Worth over 100,000 euros

Expensive vintage Mercedes stolen and wrecked

The police arrested the two passengers

(Bild: chalabala.cz, stock.adobe.com)

A painful sight for classic car fans: on Friday night, a valuable Mercedes convertible was stolen from a garage in Linz. During the subsequent joyride, the driver lost control of the ornate vehicle and crashed into a streetcar stop. Two suspects were caught, the driver is still on the run.

The Mercedes 280 SL from the W113 model series is also known as the "Pagoda" among connoisseurs due to its design. One such legend of the classic car scene came to an inglorious end in Linz on Friday night. At around 2 am, three suspects, a 17-year-old Slovakian from St. Valentin, a 24-year-old Slovakian from Ternberg and an as yet unknown third party, broke into a garage.

Criminals went on a joyride
They smashed the side windows of two vehicles and stole two cell phones. The keys to the Mercedes convertible were inside, so the trio started the classic car and set off on a late-night joyride through the state capital, but not before damaging other vehicles while parking.

Wildbergstraße terminus
The car thieves' fun finally came to an abrupt end at the Wildbergstraße streetcar stop in Urfahr: the driver lost control and crashed into the ticket machine there. This was torn from its anchoring and flung onto the road, leaving the 50-year-old car stuck on its base.

Major damage
The 17-year-old and the 24-year-old, who had been passengers, suffered minor injuries in the accident and were arrested at the scene. Their cell phones were also confiscated. However, the driver had made off. The damage is extensive: apart from the damaged bus stop, the "Pagoda" also sustained massive damage. It is still questionable whether the convertible, which could have fetched around 140,000 euros in good condition, can be repaired.