Kansas man spent six years fighting to get his dream ’59 Corvette back after it was seized as contraband

A car enthusiast from Kansas waited six long years to get his beloved 1959 Chevrolet Corvette back after it was seized by cops for being contraband. 

The Corvette went into production in 1953 and is a true automotive icon.

Classic C1 models are hard to come by these days, so we can only imagine how devastated Rich Martinez was when the Kansas Highway Patrol seized it.

However, after a years-long battle, Martinez was finally reunited with his classic ‘Vette, and he even managed to change the law along the way.

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The 1959 Corvette was seen as ‘contraband’ by cops for an interesting reason

As is often the case with classic cars, the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette had undergone a restoration in Illinois. 

It then ended up in Indiana, where it came to the attention of Martinez, who snapped it up, delighted to finally own his dream car.

He then took it back to Kansas. 

However, things took a turn when it came to registering the car in Kansas. 

Although the vehicle had been registered in both Illinois and Indiana without issue, when it arrived in Kansas, there was a problem. 

During its restoration, the car’s original VIN was removed and replaced with different rivets, which are small metal fasteners used to attach the VIN plate to the car’s body.

And according to Kansas law, that was illegal – much to Martinez’s surprise. 

As a result, the car was seized by the Kansas Highway Patrol, deemed to be ‘contraband’.

After it was taken, the Corvette was left sitting in parking lots, awaiting a date with the crusher.

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The owner never gave up on his classic car and spent thousands to get it back

Martinez was determined to get his vehicle back, spending six years and thousands of dollars on legal action.

Speaking to KCTV in 2022, Martinez said he spent around $30,000 on legal bills to try to get his car back.

Surprisingly, he said he never blamed the cops for taking his car as they were acting within the law. 

Thankfully, all of his efforts paid off when his case was seen by Kansas State Representative Leo Delperdang, who oversaw a change in the law that led to Martinez finally being reunited with his Corvette. 

“They [the cops] were following the laws that we, the lawmakers, made,” Delperdang told the news outlet.

“So, it was up to us to change the laws and make it more reasonable.”

And that’s what they did.

According to the new legislation, a VIN may be removed and reinstalled during a repair or restoration of an antique vehicle.

So not only did Martinez get his own beloved vehicle back, but he also helped change the law for other classic car owners who might have faced the same problem.

The reunion between man and motor was bittersweet

Although Martinez was delighted to be reunited with his 1959 Corvette, it wasn’t all good news. 

As it had been sitting for so long, the Corvette’s engine no longer turned on. 

And to make matters even worse, during its time parked, one expert told KCTV that the classic car had sustained an estimated $28,000 worth of damage after being bumped and bashed by other cars while in the lot. 

He took his case to the Kansas Justice Institute and was awarded $20,000 for repairs.

The money meant that he could finally begin restoring the Chevrolet Corvette to its former glory.

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