Santa Cruz woman finds her stolen Porsche eight years laterBy Calvin Men - Santa Cruz SentinelClick to view attachmentMay 15--SANTA CRUZ -- Michele Benson is a car person.
Cars, she said, have a bit of a soul and need to be respected.
So in 2007, when someone stole her 1976 Porsche 914 out of her driveway in Santa Cruz,
it was akin to losing a loved one.
But eight years after the car was pilfered, she received a notice: A dealership in the central
valley town of Oakdale had her car.
"It's a love story," said Benson, an entertainment photographer. "The car was definitely
looking for me and somehow she found me."
And a whirlwind affair it was.
The dealership, about a 120-mile drive east of Santa Cruz, acquired the car after it was
towed from a nearby farm. The car was among 10 abandoned cars on the farm and among
three that were towed from the farm to the lot.
Click to view attachmentWhen the car was stolen in 2007, Benson was in the middle of various projects in her life.
She was working on a feature film, working at a renaissance fair, in the middle of installing
an art project at a downtown Santa Cruz bar, trying to raise a daughter and moving out of
her home.
The theft came during the move. She packed boxes and bags into the family's second car
to take to their new home and when she returned for her Porsche, it was gone.
"I had a lot on my plate. I did go to the DMV and speak with them and California Highway
Patrol," Benson said. "But there's not a whole lot they can do when a car is stolen. Over a
period of time, I just kind of said, 'Ouch, she's gone.'"
Benson said she resigned herself to the idea that the car was gone. So she didn't quite
believe it when she got the notice.
"I got teary-eyed and said, 'Oh my God they found my car.' But my husband said he
couldn't believe it,'" Benson said.
But a three-drive hour later, Benson stood in front of her car, a shabby version of what she
remembered. The fabric to the seat was torn. The car's top was weathered and the white
body that once shown brightly was showing signs of rust.
"She's got problems. She needs some work here and Botox isn't going to fix her," Benson said.
Whoever stole the car didn't drive it much.
"When she was taken, I had 90,000 (miles) and change on her. That's what she has on her now."
The car is at her husband's auto shop, Hayes European, on 17th Avenue in Live Oak.
Benson said she isn't sure of repair costs. But she said she plans to restore the car to its full glory.
"Any car that works that hard for that many years to get back to me, she has my complete devotion."
"It's a love affair that's not going to stop here."
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