When we first heard the story of Larry Hyre and his 1967 roadster, it instantly sounded like a Hollywood movie script. We envisioned the premise going something like this.
Man falls in love, man has his love taken from him, and many years later, man is reunited with that love. But, of course, they live happily ever after in the end.
The only question in our mind was who would play the male lead? We were debating between Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or Tom Hanks.
As you will quickly see, there are enough plot twists and turns to keep you glued to the silver screen for a classic three-act movie.
Act 1 – Setting The Stage & Decisions
Rod Worley – Editor – When we first spoke, you mentioned you bought your 1967 Corvette decades ago. When did you get it?
Larry Hyre – Well, I had just graduated from undergraduate school at the time. So my parents wanted to give me a graduation gift to celebrate the event.
They said, “You can either backpack across Europe or work this summer, and we’ll match whatever you make so you can buy yourself a car.”
Back in those days, backpacking across Europe was the popular thing to do when you graduated from college. But for me, I went looking for a job the next day.
By the end of the summer, I had $1,500 saved, which they matched. So in 1969, I bought my 1967 convertible Corvette for $3,200.
Act 2 – Loss & Confrontation
Rod Worley – Editor – When was the car stolen? I can only imagine what it was like dealing with the insurance company back then.
Larry Hyre – The Corvette was stolen in 1971 while I was working on my law degree at West Virginia University. First, the police thought someone had stolen it to chop it up.
But, we saw it in traffic in Lynchburg about two or three days later but couldn’t get it. The guy got away, and we didn’t see it again.
So we went to settle with the insurance company, but they didn’t want to pay what we thought the car was worth. Eventually, we got to the point where the insurance company said they would replace the vehicle.
My Dad ran up and down the East Coast looking at comparable 1967 Corvettes. The problem was that the cars the insurance company was willing to replace ours with were in bad shape.
We knew mine was in good shape. But unfortunately, this difference of opinion eventually led to an impasse.
In the end, they sent us a check for $2,500 and asked us to send them the title. We sent the insurance company a letter back saying that we would send the title if they sent another $500.
They never sent another $500, and we never sent the title.
Act 2 Continues – Clues & Subterfuge
Rod Worley – Editor – How did the stolen Corvette finally turn up?
Larry Hyre – For decades, we didn’t hear any news about the Corvette. We just assumed it was gone forever.
Fortunately, my Dad has lived at the same address since buying the car.
So one day, he gets a call from a Henry county deputy sheriff in Ohio. The sheriff wants to know if we’ve ever found our stolen 1967 convertible Corvette.
Come to find out; a local woman was running an investment company that specialized in vintage Corvettes. But fortunately for us, she had gotten in financial trouble, and the bank was repossessing her inventory.
So as the bank was checking VINs, my car came up as a 1965 Chevelle. The bank got hold of the local sheriff’s department, which started investigating.
The sheriff found someone put a new band tag over the original VIN. Unfortunately, when he popped it off, someone had purposely damaged the actual numbers.
This resourceful sheriff contacted General Motors and asked if there were another place a VIN would be on the car. They told him if he took off the trim piece on the driver’s side frame, they had also stamped the numbers there.
After taking off the trim piece and seeing the original VIN, he ran it through the database, and my Dad’s name popped up.
Plot Twist With Action!
Rod Worley – Editor – The sheriff’s department knows the stolen Corvette is yours, but how did you resolve it with the insurance company?
Larry Hyre – So, we call the insurance company to tell them the car has been recovered. But, of course, it was so long ago they didn’t have any paperwork on it.
Fortunately, my Dad had retained all of the correspondence and paperwork. Eventually, the insurance agreed to sign the release if we sent them back the $2,500 they initially gave us and a copy of their check.
In the end, for $2,500, I got my 1967 Corvette roadster back. But, the story doesn’t end there.
The local sheriff’s department knew where the car was but hadn’t taken possession of it yet. So they were using it as bait because they thought she would quickly try to resell it to someone out of state.
Sure enough, as they had it under surveillance, some guy from Tennessee came up with a trailer and bought it one night. So the police got them both.
Thanks to the Sheriff, we found out the car had been sold to someone in Pittsburgh six months after they stole it from me.
This guy had it for 18 years. Ironically, he also had the Corvette stolen once, though later recovered.
At this point, it needed restoration, so he sold it to the lady in Ohio, who eventually got arrested.
Act 3 – Happy Ending & Roll Credits
So you might be wondering what condition the car was in after all of these years. Surprisingly, Larry’s eight-track player in the glove box was the only thing missing.
Other than that, the car was all there. And after a needed restoration, the beautiful 1967 convertible is showroom ready once more.
The stories of stolen classic Corvettes seldom end this well, so we wanted to share it with you.
Besides, we think you’ll agree that Larry Hyre’s Corvette story is tailor-made for the movies.
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