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Airport Valet Caught On Camera Joyriding In Brand-New Corvette Stingray: Video

A valet at the Birmingham Airport in Alabama was caught taking a brand-new 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray on a joyride shortly after its owner hopped on a flight out of the facility, WVTM 13 News reports.

The camera system of the 2023 Chevy Corvette recorded the entire sequence, including audio, enabling owner Tim Scherer to piece together what happened to his Vette during his absence.

Camera view of the 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray during the joyride.

Start of the joyride

Scherer smelled a rat when he noticed his 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray – which appears to be decked out in an exterior paint color of Rapid Blue (color code GMO) – had about four additional miles on its odometer than the slightly less than 300 it had when he left. Reviewing the vehicle’s camera system recordings quickly revealed the culprit.

Timestamps showed the valet driver who accepted the Corvette from Scherer took the car out for a joyride almost immediately. The audio system captured the man “yukking it up” as he steered onto the highway to circle the airport. Pushing the vehicle up to 60 mph, the valet also accelerated strongly enough to reach 6,000 rpm on several occasions.

Camera view of the 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray during the joyride.

The engine hits 6,000 rpm

Besides laughing over the current joyride, the audio also included the valet bragging about a previous foray he took at the wheel of a McLaren sports car belonging to Birmingham’s leading surgeon.

Scherer pointed out that his Corvette came with a 500-mile break-in period, and that surpassing 6,000 rpm before reaching that threshold would give Chevy reason to deny future warranty claims. The valet company, Lanier Parking, told him it would provide written confirmation that it would cover any problems with the car, but failed to follow up on the promise according to Scherer.

Front view of the 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray.

The Rapid Blue Corvette Stingray of Scherer

Later, Scherer was contacted again and the company said that since the vehicle wasn’t damaged during the joyride, it would not cover any future problems. The Birmingham airport itself says it is looking into possible damage to vehicles parked on-site and planned to compensate owners if any had occurred. Here’s the video of the joyride that started the whole chain of events:

Though no further comments are forthcoming from the valet company so far, the joyriding valet was fired from his job.

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Comments

  1. Definitely should not have happened but why would anyone leave a new Corvette with a valet? Ego? Beaters are for airports.

    Reply
  2. So he would have already activated and had running the PDR with SD card installed when he pulled up to allow valet to take it. … Smart, but does seem like he put the vehicle at great risk and maybe anticipated such abuse..

    Reply
  3. Beyond weak that Lanier as well as Airport Management did not completely stand up for these people who were violated by their idiot employee. The right thing to do is fire the schmuck (which they did) and back up the McLaren and Corvette owners for any warranty issues that may crop up during the warranty period.

    Finally, word needs to get out: Avoid that airport if you wish to go long term parking requiring a valet service.

    Reply
  4. Who leaves a brand new Corvette with an airport valet?????? That’s not very smart. I would never have contacted the news media knowing I would look like an idiot.

    Reply
  5. Why wasn’t the companies name given ? Scared, Mr. Hunt ?

    Reply
    1. Lanier Parking, as stated in the article.

      Reply
  6. You have to be stupid to leave any year Corvette with any valet let alone at an airport. My C8 and new Tahoe are only parked by me. If it is valet only I hand them money and say point me to where I can park it myself.

    Reply
    1. My father has a Rolls and that’s exactly what he did with valets when valet was the only parking option in certain places. He gave them the money and parked it in the valet garage himself.

      Reply

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