[1]
Auto theft is a multi-billion dollar industry in America, and over 400,000 stolen cars went unrecovered in 2008. Yet even as cars get more complicated and safer, thieves still find a way to break in and steal our hard-earn vehicles. That’s why there are systems like LoJack [2], which can help locate your car in case of theft.
Recently, Lojack introduced a self-powered system for classic cars, called LoJack-for-Classics [3]. Hemmings [4] reports that a 1971 Chevelle equipped with this system was stolen, and recovered with an hour. Now that is results.
LoJack-for-Classics came out just two months ago, and such a system represented a challenge for the security company. While their systems for modern motorcars are hooked into the car’s battery, drawing very little power, many people with classic cars are looking to clutter up their engine bays with non-stock wiring. So what LoJack did is build a self-contained unit with its own battery that can be hidden pretty much anywhere on the car, such as inside a fenderwell.
The new system was tested on December 5th in Vallejo, California, when thieves broke the padlock off of a garage, got past the steering wheel lock system, and drove the car right away. The recently-installed LoJack system was activated, and within an hour officers found the car in nearby Concord, undamaged. Seems like a wise investment to us, as the car was worth $20,000 and was recovered in time for dinner. If only every car theft had such a happy ending.