Man Reunited With Corvette After 40 Years

40 Years Later, a Letter Searching for a Long-Lost C3 Yields the Gift of a Lifetime

Some of the best stories about classic Corvettes are the ones that turn full circle — literally.

Just ask Rich and Wanda Udovich of Wisconsin (pictured) and former Wisconsin resident Dennis Braby.

The Udoviches and Braby recently found themselves meeting for the first time. Their connection? A white, 4-speed C3 Corvette that Braby purchased new in 1976. It landed in the hands of the Udovichs back in 1988 by happenstance, as detailed in a Beloit Daily News report.

Braby first fell in love with ‘Vettes as a kid while riding in a ’63 split-window coupe his father owned. And that love is what caused him to buy his ’76 Corvette. Alas, family commitments forced him to sell the car, which remained etched in his memory. But it wasn’t until last year that Braby decided to try to track down his old C3.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Corvette Reunion

The journey to find the Corvette finally steered Braby to the Wisconsin DMV, which is how he discovered that the car was currently owned by Rich Udovich.

“I wrote him a letter and heard back after a few weeks. He called me on Christmas Day and it was the best Christmas present I’ve had in a long, long time,” says Braby.

Braby is now in the process of having the Corvette shipped to his residence in Draper, Utah — 25 miles outside of Salt Lake City. Rich hated to part with the Corvette, given all the memories of taking it out on the road, seeing different parts of Wisconsin. But he tried to put himself in Braby’s shoes.

“Who better to sell it to than the original owner? And what a Christmas present this has been to him and to us,” says Rich.

Merry Christmas indeed!