Important! Dream Cruise becomes nightmare for '66 Corvette owner

[Rob]

Dream Cruise becomes nightmare for '66 Corvette owner

Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News

Related Video: http://vettetube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ec4f0307cf5c3c721d94

BIRMINGHAM -- There were an estimated 40,000 classic cars at this year's Woodward Dream Cruise and they all went home with their owners ... except one.

Police are on the lookout for a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette valued at $80,000 that was brazenly stolen on Saturday from Old Woodward in Birmingham. According to a report by Detroit News reporting partner WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), the midnight blue Corvette convertible was parked on Old Woodward when its owner, Mike Sarazin, went for a bite to eat.

When he returned, he found that the car was gone.

"It was locked, and I had a Pedal-Jack on the gas pedal," Sarazin said.

"The thief defeated it and then hot wired the car. It was special to me; I got a lot of complements on it."

Birmingham police launched an immediate search, even looking for the vehicle by helicopter. Witnesses told police they saw a white male drive off in the car. He was described as having brown hair and being in his 40s.

You can reach Tom Greenwood at (313) 222-2023 or tgreenwood@detnews.com.

 

[wallyknoch]

I saw the report on TV. A simple removal of a battery cable could have prevented this from happening. Can`t steal a car with no power. Thats how I leave my 62. With the Camaros, I also remove the coil wire. A little difficult with the 62 but still do-able inspite the ignition shielding. Just takes a little longer. One can hardly trust anyone, Sad too....:eyerole

 

[Rob]

PUBLISHED: Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Man's Corvette stolen during Dream Cruise

Owner says loss of '66 vintage classic won't keep him from event in the future.

By Ann Zaniewski
Journal Register News Service

A Livonia man said having his vintage Corvette stolen during the Woodward Dream Cruise won't deter him from attending the landmark classic car event in the future.

Mike Sarazin, 56, parked his dark blue 1966 Corvette convertible in a metered space on North Old Woodward in Birmingham Saturday evening. He locked the doors and put on a pedal jack, which locks the clutch and the brake pedal together, before he and his girlfriend left to look at other cars.
When they returned about an hour and a half later, the Corvette was gone.

Sarazin said he felt a "sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach."

Birmingham Police Cmdr. Mark Clemence said a witness saw another man drive away in the vehicle, which was insured for $80,000.

Sarazin said a police officer told him Monday that a vehicle matching his Corvette's description was spotted in Redford. Police continue to investigate.

Sarazin bought the restored car in 2004.

"It was just perfect. The color, the equipment. It was just spectacular," he said.

Sarazin said someone may have been looking for a car like his because it's distinctive. He said only about 2,000 of the 27,000 Corvettes made in that year were painted Laguna Blue, a dark blue that almost looks black at night.

Sarazin, an engineer, has taken his Corvette to every Dream Cruise for the past five years.

"I'm not sure I'll replace it with another classic Corvette. I don't want to go through the whole thing again.

"This one was almost perfect. Maybe too perfect, I guess."

Sarazin said he hopes whoever has the car now takes good care of it.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Wally,

That's what you get for having a radio.

I think that at a show like that you should also ask those sitting close to your car to keep an eye on it if you are leaving for awhile. Tell them that nobody other than you is to be in your car. If those witnesses had known that the guy in the car didn't belong there they could have at least scared him off.

A friend unscrewed his battery disconnect knob and took it in with him whenever we stopped someplace on the trip to BG a few years ago. We still sat where we could see the car if possible. A thief could carry his own disconnect knob but they don't usually take the time to diagnose a starting problem when they are out to steal a car. I'm a firm believer in taking vital parts with you when you park the car since most stolen cars are driven away. About anything lockable can be defeated by a pro.

If you can you should also park where there is no clear access to either end of your car. Even if you have the brakes locked a roll back wrecker with a winch will have your car dragged up on the bed and gone in a minute or two. Have a friend with a regular car park behind you if possible. Anything that will cause a thief to spend an unusual length of time to get your car will normally entice them to move on to easier pickings. The longer they spend at your car the more likely they are to get caught and they know that.

Tom

 

[JohnZ]

I think that at a show like that you should also ask those sitting close to your car to keep an eye on it if you are leaving for awhile. Tom

He wasn't parked in the show area - he was about a block north of the show area, in a regular metered curb parking space. A damn shame nonetheless. :eyerole

 

[porch dog]

hide a toggle switch to ground the distributer . it will not fire no matter what they do.

 

[Vanity Plate Bob]

hide a toggle switch to ground the distributer . it will not fire no matter what they do.

What is the solution on say an 01 Impala? Can a toggle B used somewhere?

 

[Rob]

Search goes on for missing Corvette

By Jay M. Grossman • Eccentric Staff Writer • August 26, 2008

The search continues for a stolen 1966 Corvette convertible that went missing from downtown Birmingham during the Woodward Dream Cruise.

“We’ve had three, four calls but nothing concrete,” Police Cmdr. Mark Clemence said Monday.

The car was reported stolen Aug. 16. Owner Mike Sarazin, 56, of Livonia told police he parked the car along North Old Woodward between 6-7 p.m. to grab a bite at Fleming’s Steakhouse.

It was gone when he returned.

The midnight blue car has a tan-colored corduroy top, all original parts and a Michigan license plate, TA-5863. While the vehicle was left unlocked at a metered parking spot, an anti-theft device called a Pedal Jack was attached to the clutch and brake pedal.

A witness told police he saw a man in his mid-40s or 50s driving the car on Old Woodward. The witness said he noticed the car right away because he had seen Sarazin park the car and later saw a different person driving it.

The car was insured for up to $80,000. Sarazin, who told police it was the fifth year in row he attended the Dream Cruise, was unavailable for comment.

jgrossman@hometownlife.com | (248) 901-2529

 

[Cowtown Dave]

Can you give a quicki how to on the hidden switch? I'm always paranoid about leaving my car anywhere!!

 

[porch dog]

i'm pre-computer . i remember cars with manual clocks . on a distributer car you can tap into the distributer lead. if it's grounded it aint gonna start. i sat in the boon docks all night because of a 55 chevy. the grommet on the distributer base was gone and the wire grounded. i'll check with fitzwell this weekend. he works at painless . we'll figure out something. i have to do something on the 57 vette since it is an ls1 . i dont want an alarm since they soon figure a way around them.