Photo: Twitter / Sacramento Police
Talk about a Hollywood-worthy happy ending: a classic car with a lot of history was stolen and then recovered by police in Sacramento, California, in almost record time.
And generous exposure on social media also helped with the recovery, the Sacramento Police say on Twitter. The car in question is a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado in Bermuda blue, and once belonged to screen icon Rita Hayworth.
She willed it to Curly Bunfill, a then-car stuntman (and currently 3-time Purple Heart honoree) who was invited to one of her parties by a mutual acquaintance. In a move ripped straight out of the diva handbook, she accepted his invitation to dance and then took him to her garage and asked him which car he’d like from there. Oh, to be young and rich back in the golden days!
Bunfill told her he wanted “that old Cadillac” and Hayworth kept her promise and willed the Eldorado to him, according to ABC10. The car is not just in excellent condition but it also bears the marks of its previous, famous owner: it’s got Rita’s name beveled on “the doors, rear, & engine block,” according to the Sacramento PD.
Bunfill left the keys in the car, which must have made the thieves’ job all that much easier. Also inside were a handful of car show trophies, and the car was parked in the garage. Bunfill found out about the theft when one of his neighbors noticed the garage door was wide open.
Following the public appeal by the police, the car was recovered in just a few days. “The car has been safely located and is in SPD possession!!” an update to the original tweet from the PD says. “There is no one in custody at this time but this investigation is still active and ongoing.”
The police did not say whether any damage had been done to the Eldorado, so here’s to hoping this 106-year-old War veteran got it back in the same condition it was when they stole it from him.
She willed it to Curly Bunfill, a then-car stuntman (and currently 3-time Purple Heart honoree) who was invited to one of her parties by a mutual acquaintance. In a move ripped straight out of the diva handbook, she accepted his invitation to dance and then took him to her garage and asked him which car he’d like from there. Oh, to be young and rich back in the golden days!
Bunfill told her he wanted “that old Cadillac” and Hayworth kept her promise and willed the Eldorado to him, according to ABC10. The car is not just in excellent condition but it also bears the marks of its previous, famous owner: it’s got Rita’s name beveled on “the doors, rear, & engine block,” according to the Sacramento PD.
Bunfill left the keys in the car, which must have made the thieves’ job all that much easier. Also inside were a handful of car show trophies, and the car was parked in the garage. Bunfill found out about the theft when one of his neighbors noticed the garage door was wide open.
Following the public appeal by the police, the car was recovered in just a few days. “The car has been safely located and is in SPD possession!!” an update to the original tweet from the PD says. “There is no one in custody at this time but this investigation is still active and ongoing.”
The police did not say whether any damage had been done to the Eldorado, so here’s to hoping this 106-year-old War veteran got it back in the same condition it was when they stole it from him.
™ This is a very distinct classic car:1956 “Bermuda Blue” Cadillac El Dorado w/CA plate of 2NSB909. The doors, rear, & engine block have “Rita Hayworth” beveled on it. Inside the truck are multiple car show Ætrophies & the keys were inside of the car when it was taken.
— Sacramento Police (@SacPolice) January 20, 2020
— Sacramento Police (@SacPolice) January 21, 2020
¨¨Update ¨¨¨; the car has been safely located and is in SPD possession!! There is no one in custody at this time but this investigation is still active and ongoing. And a huge thank you for all the shares that helped to get the car back!!
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