Cool car stollen and recovered story

[TruckDriver]

Man to be reunited with stolen Corvette after 36 years
By Michael Wilson
The New York Times

NEW YORK - Alan Poster had been going through a rough time that winter. A Brooklyn native and a 26-year-old guitar salesman, he had just divorced and moved from Queens to a studio in lower Manhattan. He bought himself a flashy treat that he could barely afford but could not resist: a blue Corvette.
   He had owned it for only two or three months when it was stolen from a parking garage. It was Jan. 22, 1969.
   Years passed, and there were other cars, but he never forgot that 1968 Corvette. ''Probably the only car I've ever really loved,'' Poster, now 63, said in an interview last week. ''That car and my new life started together.''
   The new life took him to California.
   Turns out, the car followed.
   Almost 37 years after the Corvette was stolen, Poster got a call last month that it had been recovered, just days before it was supposed to be shipped to a buyer in Sweden. It was flagged during a Customs Service check of the vehicle identification number, sending two New York City detectives on a long-shot search through thousands of crime reports to connect the car to its first owner.
   ''We can call this a miracle,'' Poster said.
   The car is to be returned to Poster today. ''It's in great shape, I understand,'' Poster said. He said he does not plan to drive it much. ''I am going to be a collector of a Corvette.''
   On Dec. 7 last year, Customs checked three cars being sold by a collector in Long Beach, Calif. One of them had been reported stolen in New York City on Jan. 22, 1969. No further information was available. No name of the owner, no address, not even a police precinct or borough.
   The case was given to two detectives, Cliff Bieder, 44, and William Heiser, 41. They went to police headquarters in Lower Manhattan, and to Room 300, the daunting records room, to search on microfilm. If they had not found the report by Jan. 1, the car would have been shipped to Sweden, they said.
   ''It was the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack, that report,'' Heiser said.
   Finding Poster was easier. The detectives tracked him through the buyer of his last house in the New York metropolitan region, who said he lived in California. Poster said Bieder called him at his office.
   ''He said, 'You had a car stolen in '69? A Corvette? What color was it?' " Poster recalled. ''I said, 'Blue.' He said, 'We have your car.' ''

[MichaelRW]

Wow! That's pretty amazing.

[Shakey]

I read the shortened version in USA Today.

Very neat.

[Big Sugar]

Morel of the story........." Move to California"...........




Ron

[hemihead]

Moral- Why people change vin #'s 

[Recharger]

That is definitely cool, but be prepared for an ugly ending to this story.  If he had insurance and they paid a claim to him after it was stolen, I believe it's the insurance company's car now, not his.  I can't remember the specifics of the other story I heard recently, but I think Lloyds of London is suing someone over a similar recent 'rediscovery'.


Wow, am I a pessimist or what?

[69_500]

I was going to say the same thing. If the insurance company had put out a claim on the car years ago, it would legally be their car now. He can purchase it off of them if he so chooses, but it has to be their car. Unless they never cut a check for the car, like say he didn't have full coverage on it. Then I'm not sure.

[Silver R/T]

nice to know hes got it back

[TheGhost]

The story I read says that he was never compensated for the theft of this car, so it will be returned to HIM.

[TruckDriver]

The story I read says that he was never compensated for the theft of this car, so it will be returned to HIM.

They said on the nightly news too that the car was never insured. I guess he only owned the car a few days when it got stolen from his parking area where he had it.

[ChargerRob]

Lucky Guy

[MyMopar]

Now that makes me happy, even if it was a Chevy.

[Charger_Fan]

Pretty amazing story...and even more amazing is that the car is still in great shape!

Also, I wonder if the guy in Sweden is gonna take it in the shorts now. I would assume that the car was paid for before it arrived at the customs lot.

[BigBlackDodge]

It'll be on e-bay in a week!

BBD

[PocketThunder]

It'll be on e-bay in a week!

BBD

Barret Jackson!!

[TheGhost]

It'll be on e-bay in a week!

BBD

Barret Jackson!!

Well, since it's missing it's original engine/trans, has had a repaint to a different color, and I believe it's non-running currently, he wouldn't get all that much for it.

[89MOPAR]

 Now thats a good use of taxpayer money. Wish we heard more stories of stolen cars recovered !