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 ...
“I just asked for the highest sale of a ‘59 Vette:
USD$825,000
Highest Sale Value USD$825,000
Auction Results and Sales Data for 1959 Chevrolet Corvette C1
www.conceptcarz.com/valuation/211/chevrolet-corvette-c1.aspx”
That was a full blown restomod. Only the body is from 1959.
Didn’t have enough sense to pull the distributor cap and keep it in a lock box?
Maybe if they find a way to ship the car to China or Russia, they can get some money for it.
I sincerely feel bad for him.
If it was my car I’d have put several trackers plus a couple dead switches in it.
He needs to get up on all car show websites, & other similar websites & have people looking for his car.
IF the thieves try to sell to another collector-—they will be caught sooner.
“they are replacing traffic lights with stop signs.”
What could possibly go wrong?
Yep - a friend’s husband’s brand new Mercedes was stolen from his driveway - he usually parked it in the garage but MIL was visiting so he was going to move it when she left. The car was gone so fast that the police said he was being watched. The police didn’t even try to look for it, saying it was probably on a cargo container bound for somewhere overseas.
“Operative word: Restored. Worth less than an original in very good shape.”
The highest selling 1959’s ($440k, $825k) are restomods.
Most with classic cars
insure them thru Hagerty
or similar firm using
an agreed value. Many
things come into play when
accessing a classic car’s
value.
Who knows what this car’s
history was besides the
guy who put so much time
and effort into it.
I feel bad for the old man.
Your point?
Z1 Off Road has a Eaton kit. No statement on emissions compliance.
“That’s for the insurance company.”
yep.
Ring Ring.. Hello Mr Lechthaler? Oh hi I am Mary from “ins company with farm in name” how are you today ?
@#$!%
Oh I’m sorry to hear that I hope I can brighten your day we are issuing you a check for $16,378 for the loss of your corvette. I think this should be wonderful news, I have never seen such a large loss check for several months
#@!%@^%
I see, umm this is above my pay grade. Perhaps I could have my supervisor in India give you a call ? he will be in office approximately 9 hours from now, so he can call you after that ?
#$@#^% #$@#
I see hell have a great rest of your day ok.
Click
Don’t quit your day job.
Classic cars are insured with an upfront agreed amount. No dealing with reps in India.
I’m guessing it’s already in a container on a cargo ship bound for a wealthy middle eastern country.
I have too many things plugged into my ODB-II port already!
It’s worth $200k.
Stated in the article
that the car was insured,
and probably for that
amount.
“Stated in the article”
Geez! If it is in the article we must believe it. My bad.
Someone pi** in your
Wheaties today?
You’re missing the point
entirely, but alas,
it’s not worth the
argument.
It’s in a sea container headed to Dubai...
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