GM helps return stolen Corvette 33-years later

General Motors has helped reunite a man with his beloved 1979 Chevrolet Corvette 33-years after the sports car was stolen from his Detroit-area home.

When George Talley’s ’79 Corvette was stolen from its parking spot on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit in 1981, he never thought he would see the car again. Talley filed a police report, but authorities were never able to track down the stolen Corvette.

However, three decades after disappearing into thin air, Talley’s Corvette resurfaced in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on June 13, some 950 miles from where the car was stolen.

“It was a lucky day to hear that my car had been found,” said Talley. “They told me it was running, had 47,000 miles on it and was ready for me to pick up!”

Talley’s luck didn’t stop there as Mark Reuss, executive vice president for GM Product Development, heard his tale on the radio. Keen to help out, Reuss, a Corvette fan himself, offered to ship Talley’s Corvette back to Detroit.

“George’s story brought a smile to my face,” said Reuss. “As a longtime Corvette owner myself, I know the passion the car inspires. I also knew that car belonged home in Detroit, with its rightful owner, and we could make that happen.”

Talley, 71, has owned three Corvettes since the 1981 theft, but maintains that the 1979 model has always been his favorite.