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This story is quite unbelievable. In 1989 a man from Ireland got himself mixed up with the wrong crowd and had been talked into stealing a car from a dealership. He drove the car, a brand new 1989 Corvette, straight to a car storing facility in San Diego. He remained paying the bills for the storage facility, keeping the car in mint condition, due to the pressure and calls he was receiving from his crime associates to ensure the car was stored successfully. So because of this, the car remained there untouched and completely protected in San Diego for 23 years.
So when Corky Rice, a used car wholesaler from California, who has claimed to have bought and sold 25,000 cars in his life was offered the chance to gain ownership of this fabulous vehicle, he jumped at the opportunity.
The Irish man, after paying around $70,000 in storage fees, turned himself in, although by this point there was nothing to turn in. The statute of limitations who had originally covered the crime had given up along time ago, henceforth he couldn't be charged with anything. The car was picked up and brought to a wholesaler, who called up Corky Rice, to see if he was interested in purchasing it.
Corky explained that he didn't rush as he didn't want to sound too keen, although he was. When he arrived to view the Corvette, he was completely blown away. The leather interior of the vehicle hadn't even been touched and the smell of new car hit him as soon as the door was opened. The sticker price was still in the window of the car, which indicated that it was being sold for $39,410 originally. There was also a paper insert over the brake with instructions on how to use it.
The fabulous motor has only 67 miles on the odometer, which of course increases it's value extremely, vintage cars are a lot more valuable depending on the number of miles on the odometer. Once Rice had bought the vehicle he posted it on ebay, of course with a number of photos showing just how excellent this purchase would be and called it a once in a lifetime opportunity. Soon after there was a feature written on the car by The LA Times and more and more people became interested in the vehicle and the story that came with it.
An advert executive Mike Robertson also from California, stumbled across the LA times a few days before Christmas, where he came across the unbelievable feature story and became interested in the vehicle. Robertson admitted that he had fantasized for a long time about buying an amazing new car, then putting it in storage, taking it out in 20 years and driving it as if it were new. As if creating his very own time capsule car. He thought he would try and purchase the vehicle.
He checked the car out and announced to Rice that he was definitely going to win the ebay auction, though Rice shrugged his words off. There was someone else in Canada who had sworn to be the winner and was already exploring his shipping options.
However Robertson had a price in his head, he hoped that he would be able to get the car for the original sticker price. He was wrong by just $300. Robertson was then scheduled to pick the car up after a dealer had replaced all of the fluids and the tyres, which had changed shape due to staying parked on the ground for 23 years. Robertson however admits that he is not the Corvette's rightful owner and may try to sell it again in a short while.