Stolen Car Returned To Owner Totally Pimped Out

After three years, Amanda Pogany forgot about her stolen 1996 Honda Accord, assuming it was in car heaven. But recently the cops found it at a Queens chop shop, traced it back to her and called up the Brooklyn teacher. The Daily News reveals it was "returned to her drag-race ready, with a brand-new V-8 engine, tinted windows, oversized tires with special hubcaps - and custom valve stem caps shaped like bullet casings."

Pogany said, "When I first saw under the hood I thought it looked like, you know in the movie 'Grease?' Like the 'Grease Lightning' car." Further, the car's interim owner—apparently he bought from the thieves—also put "in a manual transmission and leather interior and [hung] a Dominican flag and a giant wooden cross from the rearview mirror." Pogany said, "I'm Jewish. and I don't even know how to drive a stick shift!"

Her friends are offering her stick shift lessons but the car is in her parents' NJ driveway, where it's the belle of the block (people have expressed interested in buying it). In other news, the NYPD is reportedly trying to crack down on auto thefts—they are down 14% over 2008 and 2009 but are up 27% this year.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 25, 2010 3:10 PM

Comments [rss]

lydiacanaan

A fan is to help when veeling vaint from watching the blisk through completion. Men use these fans also.

Hotel Borak Bol

zincink

HAHAH funny photo :P

TheCowman

Lucky!!

queenlachica

If she collected from her insurance for the theft, does she now have to give it back?!?

valeriob

Gothamist, if you're wondering why all the views, this hit digg today :)

Matthew

i hate to tell you people but you can actualy fit a b8 engine in a hond any one who knows about street racing should know this there people in jersey city and middle town ny who have cars like this. if you you tube it you can see. but the lady can be confused about it as well im just saying it is very possible with alot of hard work.

inoyourider

It may be possible but did you see the picture?

mocanlagunas

She'll be able to say "VTEC Just Kicked In, Yo!"

And she should keep the crucifix! The irony...

Probably she did say "VTEC", but the moron journalist (yes, that's a redundancy, I know) thought she had said "V8"...

inoyourider

And I can read the source that Gothamist linked from:

Amanda Pogany's once-humble white 1996 Honda Accord was returned to her drag-race ready, with a brand-new V-8 engine, tinted windows, oversized tires with special hubcaps - and custom valve stem caps shaped like bullet casings.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/04/25/2010-04-25_crooks_made_my_car_speed_freak_and_then_i_got_it_back.html#ixzz0mA3lmHvP

jaycjay

Yep, the Daily News had it wrong (I erroneously referred to it as the Post earlier). Jen just repeated what they reported, in a quoted passage.

While when I looked at the pic of the car I could tell immediately that it wasn't a V-8, that's not something the typical person would necessarily recognize, and it's not something the typical person (especially typical NYC resident) needs to be able to recognize.

It's also not at all a big deal.

inoyourider

And it's still shoddy reporting, and that is kind of a big deal.

When I read on Gothamist that the car was drag-race ready, the car in the photo would have been about the last thing that popped in my mind.

inoyourider

I still think its a sad commentary on the state of general mechanical knowledge.

I don't think it takes a 'car nut' to recognize that the motor in the picture isn't a V-8.

Mookie Wilson

Psst....no one gives a crap.

inoyourider

Psst...86234 Views, you're wrong.

etypical

Aw my dog is named Mookie Wilson.

inoyourider

V-8!!

Hah

It's sad how little mechanical knowledge people possess today.

Spirit of 76

I was going to post exactly what jaycjay wrote above. It was almost certainly the car's owner who told the Daily News writer, who just printed it verbatim. Ditto for the alloy rims, which they called "special hubcaps." She teaches Hebrew and Judaic studies. Why should anyone expect her to be a car nut? Yeah, I'm sure you know everything mechanical. If we showed you a jet engine, would you know the difference between a blisk, a bling, a turbine, a prop or a fan? Between a turboprop, turbojet, turbofan or turboshaft? Don't feel so superior. Many people don't invest so much of themselves in their cars. To them, it's nothing more than a way to get around.

inoyourider

As a matter of fact I do know the differences between jet engines.

But thats besides the fact that the Daily News should know the difference. They had a photo. For that matter so did Gothamist. The part in the story where it mentions the V-8 is not a quote. Any decent reporter would have fixed that.

Manitoba

HAHAHA! You called the writers at Gothamist "reporters". Good one! I'll be laughing at that all week.

afrochunky

"The Daily News reveals it was 'returned to her drag-race ready, with a brand-new V-8 engine, tinted windows, oversized tires with special hubcaps - and custom valve stem caps shaped like bullet casings.'"

I can tell the difference between quotes and no quotes.