KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) — A one of a kind of classic car that couples all over the metro have memories in is now missing.
The 1954 Bentley was stolen from Pech Limousine Service in Kansas City, right after giving one couple some magical Valentine’s memories.
The car really is one of a kind, due to all the time and money Nader Aldiwick put into it.
“New engine, new transmission, antilock brakes. Which, for those cars, antilock brakes was not a thing in the 50s. So, we spent a lot of money on it to get it to be reliable for us for our customers,” Aldiwick said.
The retro feel makes it popular for weddings, which is a huge part of Aldiwick’s business that’s still suffering due to the pandemic.
“We probably are now maybe back to about 50% of what we used to do. And, with something like this happening, it’s just a real bad blow,” Aldiwick said.
It happened Friday night. A driver brought the vehicle back to the company garage after a job around 9:30 p.m.
A man followed the driver into the garage on foot and hid inside a vehicle in the garage until all employees left the building.
The man left with the Bentley just after 1 a.m.
Aldiwick said it likely took the thief some time to figure out how to drive the vehicle.
“It’s not as simple as to just Google, ‘How to drive a Bentley.’ It’s not the same because this one has an American transmission,” Aldiwick said. “But, he was able to navigate through it and take the car out of here.”
The Bentley was out on a romantic 25th wedding anniversary surprise just hours before it was stolen.
“It was almost kind of chilling, in a way, to think that that car was stolen and we had just been in it hours earlier,” Lori Kissinger said.
Tom and Lori Kissinger married on Valentine’s Day 1996.
Their wedding was at the Johnson County Courthouse. They didn’t have a fancy reception or a limo ride. So, Tom wanted to do something special for their big anniversary.
“It was really, really memorable,” Lori said.
They’re just one couple with sweet memories of the Bentley.
Aldiwick hopes they’re not the last.
The thief caught on security camera footage was dropped off in a white hybrid Ford Fusion.
If you know anything about the suspect or the crime, call Kansas City Police or Pech Limousines.