Brazen thieves moved a five-ton forklift and used the owner’s own tools to break into an Aberdeen barn and steal an ‘immaculate’ WW2-era Jeep.
Willie Ellis has spent thousands doing it up, describing it as his “pride and joy”.
The 63-year-old was ‘absolutely gutted’ to discover while on holiday that thieves had stolen the historic vehicle.
The Aberdeenshire plant manager has even offered a reward of £1,000 for useful information that leads to the vehicle being recovered.
Mr Ellis said: “I’m just absolutely gutted. I didn’t find out until the Friday because we’d been staying in a caravan.
“It was the landlord that found my doors open and knew there was something missing, he couldn’t get hold of me until Friday.
“I’m just gutted.
“I don’t know what’s happened to it, it’s just been stolen. Somebody said they saw the jeep on the back of a trailer at Newark last night. The ports have been advised about it.”
To gain access to the vehicle, which was in a locked barn, thieves had to shift a five-ton forklift truck, before burning through the locks with his own oxyacetylene torch.
He said: “They pushed a forklift truck which was blocking it in.
“A five-tonne forklift backed across the doors. I had the batteries out of it so I don’t know how they managed to move the thing.
“And they used my oxyacetylene gear to get the doors open, they just burnt the locks off.
The vehicle was built in 1944 and was a workhouse of the Allied Forces during the war, with President Eisenhower once calling it “one of three decisive weapons the US had”. Vehicles in the same condition as this one can sell for up to £30,000.
Mr Ellis said: “I’ve had it for maybe 15, 20 years. I’ve just been doing it over the years, it’s just immaculate condition
“I’ve spent thousands on it doing it up. When I bought it, it was just a wreck.
“It was my pride and joy.”
A police spokeswoman said: “We received a report of a break-in to a shed at Swellhead Farm, Blairs, Aberdeen on Thursday, 27 August.
“The break-in is believed to have happened between Tuesday 25 August and Thursday 27 August at 12pm and a number of items were stolen including a World War Two jeep.
“Anyone with any information about the incident should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3499 of August 27.”
