Corvette stolen 42 years ago found — but owner may lose it again

"We’ve found your car" are the four most desired words you can hope to hear when your car has been unlawfully taken from your possession. In the case of Terry Dietrich, those words were uttered to her earlier this month some 42 years after her first love – a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray – was stolen in Duluth, Ga., just six months after it was bought.

But, as is typical with stories of long lost automotive loves, those four words were often followed by an endless amount of bureaucratic red tape and an unmovable state agency.

The story begins in North Carolina, where earlier this year a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray went up for sale and was purchased by car restorer Gary Green. The car had been owned by a neighbor who’d cruised the local streets in the Vette since 1975. Due to being around for so long, the sight of the blue Corvette was ubiquitous amongst fellow townsfolk, and Green thought he knew its history well enough. When the Corvette’s owner passed away, Green purchased it from the man’s wife without worry.

Green checked the VIN after purchase and immediately recognized the string as belonging to a 1969 Corvette convertible and, upon closer inspection elsewhere, found a different VIN stamped into the frame and engine. Like any law-abiding and upstanding businessman, Green reported it to the police.