British Thieves Are Going After Old Audi Cars Just For The Front Seats

When Audi introduced the B7 RS4 in 2006, its fans were wowed by the car's menacing growl and heart-stopping performance.

These days, however, people seem to be more interested in its front seats.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Adam McKenzie recently walked outside his London home to find the windows of his RS4 smashed in pieces and his front seats missing.

In fact, the thieves managed to unbolt the seats and maneuver them out of the car's window all within an earshot of the man's bedroom window.

"I was just gobsmacked. In a way I was impressed with how it had been done," McKenzie said.

The Audi B7 RS4 sold only in small numbers from 2006-2008, but its seats have become hot commodities as aftermarket parts, selling for as much as $4,000 a pair. In the past year, there have been more than 30 reports of Audi seat-thefts in the London area alone, according to The Telegraph.

Even more surprising is the price of replacing those seats and repairing the car: $31,300. In fact, the price was so high that McKenzie's insurance company simply decided to write off the pristine low-mileage Audi, valued at around $43,000.

The seats are especially expensive largely because they are no longer in production. For English customers, they have to be imported in parts and put together by hand at the dealership. Audi mechanic Daniel Parsons told The Telegraph assembly requires more than 20 hours, at a rate of $218 per hour. Ouch.

When ask if he would like to own another RS4, McKenzie said, "I'd love another, but after this I don't think I could face it."