The Million-Dollar Car Detective

A stolen car worth $7 million. A broke private investigator. Best friends turned worst enemies.

And the global manhunt neither saw coming.

In 2001, thieves parked a box truck in front of an aging tycoon’s factory, cut the phone lines, and used an overhead crane to lift out their prize: a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop coupe—“the most beautiful car in the world” and one of only two in existence—then they disappeared into the night.

The tycoon died. The trail went cold. End of story.

Until it wasn’t.

In 2015, Joe Ford was a PI trying to scrape together enough money to help his daughter, who suffers from a disease causing her to go blind, when he got a tip.

A mechanic in the French Alps had been burned by a thief and had a secret to share: the location of the missing Talbot-Lago.

The reward for finding the car would mean Joe could not only save his daughter’s sight but also set his family up for life.

Using skills gleaned from his mentor Chris Gardner, who taught Joe everything he knew about the business of rare luxury cars, the investigation would span a decade and involve the FBI, Interpol, a global crime ring … and a shocking betrayal.

Elite racing machines, high-end thefts, and billionaires who will stop at nothing for a moment of glory—The Million-Dollar Car Detective is unlike any heist story ever told.

Author Biography

Stayton Bonner is a former senior editor at Rolling Stone nominated for the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting. His journalism has appeared in publications including GQ, Esquire, and Outside. His previous book, Bare Knuckle, was a USA Today national bestseller.