Rated 4.5

Losses and Lessons: Crown Vic flips over classic Corvette

By Jeff Peek

February 16, 2012

VEHICLE COVERED: 1986 Chevrolet Corvette

WHAT WENT WRONG: Classic car owners are among the most cautious drivers on the road. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car. Recently, the owner of a red 1986 Corvette returned home from a cruise near his home and parked in the driveway while he went inside for lunch. But before he could finish his plate of nachos, a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria came screaming down the street at more than 100 mph, left the road, went airborne and skipped across the hood of the Corvette before bouncing off a tree. The driver fled the scene and was later arrested.

DAMAGE/LOSS: The Corvette owner was extremely fortunate that damage was limited to the hood and front bumper. The repair bill was $1,912.82, which Hagerty paid.

LESSON: It may be a cliché, but it’s also true: Danger lurks around every corner — even when your classic is parked “safely” in the driveway. Sometimes there simply isn’t much you can do to avoid an accident. But incidents like this reinforce the importance of keeping your classic in a secured, locked garage or storage facility whenever you’re not driving it.

Comments

  1. Mike V So Cal

    In 1971 we had a similar experience. Unfortunately we did not have Haggerty to help back then. We lost a 1961 V-8 Impala with factory manual trans and a 1963 Corvette roadster when a out of control 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury took them and two other cars out while parked on the street. In my home town of San Francisco we did not have the luxury of driveways back then. I had owned the Impala for 8 days and the Corvette for three months. Both were a total loss.

  2. george Queen Crek Az

    .....and if he parked his Corvette in the garage and the same idiot in the Crown Vic slammed into the house and damaged the vette there what disclaimer would Jeff Peek have to pronounce then?

  3. amy Atlanta

    Larry's 14yo kid was washing his Vette in the driveway, went to move it, put it in the wrong gear, drove through the garage, shoving the Avanti into the kitchen. Stuff happens... LOL!

  •  
  •   
  •  
  •