A vintage Porsche reported as stolen almost 23 years ago was found by US custom officials this month as the vehicle was being prepared to be shipped out of the USA and to the Netherlands.

The suspicions of the custom officials were first aroused when they noticed that the container shipping the vehicle stated that it contained a Porsche 930 Turbo, but stipulated its value at just $12,000, at least half the price you would expect a sports car of this calibre to carry.

After locating the Vehicles Identification Number (VIN) and running it through the official US database, the custom officers discovered that the 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo was registered as a stolen vehicle, having been reported missing in Las Vegas in 1988. After contacting the police authority in Nevada, the custom officials were able to verify that the Porsche was still registered as stolen on their records.

The Porsche has since been handed over to the original insurance company which paid out to the owner of the sports car when it was stolen in Las Vegas in 1988 as they are now deemed as the legal owners of the vintage car.

The US custom officers say that this case of uncovering a car stolen 23 years previously is not usual in their line of work and in the last year alone, they have seized 51 vehicles which were due to be shipped out of the country after discovering they were in breach of legislation, stolen, undervalued, or carrying fraudulent papers.