Corvettes are a prized possession for any car lover out there. So, when 38-year-old George Talley’s prized 1979 made Corvette was stolen, he was left heartbroken. The year was 1981 and sometime in the month of July that year, Talley had parked his Corvette on Detroit’s Jefferson Avenue. That was the last time he saw it. His much loved car was stolen by a thief and he had no clue about it… for over 33 years.
George, who is now 71-years-old, has been recently informed that the police have managed to recover his prized possession, the stolen Corvette – still in decent condition. According to WXYZ News , the Mississippi Highway Patrol managed to recover the stolen Corvette and upon verification of the car, it was found to belong to George.
According to Lt. Brian Richardson at Mississippi Highway Patrol, “It is in pretty good condition.”
Meanwhile, the police still seem to be clueless about the thief who stole the car or the person to whom it was sold by the thief. The car does have 47,000 miles on its odometer – which for a car made in 1979 is not bad at all.
Meanwhile George, who has always been a Corvette fan told ABC News ,
“I’ve always liked Corvettes. It was attractive. The ladies like them”.
When asked about the theft, he adds, “I made a police report, and I haven’t seen it since July of 1981”.
Talley, who is still recovering from the shock of finding his long lost, stolen Corvette recalls the moment when he was informed about the recovery of his car.
“I was sitting at home last Friday looking at Judge Mathis, and I get a call from AAA telling me you have a Corvette in Mississippi, come and get it. And, uh… I said, ‘what?’”
Meanwhile, the manufacturer of the car, General Motors has heard about the fascinating story and has offered to help Talley get his stolen Corvette back. According to a GM Spokesperson, General Motor’s Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, Mark Reuss was fascinated to hear the story of the stolen Corvette.
“He thought that a car lover should be reunited with his car. After he learned the news, he just felt compelled to reach out to George Talley,” the spokesperson revealed.
There was some amount of uncertainty as to how George would be bringing his stolen Corvette back home to Detroit, a good 1000 miles away from where it had been recovered. There were speculations that the aged Talley would have to shell out a hefty sum to get his stolen Corvette back. With GM’s intervention, that problem has been sorted. George Talley, who also happens to be an ex GM employee, has accepted the offer from the company.
“It’s a lucky day. When I get that car here in that driveway, we’ll go from there,” Talley told WXYZ .
[Image via Chuck Cloud/General Motors]
