Recovered stolen '72 Corvette may not have happy ending


How's this for heartbreaking? We see a lot of these kind of stories cross our desk—after decades, lost cars are reunited with their owners. As car enthusiasts, it's something we like to see happen. But in Terry Dietrich's case, the rediscovery of her 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray might be more painful than its theft the first time around. That's because she doesn't have the title—she never had one, she claims, as the car was never paid off—and North Carolina, where Dietrich resides, won't release the car without one.

To complicate matters, the insurer paid out on the car back when it was stolen. They haven't been able to locate the title in their records, although they admit they might have had it at one point.


Where was the car all this time? It was owned by a man in North Carolina since 1975. It's not clear if the man realized the car was stolen, but after he passed away, a local car dealer purchased it from his widow. After comparing the VIN on the frame to the VIN on the title, he quickly realized something was amiss and contacted authorities. It turns out that the VIN plate had been swapped, and this was indeed Dietrich's Corvette. North Carolina impounded the car, and there it sits.

Unless Dietrich gets a court order or the title comes up, there it will sit. And since Allstate technically owns the Corvette, it's not clear if Dietrich will have to buy it back from them—although it should be noted that they seem to be helping Dietrich in her quest to recover the car. If the matter isn't resolved soon, the car will go to auction, and Dietrich is fairly sure she can't afford to win it back.

We hope this one has a happy ending, but so far, it seems to be a mess wrapped in red tape.

USA Today via Hemmings Blog

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
More From Car Culture