Who Forgets A C8 Corvette In A Pond? Apparently Someone In Florida

The Orlando Fire Department is no stranger to, well, strange calls on a daily basis, but last week’s discovery still managed to stand out. Half-submerged beside a major road sat a bright red Chevy Corvette Stingray, abandoned and apparently left to drown without much ceremony.

Read: Kids Were Playing Outside Just Before A C8 Corvette Crashed Into Their Yard

Crews discovered the car on the morning of January 14, close to the junction of Route 417 and 528, not far from Orlando International Airport in Florida. Even partially underwater, the Corvette’s bright finish made it difficult to miss.

The situation required a trained diver to safely extract the car, otherwise it might have stayed hidden in the murky shallows for weeks, maybe even months, until someone finally decided to claim the high-dollar piece of abandoned property as their own.

How Did It Get There?

Judging by the tire tracks across the mud and into the water, it appears the Corvette C8 entered the pond in reverse. What’s unclear is whether it was intentionally backed in or simply ended up that way. There’s evidence someone may have climbed out through the open passenger-side window before it went under. Either way, the cracked front bumper suggests the exit wasn’t gentle.

Orlando Fire Department

That cracked bumper, however, is likely the least of the car’s problems. If the engine was running when it went in, it’s probably hydrolocked by now, which would make repairs costly enough to discourage even a determined enthusiast.

And even if the engine somehow avoided water damage, the interior almost certainly didn’t, which could mean a headache of electrical issues in a car already known for its complex systems.

A Vanishing Act

As for why someone walked away from a C8 Corvette? That remains a bit of a mystery. Local authorities haven’t released any details. Theories online range from insurance fraud to the possibility that it was a rental gone very wrong. Either way, it seems someone decided it was better to swim for it than explain what happened.