'Gone in 60 Seconds' meets 'Storage Wars': Stolen Corvette found in abandoned storage unit

Gary Pasch forgot to grab his cell phone when he headed out to volunteer with a group that refurbishes computers for schools and nonprofits.

So when his phone rang about 8:45 a.m., Pasch's wife, Vicki, answered it. The caller was an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer.

Vicki Pasch said she felt her knees go weak as the officer delivered a message the Rockford, Illinois, couple was afraid they'd never hear: "We have your car."

The classic 1965 Corvette the couple purchased 47 years ago as newlyweds had been found nearly three months after it was stolen from the parking lot of an Indianapolis motel.

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The unexpected Sept. 15 call left her blubbering. When she regained her composure, Vicki Pasch asked the question: "Can you tell me about the condition?"

"He said, 'well she's not pretty like she used to be,'" she recalled.

A cherished Stingray coupe

The couple drove to Indianapolis with friends Friday to reclaimed their rare, fuel-injected Stingray coupe that was swiped June 22 while they were in town for the Bloomington Gold Corvette show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Gary Pasch said he tried to stay optimistic after the devastating theft, but realized there was a good chance they might never see the car that was central to so many of the couple's adventures and memories.

"I kept hoping the whole time that it was going to be recovered," he said, "but as time went on — after three months — you get a little doubtful."

An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman would not comment or provide a police report on the recovery of the car.

"We are withholding this narrative," Lt. Michael A. Wolley said in an email response to questions from IndyStar, "as there is too much investigative information within it."

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Vicki Pasch said the officer who contacted her said the car was found in a west side self-storage unit just blocks from the hotel where it was stolen as she and her husband slept.

She said they were told the person who rented the storage space apparently failed to keep up with monthly payments, and the facility owner took possession of the abandoned unit. When it was opened, the Corvette was found inside.

The news left the couple hopeful that there might be a paper trail leading to who took the car or, at the very least, who rented the storage unit. But they quickly learned that apparently isn't the case. She said police explained no ID was required to rent the unit, which allowed the person to use a false name, and payment was made with cash at a self-service kiosk.

Car thieves bungle job

Whoever took the car was in over their head, said Tom Ricotta, who accompanied the Paschs to Indianapolis to retrieve the Corvette. He runs Ricotta Automotive in Rockford and will be doing the mechanical repairs to Pasch's car.

Ricotta said the thief or thieves overlooked valuable parts that would have been easy to remove and instead sawed through the fiberglass body in two place in what appears to have been a failed attempt to pull the engine. A tire had been changed. The distinctive nose and tail were damaged, too, likely from using something to push the Corvette. And the glovebox door had been ripped off.

Ricotta said there also had been some sort of fire that damaged the wiring and bubbled the paint on the hood.

"By the way it looks," he said, "we're going to have our hands full, but it will be back on the road. I've fixed worse." 

Ricotta said he suspects a July 23 IndyStar story about the theft may have scared the thief or thieves, prompting them to abandon whatever plans they had for the car.

"I think they picked up on that article and said, 'this car's too hot,'" he explained. "That's what I really believe."

Reunited with their Corvette

If he's right, it would be a dramatic turn from the bold theft three months earlier.

Gary Pasch said he parked the Corvette in the motel lot the evening of June 21. It was lined up next to a friend's 1966 blue 'Vette. After going out for dinner, the couple returned to the motel around 10 p.m. He checked on the car, which had an engine disabling device engaged and was locked, before heading to his room to call it a night.

When they got up the next morning, the car was gone.

Gary Pasch said police checked surveillance video from the motel, but there was no camera coverage for the portion of the lot where he'd parked. Video from a nearby business was too grainy to be much help, he said, but it did show a truck with an empty flatbed trailer leaving the parking lot about 4:15 a.m.

The video shows the truck returning about 25 minutes later, then leaving again — the trailer still empty. But a few minutes later, the blurry video shows three cars driving out of the lot. Gary Pasch said he suspects one of them was their Corvette.

Outside the west side impound lot where they were reunited with their car Friday afternoon, Gary and Vicki Pasch surveyed the damage — and the challenges ahead.

"I'm just happy they hadn't gone any further than they had," Gary Pasch said.

Then he looked at his wife and smiled.

"We've got it," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. "Its back home."

Contact Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204 or tim.evans@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim