and we thought we’d pass it on.
It seems that in 1974, an Allstate customer in the state of Washington reported that their 1965 Volkswagen Microbus had been stolen. Allstate paid the claim and, following the normal claims process, the title to the veedub was transferred to Allstate.
Flash forward 35 years later to October of this year as the U.S. Customs Service is performing a routine inspection of a shipping container set to depart for the Netherlands. During the course of the inspection, customs agents come across a VW Microbus. In conjunction with the California Highway Patrol and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an investigation is conducted into the vehicle’s history which reveals several owners during the last 35 years in multiple states across the country, but concludes that, as it is the same vehicle as the one stolen in 1974, Allstate is the lawful titleholder.
One nice Microbus
But wait, as they say in those TV infomercials, there’s more. That 1965 VW Bus is in really great shape.
"Typically, if we do recover a stolen vehicle, it's in worse shape than before it was stolen and it's worth less - sometimes far less - than the amount we paid to our customer to settle their claim," noted Paul Huber, Allstate's director of claims in the company's northwest region. "The situation with this bus is so unique that we thought it required a unique approach."
Unique approach
For the insurance company, that unique approach includes donating the proceeds of the auction to Lydia Place, a nonprofit in Washington State that serves homeless women and children impacted by domestic violence.
"Allstate has a long and proud history of supporting domestic violence survivors," said Michelle Lee, who happens to be field vice president of Allstate's northwest region. "It's our hope that the tremendous public interest in this unique vehicle and its unique history will translate into a significant contribution to Lydia Place."
Mark your calendars for Friday, December 18th
Working with national auction vendor, Copart, Allstate will make the 1965 VW Microbus available for public auction on Friday, December 18, 2009. Members of the public interested in participating in the auction via the Internet or in person are encouraged to visit www.copart.com. Copart is currently taking preliminary bids for the van up until the live, virtual auction that begins at noon PST on Friday, December 18. Buyers can enter a maximum bid during preliminary bidding and have Copart bid up to that amount for them in the live auction, or they can place their bids themselves during the live auction. Anyone can bid on the van by becoming a member of Copart. For detailed information about participating in the auction, visit the Copart website at www.copart.com.
all images courtesy of Copart
