A STRASBOURG exhibition has been left without its star exhibit after thieves stole a replica of a 1902 Bugatti on a brief stopover in Hounslow.

The De Dietrich Bugatti Type 5 chassis was being kept inside a specially converted white Mercedes van, registration T495 ANP, which was being used to transport the replica to the event.

The van was left on Harris Close and was taken between midnight and 7.20am on Saturday February 28.

The owner, Richard Day, from Bristol, had stopped there to see his son in Hounslow, before travelling to the month-long Strasbourg showcase.

The vehicle has been a labour of love for Mr Day, who has been completing replica work for the past five years.

Mr Day, chairman for the Bugatti Trust, said: "It's very difficult to value the car as it is really has next to no value apart from to the people involved. Its cultural value is priceless."

The exhibition, showcasing the history of the De Dietrich company, as well as other aspects of the French town's industrial heritage, will still go ahead, albeit with a large gap in the exhibition hall.

Anyone with any information on the missing van or the Bugatti chassis should contact the police on 020 8247 6118.