Stolen very rare and valuable oldtimer found after 10 years
In 2012, during or shortly after the Techno Classica Essen, 2 special oldtimers disappeared, the now recovered Tamble oldtimer and a Loraine Dietrich 2500 that is still missing. The heirs of the deceased owner of these old-timers started their own investigation after their father’s missing old-timers. When that search was unsuccessful, in 2013 the police in Raeren (B) reported the theft of only the Loraine Dietrich 2500. The reason for not yet reporting the theft of the rare de Tamble was at that time it was simply assumed that this “de Tamble” would quickly would be found due to its rarity. There are only 3 copies of this oldtimer, of which only 2 still rolling . One in America and the other recovered today.
€100,000 for information about the whereabouts of the disappeared “de Tamble”
In 2015, the heirs came into contact with private investigator John Vullers and asked for his help. All the efforts of the heirs had yielded nothing to them until then. It was advised to definitely report also the theft of that very rare De Tamble oldtimer. In 2015, a remarkable incident occurred. A dentist from Austria (Salzburg)?! contacted one of the heirs by telephone. This dentist indicated that he knew where the rare Tamble would be. He wanted 10% of the value of that old-timer as a kind of “finder’s fee” if the old-timer was found on his instructions. The dentist estimated the value at approximately € 1,000,000. So the dentist asked €100,000 for his information. What the dentist did not know was that the telephone conversation with him was taped. The heirs were advised to keep tape equipment at hand if someone should come forward (by telephone). Because the heirs did not trust the dentist, it was not discussed further.
Research spanned several countries
Then there was long time of silence again. The investigation therefore continued unabated and extended over the countries of the Netherlands – Germany – Belgium – Austria (Salzburg) and Spain (Alicante) to even Dubai, where particularly exclusive cars are increasingly being shipped. Many conversations followed with informants. It is emphasized that in such cases the investigation does not focus on catching a perpetrator or suspect. That is primarily the job of the police. The main aim is to be able to return stolen goods to their owners. If desired, this can be done anonymously. Cases are handled very discreetly, on the one hand for danger settings, on the other to prevent damage risks. Sometimes it is useful to know who is behind a theft or other criminal offense in order to at least get a direction for the search after stolen goods.
Anonymous tips
In mid-summer 2020, a German-speaking woman called anonymously by phone and inquired about the oldtimer de Tamble, which is shown on the site www.johnv-detectives.nl. She asked if she can say something discreetly and preferably anonymously about that old-timer now that she knew where that old-timer would be. The fear of the person who owned the old-timer kept her from telling everything right away. She would call back. A few weeks later, the same woman telephoned, again anonymously. She indicated that she still doubted whether she could tell what she knew and asked for some time to think about it. After a few weeks, this woman again made an anonymous phone call and made it succinctly clear that we had to look for a man named “F” (not fully stated for privacy reasons) wo lived Aachen(D).
Then it was quiet again for a longer period until mid-December 2021. Then an anonymous letter / card arrived by post. This letter contained an exact address as well as the name of a person who matched the aforementioned “F”. By means of further research, the information provided was first checked where possible and further refined. It soon became apparent that the anonymous tips and the anonymous letter, linked to the address provided, were verifiable and corresponded. With all the results from that investigation, the exact location was determined with even a clear indication to (one of the) suspect(s).
On Thursday, February 10, 2022, we handed over the complete investigation file to the Limburg police unit. On the basis of the information provided, full cooperation was immediately provided and the work was then carried out very adequately. A visit by the police to the determined location became a fact. Several cars were found under tarpaulins/cloths in a business building on an industrial estate in Parkstad. Among these cars was also the stolen old-timer “the Tamble”. After the police had checked the VIN number on the basis of the declaration, our years of investigation turned out to be successful. It was indeed the extremely rare and very valuable old-timer “the Tamble” from 1909 that disappeared in 2012 during or shortly after the Techno Classica in Essen.
Further investigation by the police
The police further consider the case, so we limit ourselves to providing further details. The hope is that this oldtimer may return soon to the heirs who have continued to lay claim to this then disappeared and now recovered old-timer.
This investigation can now be concluded successfully after more than 7 years, sometimes very intensive research in various countries, accompanied by a large portion of patience and perseverance. For the time being, this rare Tamble 1909 with a value of approximately 1 million euros is under control due to the seizure by the police. The hope is now established that the other missing old-timer (Loraine Dietrich 2500) can also be found.
This research has once again confirmed us: “perseverance wins because doing nothing is not an option. It is important never to give up hope.
