Vehicle Research Inquiry

[Matt L.]

Hello all,

I am putting my inquiry out there hoping I am in the right area of the website for my inquiry to get help with my search.

I have been searching for a while in the hopes of finding my father's 1964 Corvette Convertible (40867S119757). In his files, I came across a booklet/brochure that has a Corvette Lapel Pin and a credit card sized card printed with the cars VIN, my dads full name, and Key Number on the card. Along with this, are some old pictures of the Corvette which shows the car has a White exterior with a red interior and white soft top. The engine is a 250hp 327, 4-Speed, and hub caps. I know my father bought it brand new in 1964 from a Chevrolet Dealership in Detroit, Michigan and then had to trade the car back in to the same selling dealership sometime between 1966-1967 due to being drafted and going to Vietnam. At this point, that is where the trail goes cold.

Would anyone know of any other ways to try and search to see if the car is still around or possibly know of any services that are offered out in the market that can help search for the car on a national level or possibly may know of the cars whereabouts?

Any advice or direction would greatly be appreciated.

Thank You

[Jack M.]

Matt- If you go to NMVTIS (CLICK HERE), they have many companies associated with vehicle title searches. I've checked all their links (most title searches require 17 characters), but five that accepted a shorter VIN, all failed to find 40867S119757.

Does that mean the car doesn't exist... we may never know. Perhaps the vehicle resides in a state that doesn't require a title for an older car. But if the vehicle was indeed found, current privacy laws prohibit giving out much info. In my past searches, we can occasionally get the STATE and DATE the vehicle was last titled in... nothing more. From there, the final search getz even harder... scouring Corvette clubs in that state, using social media (like Facebook)... itz the proverbial needle in the haystack.

GOOD LUCK!

[Matt L.]

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the help, information, and insight, it is greatly appreciated.

[Duke W.]

There was a tear out bingo card in my new special order, red on red, 340 HP SWC's owner's manual that you could mail in with five bucks or so to get a factory shop manual, and when I got the manual I read it cover to cover. IIRC there was another one to get the ID card, lapel pin, and also a jacket patch that had the checkered and Fleur de Lis flags like on the fuel filler door surrounded by the words "Chevrolet Corvette", and I also got a free subscription to Corvette News.

I bought a red "Rebel without a Cause" (James Dean) windbreaker and my mom sewed the Corvette patch onto the jacket. That was my answer to all the jocks with their "letter jackets". While they were turning out for practice I was mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, waxing cars and working in a gas station and car wash (starting at age 11) to earn enough to buy a new Corvette in 1963. I was the only guy at Seattle's Queen Anne High School with a Chevrolet Corvette "letter jacket" from the early spring of 1963 to the late spring in 1964 when I graduated (with honors, 3.5 GPA).

The ID card and lapel pin disappeared over the years, but I still have the jacket patch in a drawer. Keep looking, maybe you will find your dad's "Chevrolet Corvette" jacket patch.

Duke