Corvette Returns Home After 38 Years

Brand-new Corvette reported stolen in 1981 was recently recovered by police and is returning to its owner.

Imagine how awful it would be to have a brand-new Corvette stolen from you. These days, tracking technology and social media can make finding a stolen car way easier. But 38 years ago was an entirely different story. Your car disappearing with only a VIN to identify it often meant the owner never saw the car again.

There’s always an exception, though. This feel-good story is brought to us by WXYZ Detroit and the Livonia Police Department. When they got word of a 1981 Corvette left alone within the city, officers went to investigate. They ran the VIN to find that it was incorrect. LPD’s own Detective Hall is an expert in automotive inspections and knew that the VIN plate was not stock.

Upon more in-depth inspection of the vehicle, Hall found a secondary VIN location that still features the Vette’s accurate VIN. When looking up the correct VIN, they discovered that it had been reported stolen in Pontiac, Michigan, all the way back in 1981. They used the case info from the original police report and have stated that the gorgeous C3 Corvette will be going back to the original owner.

We do have to wonder what the car has been up to for the past 38 years, though. Astonishingly, the car is even in one piece, as many stolen vehicles wind up torn down for parts. We can only imagine the owner’s response when the police filled them in on the situation. It’s likely been years since they had any hope of seeing this thing again.

So here’s to you Livonia Police Department and especially Detective Hall. Without the attention to detail seen here, it may never have been discovered that the displayed VIN was incorrect, and the rightful owner of this car may never have had the opportunity to regain possession of it. If you’ve ever had a vehicle stolen, don’t lose hope! We love to see stories like this, and we hope we get to see more happy endings. If we had the choice, though, they wouldn’t get stolen in the first place.

Photos: Livonia Police Department/Facebook

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