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BRINGING
LEXY
When Carol Richards’ beloved pink Torana, dubbed Sexy Lexy, was stolen almost three decades ago, her hopes of ever seeing it again eroded with each year that passed. So when detectives from Victoria Police’s Vehicle Crime Squad recovered the 1973 Holden and reunited Ms Richards with it in October, the first thing she did when she saw it was plant a big kiss on Sexy Lexy. “I know it’s stupid to kiss a car, but I was just so glad to see it,” Ms Richards said. “I thought I didn’t have a hope of ever seeing it again.” Ms Richards, now 74, bought the eye-catching car for $1,500 in 1973 with money her father left her. “My father didn’t think it was fair for my husband to have a nice, expensive car and for me to have to walk to the shops every day,” she said. “I don’t think he expected me to buy something like Lexy.” Not only was the car itself impressive, so were Ms Richards’ driving skills.
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POLICE LIFE | SUMMER 2020-21
She regularly raced Lexy around tracks such as Winton, Sandown, Calder Park and Phillip Island. Some of the men Ms Richards used to race against gave the car its nickname due to its original numberplates - LEX 900. “They appreciated what the car could do and what I could do with it,” Ms Richards said. But tragedy struck when the uninsured car was stolen from her Burwood driveway in 1992.
BACK As a result of Det Sen Const Florence’s hard work, a Parkville man in his 50s was charged in September 2016 in relation to the re-birthing ring.
The man was sentenced in September this year to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay $560,000 in restitution to the victim who had unwittingly purchased the stolen vehicles from him.
Ms Richards, her family, friends and the police searched for Lexy over the years without luck.
The man who had bought Sexy Lexy in good faith was entitled to keep the car but was so touched by Ms Richard’s love for the Torana that he asked for it to be returned to her.
That was until the Vehicle Crime Squad’s Detective Senior Constable Brett Florence, a big car enthusiast himself, investigated a series of vehicles stolen for re-birthing in 2014.
Following the sentencing, Det Sen Const Florence was finally able to reunite Ms Richards with Lexy, now valued at more than $130,000.
His tenacious and thorough efforts over several years brought down the re-birthing syndicate, which modified and upgraded stolen vehicles into high-performance muscle cars and sold them off as genuine.
“This car was stolen from Carol nearly three decades ago and I don’t think a day has gone by that she hasn’t wished for a miracle that it would be found,” Det Sen Const Florence said.
One unsuspecting car buff bought a number of cars from the syndicate between 2008 and 2011, and some meticulous work from Victoria Police’s Vehicle Examination Unit revealed this included Sexy Lexy.
“Carol attended court every day dressed in pink to represent the love she has for her car. “As a car enthusiast myself, I am very happy to see the smile on Carol’s face as we watch her drive off in her beloved Torana.
