Kansas Man Finally Gets His 1959 Corvette Back Six Years After the State Seized It
A long legal battle is over, but this poor 1959 Corvette suffered $28k in damage in the process.
Back in October 2021, we reported on the story of Richard Martinez, a Kansas native who found himself embroiled in a major legal battle with the state after his recently-purchased 1959 Corvette was seized back in 2017 when he tried to register it. Turns out, the dealer that he purchased it from in Merrillville, Indiana removed the car’s VIN plate during its restoration and reinstalled it using modern rivets instead of old-style units, which apparently violated state law. Back in August, we reported that Martinez was finally getting his 1959 Corvette back after winning that lengthy legal battle, and now, that’s precisely what has happened, according to KCTV 5 News.
“It’s been a long 6 years,” Martinez said. “But it’s home, and we are going to start fresh.” This particular case was baffling from the start, as it was clear that this was a classic car that had been restored – not some attempt to alter the VIN on a stolen vehicle, which is why the law exists in the first place. It states that any vehicle with identification numbers that have been “destroyed, removed, altered, or defaced” must be seized and destroyed. In the case of this Corvette, its mis-riveted VIN plate wasn’t the only reported violation, as its original engine is long gone, while the third VIN underneath the car was “inconsistent,” according to the state.
Sadly, as one might imagine, this story isn’t all smiles and handshakes, aside from the fact that Martinez has been trying to reacquire a car he bought years ago. Since it’s been sitting outside in the elements all these years, the 1959 Corvette has been moved around and bumped into by other seized property multiple times, causing an estimated $28,000 in damage – which is on top of the $50,000 Martinez paid for the car, along with the $30,000 in legal fees he spent trying to get it back. Luckily, at least, the court granted him $20,000 toward repairs.
On the bright side, Martinez’s legal battle wound up resulting in real change, as the state did change this particular law to allow for classic vehicle restorations. But while Martinez obviously paid the price in more ways than one, he at least had the courage to stand up for what he believed in, and now he has his beloved car back in his possession. “Financially, emotionally, no,” Martinez said when asked if the whole ordeal was worth it. “But I hope somebody watching this understands that sometimes you may be the only one standing out there to fight. What went wrong is wrong and needs to be corrected.”
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