European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A a a a a a a i. 5&s photo Jim Darham 3 the massive Hood. Is like the prow of some gnat Ocean going ship. Quot is that what makes the Camaro a favorite with thieves in the states although it s the �?T86 Model that is the most stolen car in America Samaros of other vintages Are also in demand. But sgt. 1st class Harrison Cox in t worried. He feels his i990 Cherry red Camaro iroc a will be Safe As Long As he is in Germany where the thieves seem to prefer  David Jacobson Hartford courant hat the Heck is it about 1986 Samaros Quot anyway. A. A a. For four years in a Row Thal year and make has been the most stolen car in America according to acc information services inca Chicago based company that puts values on cars Lor insurance companies v. A a. Last year on an average Day. 3.5 such Samaros. A a disappeared irom the driveways garages and parking places of their rightful insured owners. A. A \ Are these cars really that hot or Are thieves just grabbing them for the fuzzy Dice and Playboy air. Fresheners a a a cracking the Case of the captured coupes obviously Calls for a test drive. A a we find one of the frequently filched 5,-year-Olds on a used car lot. And yes it was one sleek package of two door to topped trouble Candy Apple red. It included a set of Garfield Quot get off my Tail Quot mud flaps and a cigarette Burn in its Ketchup coloured cloth upholstery. For starters to a regular Driver of subcompact dinghies the massive Hood of this �?T86 Camaro is like the prow of some great Ocean going ship a Quot when cruising the passing1 scene is reflected in . Of shiny Sheet Metal a stately Homes Road signs All a miniaturized and deformed breaking like flecks of foam a Over that endless front end. A a indeed everything about the car seems oversize. The big Wall of Black dashboard rears up and juts out at you like King Kong s brow. The five Speed stick shift is topped by a Knob big As a billiard Ball a. A a a a a a but then the Windshield seems in proportion too Small. Peering through it Over that vast Hummock of Hood one knows How a giant sumo wrestler must feel lying on his Back surveying his Girth. A a a All this while the engine idling at a Street Light generates a throaty throb a they a you .wimp,1 it a. Mutters. A a a a a \�?T86 v-6 sports the relatively Light  a full. Grown Walrus and the relatively High Power of 135 horses driving its rear Axle. With powerful guts and a pug rear. End it makes peeling out As natural As breathing. / the Horn does t work. Of the  warned that. It was t  but who needs a Horn everything about this baby shouts Quot Back off Quot  maybe the Chevy spokesmen Are right on target when they speak of the Camaro s hyper theft As a a Quot twisted compliment Quot and the product of Quot misguided  this is after All a hot car. ,. A. Quot who a going to go Joy Riding in a four door Corolla Quot a asked Tom Hoxie assistant director of Public relations for Chevrolet citing the Camaro s Quot aggressive Quot oversize tires and aerodynamic Quot ground effects Quot Quot the fact that this thing is stolen As much As it is t obviously Means it has some Appeal Quot Hoxie said. To gauge the real depth of  you have to talk to hard Core Camaro fans like Tony Malgioglio 23, a Quot a a wholesale Butcher from East Hartford Conn.  he were a thief Quot i might even receive a gunshot. Wound just to get it Quot he said of his 87 a gun smoke Gray Quot z28 Model. A a. A Malgioglio s biggest fear is that his Camaro will join those herds of purloined Pony cars. Quot if it gels stolen part of me will go with it Quot he said. But in Germany sgt 1st class Harrison Cox. A. Undoubtedly spends More time buffing his Cherry red Camaro iroc a than he does worrying about it or when it wifi be stolen. ,. A. A a a Quot things Are different Here in Germany Quot Coit smiles with plenty of porsche and Mercedes around thieves Here seem to ignore Samaros. The German police had no statistics on stolen Samaros. A a  v Quot Back in the states you bet i d worry depending on a where i lived. This car is a prime candidate for theft Quot says Cox who is stationed in Darmstadt a a a. Why it is that mainly Samaros Are getting swiped in the states. Besides the most grabbed 86. Tour or five other. 80s models have consistently placed in the top 10 in acc s annual report of stolen cars the folks who compile the theft report at acc explain it this Way thousands of 86 Samaros Are not being. Swiped by starry eyed Joy riders. Rather there a a vast. Illegal Industry a Black Market in stolen parts. The Camaro is a popular car. So popular that Chevy has not changed it much since 1982. Therefore its a valuable parts Are readily interchangeable with other. A. Years models a. Hundreds of thousands of cars said Bill. Geen cd cd a senior vice president for valuation services. A Quot that s a bigger Factor than it being a hot looking car Quot he said a ,. A a. A and �?T66s? Well the More cars there Are out there the More susceptible they Are to thieves. In Texas the most stolen cars Are pick up trucks Chevrolet sales figures show that 986 marked a recent Peak in Camaro sales for its part to thwart the thieves Chevrolet has / installed a new High tech lock system on Samaros for. The last two Model years see related Story. A. Stais and stripes photographer Jim Derheim contributed to this Story Page 14 a the stars and stripes saturday