The thieves fled with a total of 45 vehicles, 21 of which were recovered by local authorities.

A group of thieves made off with AU$2 million (US$1.3 million) worth of shiny, brand new vehicles from a yard in Port Melbourne, Australia last week, including a shipment of 20 FL5 Honda Civic Type Rs.

The thefts took place between 3pm on October 20 and 6.30am the following morning. According to Victoria Police, two men and two women forced their way into the property, bypassing security to seize a grand total of 45 unregistered vehicles. They weren’t exactly picky about their prey, going after a wide range of makes and models in what is one of the most brazen car thefts Melbourne has seen in years.

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In addition to the impressive number of 20 Civic Type R, the thieves also lifted three Skoda Kamiq, five Skoda Kodiaq, one VW Golf R, three VW Tiguan, three Skoda Superb, two Honda ZR-V, two GMW Tank 300, a Honda Accordtwo Honda CR-Vs and a pair of Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. This wasn’t just a simple grab-and-go; it was a full-scale shopping spree in which the culprits apparently took whatever they liked.

As of October 23, authorities have recovered 21 of the stolen vehicles, although they have been tight-lipped about the specific models that have been found and are still available.

A 32-year-old woman has also been charged for her role in the theft. She faces charges of reckless driving, possession of false plates, driving without a license and possession of 1-4 butanediol. She was found after she was seen driving one of the allegedly stolen vehicles on local streets.

Thieves were reported to have gained access to the locked car park and then used one of the Sprinters to push the concrete barricades out of the way. How they managed to start the cars remains a mystery, as it is unclear whether they obtained the keys or had a high-tech trick up their sleeve.

The The Civic Type R of the FL5 generation launched in Australia in late 2022, bringing with it a starting price of $72,600 (~$47,900), making it about $12,000 (~$7,900) more expensive than its predecessor. Despite the high starting price, demand for the car was strong, so much so that the first 18 months of allocations sold out quickly.