Be on the lookout for a stolen 1968 Porsche 911

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The owner of a custom-built vintage race car is hoping you'll be on the lookout for the vehicle after he says it was stolen from a trailer in the parking lot of a Columbia hotel early Wednesday morning.
Douglas Hagopian stopped at the Days Inn on Garners Ferry Road near Interstate 77 Tuesday night while en route from his Florida home to a motorsports park in West Virginia.

When he came out Wednesday morning, he saw that the 1968 Porsche 911 has been taken from the trailer he was hauling.

The $100,000 silver race car had just been outfitted with a new engine and transmission for its run in Sunday's Jefferson 500, a road race at Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Point, West Virginia.

"I feel terrible," Hagopian said over the phone while on his way back to Florida. "My retirement is in that vehicle. That's what I do with my retirement. It really just crushed me."

He says the car was taken sometime between midnight and 4:00 a.m. "I think they were trying to steal the trailer," Hagopian said. "But when they couldn't lift it off the hitch, they cut the locks off the back door."

The Columbia Police Department fingerprinted the trailer and hitch Wednesday morning, Hagopian said.

A spokeswoman for the department says investigators are working with local businesses to determine if the incident was captured on surveillance video.

Mobile users, tap here to see more images of the car.

Hagopian has been racing for 15 years. The stolen Porsche has been in about 100 racing events.

If you have seen this car or know anything about the theft, you are urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Your anonymous information could get you a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Hagopian is also offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of the car.

Police have entered the car information into the National Crime Information Center database (NCIC).
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Way to go Columbia PD!