1965 Corvette Sting Ray Stolen & Recovered 39 Years Later

In NICB's second Hot Wheels Classics report we look at how the Corvette has fared as a theft target. More than 1 in 10 have been stolen over the past 30 years.

In 1970 a 1965 Corvette Sting Ray convertible was stolen one November evening in Nashville, TN. The vehicle, originally valued at $2,200, was discovered almost 40 years later in Scottsdale, AZ.

The Corvette was discovered when a collector purchased the vehicle and took it to the Arizona DMV for an inspection. The inspector ran the VIN number through the National Insurance Crime Bureau's database when it came up as a stolen vehicle.

The original owner's insurance had lapsed before the theft, so therefore he never got paid a claim on it. Now the Nassau blue convertible is back in the original owner's possession, 39 years later, and today is worth an estimated $65,000.

The vehicle is currently on display at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY.

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