A Melbourne son is pleading for help to find his family’s 1972 Holden Torana after it was stolen in broad daylight from Hawthorn East. For Peter Scrivener, it’s not just a classic car missing from a car park—it’s a link to his late father, and now it’s tied to his mother’s final wish.
The Torana was handed down to Peter from his dad, who died unexpectedly eight years ago. Peter says the loss has reopened old grief at the worst possible time, because his mum was diagnosed last week with inoperable cancer. With her health declining, she has one simple request: she wants to be in the Torana again, to relive the memories she shared with her husband.
Peter says he is desperate to get the car back so he can take his mum for one last drive. “She just wants to hear it and smell it and be in it – and just sit there and talk about when she was in it with my Dad. That’s all she really wants,” he said.
He doesn’t drive the Torana often, which makes the theft even more shocking. Investigators believe he may have been followed before it was taken. The car was locked up behind Peter’s tattoo shop in a private, off-street car park, out of view and behind secured access. But despite those precautions, a thief was able to act quickly and confidently.
Peter was working when the man walked by. Within minutes, the thief had made it through locked doors, a club lock and even the tracker fitted to the vehicle. CCTV later captured the man driving away just after 4pm, leaving Peter to realise the car was gone and his family’s most treasured possession was suddenly in someone else’s hands.
Since then, Peter has been focused on one goal: getting the Torana back undamaged. He is offering a $5000 reward for information that leads to it being returned in one piece, hoping the promise of money will prompt someone to come forward or to share what they’ve seen.
The Torana was last seen in Lower Templestowe on Wednesday morning. By that time, the number plates had been removed, but the car still appeared to be in perfect condition—an update that gives Peter some hope it hasn’t yet been stripped or destroyed.
And because it’s not a quiet car, he believes it can still be found. “It’s loud and brash … Whoever’s driving it right now, people are still turning their heads,” he said. Peter is urging anyone who recognises the vehicle to act immediately, adding, “I just hope someone turns their head and realises ‘oh my God that’s the car’, and calls Triple Zero.”
For Peter, every hour matters. He’s not just chasing down a stolen car – he’s trying to hold onto a piece of his father, and to give his mum one last moment inside the vehicle that carries so cherished memories.