$50k stolen racing car recovered

A racing car thought to have been stolen by a ring of car thieves in Wellington has surfaced; crashed and abandoned in Dannevirke.

Dannevirke Police Sergeant Tony Le Sueur said it was found at the intersection of Maine and Swinburn Sts.

"It was stolen in Wellington, and it was recovered here after it was crashed last Thursday," he said.

"The driver had taken off and wasn't located."

He said the vehicle had sustained "moderate" damage to its front but was still driveable when it was found, although he thought it could be costly to repair.

It was reported earlier that the Subaru Impreza, worth about $50,000, was stolen by a group of thieves with a taste for expensive, high-performance cars from Wilson's car park under Wellington's TSB Arena in November.

The thieves were known to police, it was reported. However, Dannevirke Police said they had no evidence linking the theft of the vehicle to the ring of car thieves.

"The car was recovered and we're just following a line of inquiry to identify the person driving it when it was crashed."

It had been returned to its owner after it was towed to a car yard and forensically examined by police.