The History of All Histories ...

Oskar belonged to my parents. They acquired him after I moved out. I do not remember much about him, other than his insides were pretty bare and he was a primer grey.

My parents purchased him around the same time as they acquired another '67 Camper. It wasn't long before they dedicated their efforts on the other camper and sold Oskar to a young kid from Canada. That is where the story gets interesting. (Bear in mind, I am doing this from third-hand memory, so the details may be off a bit).

Anyway, this kid comes down from Canada and falls in love with Oskar. He trailers Oskar up to a friends house in Washington state. While at his friends house, Oskar is stolen. Unfortunately, none of the paperwork had been completed on his end although he had the bill of sale, the release of liability, and the title. He went several months, basically cutting his losses.

One day, he was visiting his friend and was out driving around. As he went down a street not too far from his friend's house (where the van was stolen from), he saw a man working on a nice old VW Camper. The man had clearly put a lot of work into it. But there was something about the van that seemed familiar. The kid started talking to the guy and was able to confirm that the van was actually Oskar! The police were called and although he was not listed as the official owner in Washington DMV records, he was able to provide proof that the van was purchased by him and the original police report from when it was stolen.

The man who stole the van admitted to it, then requested payment for all of the work he had done in its restoration (which was extensive). Ultimately, the rightful owner got Oskar back, partially restored, and the thief went to jail ... without payment for services rendered through theft.