The Top 10 Most Stolen Corvettes By Year
The Top 10 Most Stolen Corvettes By Year
The Top 10 Most Stolen Corvettes By Year
So here’s a fact for Corvette trivia fans: In the last 30 years, which model year of Corvette has been reported stolen more than any other? If you answered the 1984 Corvette, then give yourself a hand.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau has looked a thefts of Corvettes from 1981-2011 and issued their report to the insurance industry. Over the last 30 years, 90,427 Corvettes were reported stolen in the United States and Puerto Rico with the 1984 model year leading the way with 8,554 thefts.
The NICB’s report tallied thefts of Corvettes that spanned across the 6 generations of the sports car’s 58 years from the 1953 Corvette through the 2011 models. A total of 134,731 Corvettes were identified as stolen in the period, with 1,526,747 total Corvettes produced during the car’s production lifecycle.
Because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized the Vehicle Identification numbers in 1981, the NCIB disclaims the pre-1981 reports ?due to the due to the inconsistency in reporting protocols and VIN systems?. Consequently, only 1981 and later data was used to produce this report, of which 90,427 Corvettes were reported stolen.
The most popular Corvette among thieves was also the most popular among consumers as well. During the extended production run of the 1984 Corvette which saw the introduction of the new C4 generation, a total of 51,547 Corvettes were produced. Thefts of the ?84 Vette totaled 8,554 which makes up 9.4% of the total thefts reported. According to the report, nearly 17% of all 1984 Corvettes were reported stolen.
The top ten model years stolen account for 55,132 or 61% of thefts between 1981-2011.
The report also delves into geographical locations with California leading the way for Corvette thefts with 14,002 reports or a little over 15%. The top 10 states for Corvette thefts total 63,409 or about 70% of the total.
Here are the top 10 Model Year Corvettes reported stolen:
10 Most Stolen Model Years 1981-2011 | ||
Rank | Model Year Most Stolen | Total Number of Thefts |
1 | 1984 | 8,554 |
2 | 1981 | 8,262 |
3 | 1979 | 6,399 |
4 | 1985 | 6,348 |
5 | 1980 | 6,331 |
6 | 1982 | 4,565 |
7 | 1978 | 4,129 |
8 | 1977 | 3,983 |
9 | 1986 | 3,525 |
10 | 1976 | 3,036 |
TOTAL | 55,132 |
Here are the top 10 states where Corvette thefts occur:
Top 10 Theft States 1981-2011 | ||
Rank | State | Total Thefts |
1 | California | 14,002 |
2 | Florida | 8,731 |
3 | Texas | 8,198 |
4 | New York | 7,926 |
5 | Michigan | 5,467 |
6 | New Jersey | 5,287 |
7 | Illinois | 4,092 |
8 | Massachusetts | 3,821 |
9 | Ohio | 3,078 |
10 | Missouri | 2,807 |
TOTAL | 63,409 |
The complete Corvette theft data tables can be downloaded here.
The NICB went to the National Corvette Museum where they spoke with our friend Adam Boca who heads the museum’s collector car insurance program. Adam gives some great tips for insuring your Corvette and shares the story of the man whose 1965 Corvette was stolen while he went in a Nashville bar in 1970. After 39 years, police recovered the vehicle and it was returned to the grateful owner.
The NICB urges motorists to follow its layered approach to auto theft prevention. The ?Layered Approach? includes using your common sense, uses of warning and immobilizing devices as well as GPS tracking devices. By employing these simple, low-cost suggestions, people can make their vehicles less attractive to thieves.
Does your car make the list? Tell us what you think in the forums!