Show car stolen from Banks Crossing motel

"This was our first time to Commerce," Mrs. Rhodes said. "We'd never been to the Super Chevy Show. Our car never made it out of the trailer Saturday; it was never shown."

The 1947 Chevrolet Aero Sedan fastback street rod is "a one-of-a-kind car," Mrs. Rhodes said. It's "Dodge Viper blue," with original (and signed) pin striping.

"We've got $100,000 in that car," she said.

The vehicle was in a 2009 black Freedom car hauler pulled by a 1999 Ford F-350 pickup. The thieves made off with everything. Mrs. Rhodes put the value of the loss at more than $135,000.

"You can imagine, I'm up to my eyeballs with the insurance company," she said last week.

Also missing is a pistol valued at $1,000, which was in the truck, along with a baby seat and baby clothes (a two-year-old child was with them), miscellaneous CDs and cash. The truck has dual rear wheels, an extended cab, is black with gold trim and has an open vented tailgate.

How the thieves pulled the theft off is unknown. The F-350 was locked and was parked next to a motel security camera. There was no glass that might be a sign of forced entry, although with a VIN number, it's possible to have a key made for any vehicle.

Scott Rice of the Banks County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.

The Rhodes will pay a reward for the recovery of the stolen vehicles, but they fear the worst for the Chevrolet.

"Officer Rice told us that the car is probably still in the Atlanta area," Mrs. Rhodes said. "He thinks it's pretty much in a chop shop, that the car, since it is one-of-a-kind, will be stripped."

"I've got it on Craig's List," she said. "Since we're in the car show circuit, I sent out a 10,000-piece e-mail. It's in a car show circuit bulletin. We're doing everything we can think of doing."

Meanwhile, Rice says the Banks County Sheriff's Office "has some evidence we're looking at and poring over" and expressed some hope that the case can be solved. He said the department has investigated isolated cases of motor vehicle theft from Banks Crossing motels all along and "has a pretty good record of recovering stolen vehicles."

Rice downplayed the idea that the thieves might be professionals.

"I don't believe it was a professional crew or anything," he said. "These people were victims of circumstances. Anytime you have a large gathering, there's always a chance of, for lack of a better term, a predator."

Unfortunately, the motel's video surveillance system was inoperative at the time of the theft, according to Rice.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Banks County Sheriff's Office at 677-2248.