New York State is auctioning a stolen Corvette. Yes, stolen. And if there’s anything we love, it’s a car with a story. It’s one hell of a story, too. Now, you can own it, maybe even for a steal. It isn’t uncommon for states to auction off stolen vehicles, and even by highly-suspect criminal-adjacent asset forfeiture auctions, this one is special. As you may well know, the front-engined Chevrolet Corvette, stolen or not, is dead. The new C8-generation ‘Vette that replaced it is mid-engined, making this stolen Corvette the last of a breed.

This isn’t the first time this Corvette has been auctioned

Weirdly, this is not the first time this ‘Vette has been up to the auction block. No, not in a previous life under a different owner. This is the second time the state of New York has tried to auction off this very red and very stolen Corvette. This red 2015 model year Corvette was confiscated by the New York State government.

Allegedly, some as-yet-unconvicted party tried to register the stolen Corvette. Clearly, it didn’t go well for whichever enterprising car thief it was. Then, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles noticed something wasn’t quite up to snuff. Turns out, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) had been altered by our enterprising car thief.

States will often auction stolen cars

However, this isn’t the end. Apparently, the stolen Corvette had been resold after it was stolen from an out-of-state dealership. Thankfully, the dealership has apparently already received an insurance payment for the theft. Now, in a situation like this, the insurance company can reclaim whatever asset was stolen; the car in this case. However, for one reason or another, the company didn’t and left it in the hands of the New York State government to do with as they pleased.

Then, the New York State government decided to auction the thing. Wouldn’t you if someone gave you a free car? Usually, something like this happens under civil asset forfeiture, where police can take an asset if it was directly involved in a crime, then use or sell it. So, the car was taken in by the state government and issued a salvage title. Off it went to auction, earning a high bid of $32,300, per the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

The C7 ‘Vette is the end of an era

Unfortunately, or fortunately for you, the sale fell through. Now, the stolen Corvette is on the auction block again. This could be your chance to own a piece of Corvette history on the cheap. No one wants this thing, largely because of the salvage title, so why not keep minimum coverage on it and turn it into a track toy? Regardless of what you’d like to do with it, you can find the auction here, until July 26, 2021, should you want to bid.