Valuable hot rod stolen from paralyzed owner

Police in western Wisconsin are still on the lookout for custom collector hot rod that  was apparently stolen from its wheelchair-bound owner. The purple 1968 Dodge Charger had been rebuilt and is valued at more than $200,000.

Police in western Wisconsin are still on the lookout for custom collector hot rod that was apparently stolen from its wheelchair-bound owner.

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department is still searching for the purple 1968 Dodge Charger, which has been rebuilt and is valued at more than $200,000. Stories about the vehicle have appeared in car and collector publications.

The car’s license plate is “68 Chrgr” Thieves apparently put the car on a trailer when it was taken from a residence. Police said the car was licensed and operable for the roadway, but because it has an extremely loud exhaust, it’s unlikely it was driven away.

Nick Suckow, of Dallas, Wis., last saw his car on Oct. 23 when he left his home with his two in-home nurses to play in a poker tournament in Las Vegas, according to TwinCities.com. While he was away, Suckow, 41, found out from a friend that his car was stolen.

Suckow said he bought the car for $1,500 when he was a high school junior. He later put it in storage when he enlisted in the Army, according to the Web site report. He was paralyzed from the neck down in a traffic accident in 1989 and cannot drive, but he still continued with the restoration of the Charger.

The car features a 426 electronic fuel-injected Hemi engine, Hemi four-speed transmission, hand-built exhaust and custom purple paint job.

Anyone with information can call the Barron County Sheriff’s Department at 715-537-3106 or the anonymous tip line at 800-532-9008.