What would you do if your 1973 Volkswagen Beetle was stolen? Most of you would say, Thank the Lord for this blessing and buy better transportation — a bicycle, perhaps.

But understand this: 41-year-old Angeleno Jason Torchinsky, a contributor to the mega-car-guy blog Jalopnik, had this black-striped yellow bug since he was 18. This was more than a wannabe Porsche that floats. This was a soul mate. And so …

… Mr. Torchinsky took to Jalopnik to find his beloved bumble bee on four wheels. He posted photos and hoped for the best.

Someone spotted a vehicle that looked like the missing Beetle and sent in a shot. But the tipster didn't say where it was located.

That's where the crowdsourcing power of car geeks came in:

Someone thought they recognized the neighborhood — a telltale hill, the color and style of the houses — and used Google Maps to zero in the street.

It was a hit. The car was parked in El Sereno.

The car was found over the weekend and the LAPD rolled, Torchinsky announced on Jalopnik this week. That's the good news.

The bad news: The air-cooled four-banger motor was gone, the headlights were stripped, the radio was taken, the luggage rack is missing.

But hell, Torchinsky's German baby lives.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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