Ebook: Stealing cars technology & society from the Model T to the Gran Torino

Introduction -- Park at your own risk"Stop, thief!" -- Juvenile delinquents, hardened criminals, and ineffectual technological solutions -- From the personal garage to the surveillance society -- Car theft in the electronic and digital age -- Mexico, the U.S., and international auto theft -- The recent past -- Conclusion stealing the American dream -- Appendix A: Various U.S. automobile theft crime reports and surveys, 1924-2010 -- Appendix B: Tables.;"As early as 1910 Americans recognized that cars were easy to steal and, once stolen, hard to find. A car was its own getaway vehicle, and cars looked much alike. Model styles and colors eventually changed, and so did the means of making a stolen car disappear. Though changing license plates and serial numbers remain basic procedure, thieves have created highly sophisticated networks to disassemble stolen vehicles, distribute the parts, and/or ship the altered cars out of the country. Stealing cars naturally has become as technologically advanced as the cars themselves"--Provided by publisher