Stolen car retrieved from swamp after 38 years

A car stolen in France's Champagne country in 1979 is to be reunited with its owner after police pulled it from a murky swamp - in surprisingly good condition but crawling with crayfish.

The pond owner alerted officers in Chalons-en-Champagne, 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Paris, about the discovery, police said on Facebook.

An interior view of the Peugeot 104. Photos: AP Photo/Chris den Hond

The blue Peugeot 104 became visible because drought had caused the water level to drop.

French mechanic Franck Menard stands next to the recovered car

The compact four-door hatchback - as much a feature of its time as flared trousers and disco - was four years old and on its third owner when it was declared stolen in the Champagne town of Reims in 1979, police said.

Plans are being made to reunite car and owner in the next few days, they added.

AP