40 Years Later, Stolen Corvette Reunited With Owner

We’ve seen stories about stolen Corvettes being returned to their owners before, but this one sets the bar for patience, as it was missing for 40 years.

The new owner had been tipped off that the VIN on his Corvette — which he received as a gift from his ex-wife — was for a different Chevrolet model. California Highway Patrolman Dave Madrigal was able to investigate further and found the Corvette had been stolen back in 1976. Unfortunately, that means 30 years of Corvette ownership was about to come to an end, as it would be returned to its proper owner, Modesto Fleming. While it’s good that Modesto can take ownership of her car again, it means one man’s Corvette was suddenly and unexpectedly taken away from him.

There’s a few things that make that interesting. Firstly, when you file a claim for a stolen vehicle, the payout you receive from your insurance company essentially gives them ownership of the car if it were to ever be recovered. It makes you wonder if Modesto had to fork over that same amount back to the insurance company. I can’t imagine they’d just drop it off in her driveway and tell her to have a nice day.

It also makes you wonder if the duped owner would receive any reparations for getting the short end of the stick. Does insurance cover such a thing? How did they miss the inaccurate VIN of the stolen Corvette in the first place? How did he manage to register it for 30 years? If anything, it raises more questions than it answers.

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Via [Corvette Blogger]