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Jaguar stolen from Manhattan in 1968 recovered from cargo ship

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A lawyer whose 1967 Jaguar XK-E was stolen outside his Manhattan apartment 46 years ago says he plans to completely restore the classic two-seater after customs officials found it on a cargo ship en route to the Netherlands.

The Jaguar and four other missing cars were discovered in late August by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, who were assigned to inspect cargo leaving the Port of Los Angeles.

Last month, Ivan Schneider got a call from the agency informing him of the discovery.

“Who would figure a car would show up 45 years later,” Schneider, 82, said.

The other cars recovered through the operation included a 1969 Corvette taken during a burglary in Portland, Ore., 26 years ago, a 1976 Mercedes 280 fraudulently obtained through a real estate scam in 2002, a 2007 Mercedes E350 fraudulently leased in Glendale in 2008 and a 2014 Camaro ZL1 with illegal paperwork.

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They were all put on display Wednesday inside a Carson warehouse.

Schneider said he plans to have the Jaguar shipped to New York for painting and restoration, which he expects to cost as much as $100,000.

He purchased the car for $5,000 after winning a big case. The car was painted a shiny gray and shaped like “a bullet,” Schneider said, with a sleek body and oversized headlights.

In its current condition, the Jag is worth about $23,600, according to customs estimates.

Schneider said he hopes the fixes will be made by the end of the year.

“My Christmas gift,” he chuckled.

For more breaking news, follow me on twitter @LATangel.

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