In its 42 years of serving San Luis Obispo, the iconic British Sports Cars shop has experienced two big break-ins.
The first happened in 2001. Someone broke in through the skylight, stole a Range Rover, drove it through the Thursday night Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, and injured several people. The second was on Oct. 9 at 11:20 p.m.
Jeffrey Thomas Lincoln from Portland allegedly broke a shop window, stole a 2002 Aston Martin DB7, and drove through the closed roll-up garage door. The action crested in the early hours of Oct. 10 when Lincoln supposedly crashed the car on California and Marsh streets. Responding officers recognized the stolen vehicle and found him hiding in the front yard of a nearby residence, according to a SLO Police Department report.
Store manager Justin Jurgens told New Times he was in bed when the alarms went off.
“He tried to take other cars too but couldn’t figure out how to start them,” Jurgens said.
He showed New Times a surveillance video of the theft where a dark figure breaks into the Aston Martin before speeding off.
“It’s amazing he didn’t hit any of the other cars,” Jurgens said.
The single vehicle collision resulted in a bent frame valued at a $50,000 loss. The recovered Aston Martin was at the store as of Oct. 11, but Jurgens said the insurance company would soon take over and it would be broken down for parts. British Sports Cars paid for the broken window and damaged garage door themselves.
“There’s not a lot you can do. We’re doing what we’ve always done and are moving on,” he said with a shrug.
SLO County Jail records show that Lincoln, 34, was taken into custody on Oct. 10 close to 4 a.m. He is charged with felonies for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and vandalism, along with commercial burglary, with a bond amount of $20,000.
The auto burglary at British Sports Cars is one of 12 that took place in the Downtown SLO between May 10 and Oct. 10, according to the SLO Police Department crime map. It’s an increase from the five incidents of auto burglary that took place during the same time period last year. Δ
This article appears in Oct 13-23, 2022.