LONDON — The owner of an abandoned Chevrolet muscle car with Idaho plates has 10 days to claim the rare vehicle before it gets "turned into soup cans," police said. The 1969 Chevrolet Impala SuperSport was likely stolen by joyriders and dumped by the side of the road in the Sutton area of south London last month, according to the city's Metropolitan Police.

With crash damage to its front and side, the vehicle's condition means it's unlikely to be auctioned. Officers’ attempts to find the owner have so far proved "fruitless" and investigators are making one "final attempt" before the Chevy winds up on the scrapheap.

"Unless we find the owner, this classic American muscle car faces being turned into soup cans, which breaks my heart a little," Met police officer Jamie Stone said.

The owner of the vehicle, which has an Idaho license plate 2CJM614, may have been storing it in a garage in London and not realized it was taken, the Met said. However, it hadn't been registered in the U.K. "This is the only opportunity we have to try and reunite it with its owner before it gets destroyed," Stone added. The owner has until March 20 to claim the vehicle.

The white 1969 Chevrolet Impala SuperSport was found abandoned at the roadside in rush-hour traffic in Sutton, south London. Metropolitan Police

- Alexander Smith