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While I’m not an expert in car theft, it seems rather unwise to register a stolen classic from a nearby museum, especially when it’s a high-profile piece like the rare 1977 3.0-liter Porsche 911 Turbo. Interestingly, the suspected thief, 36-year-old Daniel Boyce, made a rather flawed attempt. Boyce decided to register the stolen 911 with a VIN from a wrecked ’76 911 shortly after the alleged theft, only to find himself in police custody a month later.
An alarm sounded at the museum, which was undergoing transitions due to a local state college’s actions, in the early hours of June 14. Authorities discovered evidence of forced entry and some repositioned vehicles, indicating that the thief had rearranged other cars to facilitate the removal of the 911. Since the museum stored the keys for the Porsche in the driver-side footwell, the stolen car was easily driven away.
Sarasota Police Department
Martin Godbey, the owner and curator of the Sarasota Car Museum, informed The Drive that this incident marked the first theft of a car from the museum in seven decades.
As per CBS12, a few days subsequent to Boyce purportedly stealing the 911 Turbo, the museum was tipped off anonymously about Boyce being spotted with a brown 911 resembling the stolen vehicle at a warehouse. The museum then contacted the authorities, leading to an investigation into Boyce’s actions and the discovery that he had registered a brown ’76 911 under the LLC Triton Engineering on June 21. Eventually, the police traced the VIN Boyce used back to a 911 that had been involved in an accident 23 years ago and was later sold to a salvage yard in California, resulting in Boyce’s arrest on July 21.
Sarasota Police Department
Fortunately, the museum reclaimed its Porsche intact. The 911 Turbo in question carries an estimated value of approximately $250,000, thereby leading to Boyce facing charges of grand theft auto and fraud exceeding $50,000. Boyce is currently being detained without bail in Sarasota County Jail, and investigators suspect that there might be additional victims associated with the case.
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