Time for a remake of Corvette Summer?
Old man goes to Vegas to track down his stolen Corvette and meets up with a hooker.
Posted on 05/19/2024 9:28:06 AM PDT by lowbridge
An Oakland man has been left heartbroken after his rare vintage Corvette was stolen from his garage just before his 80th birthday.
Dave Lechthaler, 80, described how a mob of thieves broke into his home on April 15 before riding off with his $200,000 1959 Corvette, which has been his pride and joy for the past 18 years.
Surveillance footage captured the brazen act, showing two suspects breaking into the garage, before running off in the Corvette within a matter of minutes.
'It's like a stab in the heart,' he told the Fox affiliate KTVU.
He is now pointing fingers at the city's leadership for what he perceives as a lack of accountability for criminals.
'There are no consequences in this city. People can steal and rob,' Lechthaler told KTVU.
Lechthaler has a strong passion for automobiles, with his home now adorned with photos from his racing days.
'It hurts because my life, my whole life, has been hot rod cars since I was 14 years old,' he explained.
Lechthaler said he poured his heart and soul into the convertible, dedicating countless hours to its maintenance and upkeep.
He also carefully rebuilt the engine, gave the car a fresh coat of paint, and reupholstered it.
Lechthaler believes he may have been followed from a car show in Pleasanton, where his prized possession caught the eye of the thieves.
While the Corvette is insured, the loss is irreplaceable for Lechthaler.
His message to the perpetrators is simple: 'I want my car back.'
Figures from January show a shocking one in thirty Oakland residents had their car stolen last year - a total of 15,000 vehicles.
This is a 45 percent increase in just 12 months, and the highest number in 15 years
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Did they sell it to a chop shop? What a waste, they can’t sell it anywhere and if they do the new owner can’t get tags unless they somehow put a new VIN number on it.
Sounds like a job for Crockett and Tubbs
Certainly not a $10,000 car, if in mint condition easily $100,000. Except the thieves will never see any serious money for that car, too well known.
“I might believe $100k”
Value changes radically depending on how original the car is. That model was going for $100k over decade ago. I had a ‘59 vette so I kept up with kind of stuff.
There were about 9,900 corvettes produced that year. Not very many examples left I would imagine.
“Did they sell it to a chop shop? What a waste, they can’t sell it anywhere and if they do the new owner can’t get tags unless they somehow put a new VIN number on it.”
Probably sold to an overseas buyer.
He wants nice things and lives in Oakland?
He should have moved far away. Kinda of a no brainer.
He insures the classic car for $200K Pays thieves to steal it and drive it into a lake.
Wham-bam he makes $200K
Jasmine & MTG?
Hard to believe there are people stupid enough to continue living there.
No reason why that shouldn't be the policy for stealing a car today.
My uncle was driving a train and splattered one of those in 1959.
It’s on a boat to Ustinkistan....Ferrget it.
“Hard to believe there are people stupid enough to continue living there.”
Agreed. I got out of the Denver metroplex in 2009, best move ever. Still have friends there griping more every year but still staying. Had to go there last year for a high school graduation, it’s uncivilized, a giant traffic jam of lunatics.
When did they stop hanging men for horse theft? Also, what was the penalty after hanging was outlawed?
Yikes! It was a very fun car, removable hardtop, and you just could bolt speed stuff on in those days, I didn’t get outrun until the big blocks came out and with the right rear end gears I could compete with them too.
Time for a remake of Corvette Summer?
Old man goes to Vegas to track down his stolen Corvette and meets up with a hooker.
Oakland is famous for its street takeovers and sideshows, that might be where his car winds up. 😬
If he was targeted by professionals though, chances are it will be shipped to Mexico or sold somewhere else overseas.
Thanks for that info! One learns something new every day.
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