Stealing Cars -- Brands most likely to be stolen during the 1920s

Hot Cars

Thieves stole a range of models, but mostly low-priced Chevrolets, Plymouths, Chryslers, and Fords.[1]  For example, in Buffalo, New York, between May 15 and July 15, 1924, the following makes of cars (and numbers) were reported stolen:[2]

Make of Motor Vehicle	Number Reported Stolen, May 15 to July 15, 1924
Auburn	2
Buick	26
Cadillac	5
Chevrolet	61
Chalmers	1
Chandler	1
Cole	2
Dodge	8
Dort	1
Durant	4
Elcar	1
Essex	1
Ford	172
Franklin	3
Gardner	1
Haynes	4
Holmes	2
Hudson	7
Hupmobile	1
Jewett	2
Jordan	5
Marmon	3
Maxwell	5
Moon	1
Nash	7
Oakland	3
Oldsmobile	3
Overland	15
Packard	2
Paige	1
Peerless	2
Star	1
Stearns-Knight	2
Studebaker	10
Velie	2
Wills St. Claire	5
Willys Knight	5

The Automobile Protective and Information Bureau reported a similar distribution of makes and models stolen during 1920-21 on a national scale; recovery figures averaged less than one third of the vehicles initially taken, with Ford’s being her overwhelming choice of car thieves, followed  by Buick, Hudson, Cadillac, Chandler, Studebaker, and Overland.[3]

Place mattered.  Automobiles were most likely to be stolen in business or entertainment districts, where individuals parked the same models in the same place. Often a thief caught red-handed simply claimed that they had hopped in the wrong car. When interrogated by a judge, one thief explained why he was in the wrong Ford: “Because both cars are Fords, and all Fords look alike, not only to me but to their owners.”[4] Charges were dropped. Despite preferences to steal the commonplace vehicle, elite and unusual automobiles such as the Auburn, Cadillac, Franklin, and Packard, were not exempt from the threat of theft. Expensive cars were stolen, disassembled, and repainted.

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[1] William J. Davis, “Stolen Automobile Investigations.” Journal of Automobile Investigations, 28(Jan.-Feb. 1938), 731-732.

[2] “Automobile Record Book for 1924,” Buffalo New York, in possession of author.

[3] Automobile Protective and Information Bureau, Annual Report, 1920-21, pp. 19-21.

[4]  The Literary Digest, July 17, 1920.