Go Back   Sports Car Forum - MotorWorld.net > Automotive Brands Forum > American Cars

American Cars Area dedicated to American Cars from Classic, Muscle, to Modern!



Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-25-2008, 07:10 PM   #1
philip
Regular User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 812
Default One of a kind Corvette stolen

A one of a kind (well maybe three exist in the world, but this is the only street one made) 1966 Corvette 427 COPO L-88 with just 28,000 miles, which had been carefully stored since the early '70, was stolen by thieves from a locked garage in Topeka, Kansas of all places.

Owned by a retired GM auto mechanic, who liked to drag race in his youth, this historic car was one of a kind, as the legendary 427 did not come out untill the next year.

The car was conservatively valued at $300,000. The elderly owner, who is on a fixed income, did not insure it.

The car has been recoverd, so to speak. The thieves not knowing what they had, cut the car up into about fifity pieces to get at the metal, which they have sold to scrap yards in Topeka. The very valuable frame with the VIN number and the matching number 427 engine have not been recovered.

The justice system in the US does not treat property crimes very seriously and with the help of the publicly provided and paid for lawyers, the thieves who were caught cutting the car up, have been released from jail. They said to police that "someone gave them the car to salvage".

To themselves they probably said "dooh, we cut up a $300,000 car".
__________________
philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 07:17 PM   #2
HeilSvenska
Regular User
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The OC™
Posts: 4,881
Default

IDIOTS!!! It's just like the WWII Soviets!!!
__________________
HeilSvenska is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 07:18 PM   #3
RC45
Regular User
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Texas
Posts: 15,413
Default

Sounds odd that someone would steal and then "cut up" a fibreglass bodied car for the "metal" content.

There is more metal in an old pickup truck, and those are not even locked up so are easier to steal.
RC45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 07:23 PM   #4
HeilSvenska
Regular User
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The OC™
Posts: 4,881
Default

I don't know. Lots of thieves are stupid that way.

Corvette -> Car -> Cars sometimes made of metal?

= Corvette -> made of metal?
__________________
HeilSvenska is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 09:28 PM   #5
Pokiou
Regular User
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1,451
Default

i see how you decuded the sum and got idiot from the calculation... poor vette i would love to of seen what it looked like.
Pokiou is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 11:45 PM   #6
philip
Regular User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 812
Default

Originally Posted by RC45 View Post
Sounds odd that someone would steal and then "cut up" a fibreglass bodied car for the "metal" content.

There is more metal in an old pickup truck, and those are not even locked up so are easier to steal.
There is a concern the idots that were caught cutting up the Corvette were just hired to distroy the evidence and that professionals got away with the important matching frame engine transmission and differential. The car also was equipped from the factory with the "rock crusher" transmission.

There will be more on this as it develops.
__________________
philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2008, 11:52 PM   #7
RC45
Regular User
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Texas
Posts: 15,413
Default

I dont think this car will turn out to be real at all - the only actual 66 L88 was the Gulstrand race car.
RC45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2008, 12:35 AM   #8
HeilSvenska
Regular User
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The OC™
Posts: 4,881
Default

Hopefully, it's fake. Otherwise, I'd be very very sad.
__________________
HeilSvenska is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2008, 02:15 AM   #9
79TA
Regular User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,570
Default

it's still tragic that they cut up a vette of that year
79TA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2008, 06:45 PM   #10
philip
Regular User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 812
Default

A friend of the owner in Topeka took these photos of the car as it was recovered. It is now sitting in the Topeka police impound lot. The police have told him it is ok to post them on the web.



If you lost your dog, you would always hope he found a good home. Imagine if you found out your dog was eaten. I think thats how I would feel if this was my car, I had owned from new.
__________________
philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2008, 07:18 PM   #11
HeilSvenska
Regular User
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The OC™
Posts: 4,881
Default

L-88 or not, any dead C2 Corvette should bring tears to a man's eye.
__________________
HeilSvenska is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 05:51 PM   #12
cantido21
Regular User
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1
Default

May Zora Arkus-Duntov strike them dead where they stand!
__________________
"live long, drive fast, buy a vette"
cantido21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump