The Million-Dollar Car Detective
Inside the Worldwide Hunt for a Stolen $7 Million Car
by Stayton Bonner
Narrated by Ari Fliakos
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Pub Date Aug 26 2025 | Archive Date Nov 30 2025
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Description
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.
Advance Praise
“Stayton Bonner has a knack for unearthing sleek stories from the margins of American society that reveal whole subcultures few of us knew existed. I immensely enjoyed this tale of rolling Rembrandts and petroleum-fueled Picassos. In brisk, clean prose reminiscent of Chandler and Hammett, Bonner takes us into a noir world of heists and intrigues, of fast cars and fast living—and, in doing so, pierces the wild, weird heart of human obsession.” - Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Hellhound on His Trail and The Wide Wide Sea
“Stayton Bonner has written one hell of a terrific true-life thriller. Filled with offbeat characters, wonderful locations, and exciting twists driven by American ambition and greed, I devoured this book. Toss aside your same old podcasts and routine mysteries for an addictive tale that fires on all cylinders and doesn’t let go until that final page.” - Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let the Devil Ride and Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Marketing Plan
The incredible true story of the $7 million, nearly one-of-a-kind luxury vehicle heisted from a tycoon’s factory in 2001 and the years-later investigation to finally find the thieves
Author Stayton Bonner is an acclaimed journalist, former senior editor at Rolling Stone, and writer for Men's Journal, Outside, and GQ
National media features
Outreach to automobile and luxury brands and publications
Creative advertising campaign to automobile and luxury vehicle, crime, and true-crime sites
Extensive print and online advertising
Podcast advertising
Bookseller and library trade show marketing and appearances
Early outreach and giveaways on Goodreads
Available Editions
| EDITION | Audiobook, Unabridged |
| ISBN | 9781982649364 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
| DURATION | 7 Hours, 30 Minutes |
Links
Available on NetGalley
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