The Honda Civic Type R is the kind of car that was created in a lab to embarrass the kind of gatekeeper who still insists on calling it “wrong-wheel drive.” No, you can’t get it with all-wheel drive like you can in the Toyota GR Corolla, but it’s also so fun to drive, you probably won’t care. Unfortunately for enthusiasts who aren’t flush with cash, the $46,000 price tag is a big problem. A few thieves in Australia recently solved that problem by simply stealing 20 Civic Type Rs from the port, Road & Track reports.
The recent Honda Civic Type Rs stolen were actually part of a larger group of about 45 cars the thieves took. In total, they made off with about $1.3 million in vehicles, including “three Skoda Kamiqs, five Skoda Kodiaqs, three Skoda Superbs, three Volkswagen Tiguans, two GWM Tank 300s, two Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, and one Volkswagen Golf R.” Authorities believe four people — two men and two women — broke in at some point between Sunday evening and Monday morning and simply drove them out. The theft was captured by security cameras and showed that most of the vehicles were still wearing their protective film when they were stolen.
So far, Australian police have arrested one woman whose list of charges include “damage to an emergency service vehicle by reckless driving, theft of motor vehicle, possession of butanediol and false plates, and unlicensed driving.” They’ve also since recovered 17 of the stolen cars and are still looking for the other three suspects and the remaining missing cars.
It would be nice to think they’ll eventually be able to track down the stolen Type Rs, but if Hollywood has taught us anything over the years, we’re probably dealing with an elite group of international criminals who have come out of retirement to do one last job. Will they rob a mine? A bank? A billionaire? That remains to be seen, but once they’re done, they’re probably out for good, and good luck guessing what fake identity they’ll use when they retire to the Italian coast. Unless the woman the cops arrested starts talking, that is.