DREAM RUINED: Patrick Barnes hi-tech drift car has been stripped by thieves over the weekend.

DREAM RUINED: Patrick Barnes hi-tech drift car has been stripped by thieves over the weekend. Craig Warhurst

THE thieves who stole Patrick Barnes's faith in human nature knew what they were doing when they stripped almost all the valuable parts from his fully worked racing car, between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"You've never seen anything like it," Mr Barnes said yesterday.

"They rolled the whole car on its side and stole everything that could be carried away - axles, diff, brakes, wheels, the lot," he said.

"It just breaks your heart," the apprentice plumber said during a break from his work.

"It was parked near a mate's mechanical workshop, Gold City Steering and Suspension, in Clematis St.

"They were working on it," he said of the super performance racing vehicle he had almost built from an already fast Nissan Sylvia S-14.

Witnesses are asked to contact Gympie Police, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police obtained "some pretty good prints" from Mr Barnes's wrecked racing car overnight Saturday.

"Luckily, I had the motor and gearbox out of it, so I didn't lose them," Mr Barnes said.

"But everything else was gone. It was a fully set up drift car - roll cage and fuel set-up, all performance computers and bucket seats.

"They stole the whole drive train.

"I saw it Saturday at 5pm and it was OK, but on Sunday morning the whole thing was stripped."

The fibreglass racing body was also cracked during the theft.

Also gone were roll cages, thousands of dollars' worth of special racing computers, custom fuel systems - all after-market good quality performance parts - "thousands and thousands of dollars," Mr Barnes lamented.

DREAMS DESTROYED: Patrick Barnes surveys all that is left of his dream drift car. Craig Warhurst

"It's someone who knows their stuff - they knew what they wanted and had the right equipment for a start - and to be able to lift some of the parts.

"I don't know how it's possible no-one saw them.

"They had to have a big car.

"Some might bob up on racing circuit - there are a lot of those cars around Gympie.

"Police came over and got some really good fingerprints - so I'm still hopeful they might have a criminal record and might get caught."

"I won't have any money to start again. I won't be able to enjoy my cars anymore, that's for sure.

"They've completely killed my passion - all the money I saved and they've stolen everything I've done."