This blue ’69 C3 may look like any other third-generation Corvette you see at your local club meet, but its story has had some real ups and downs. That’s because it was the victim of grand theft auto over two decades ago, after it was yanked from the unknown owner’s property in Portland, Oregon.
Reports by KOIN 6, a local CBS affiliate, tell us that the Vette was destined for a new home in Europe when it was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Los Angeles. It had been placed inside a shipping container alongside four other stolen vehicles, including a couple of Mercedes-Benz coupes, a late model Camaro, and a 1967 Jaguar XK-E, which was fortunately reunited with its proper owner.
The Corvette, however, is still up in the air. We don’t know the whole picture regarding the car, except to say that it was part of a burglary that occurred in 1988. The $10,000 value of the convertible has more than doubled since that time, so hopefully the owner is still alive and in search of his noble steed.
Sadly, the car will always bear the mark of a stolen vehicle, and will hurt its value as the years go by–but that is a matter to discuss once the dust has settled. In the meantime, we’d be happy just to see this blue beauty get placed in the right hands. What are your thoughts on the situation?
Would you go for a Corvette with a dirty past? Or would you steer clear of a sketchy classic? Leave your thoughts in a comment below.