Flashback Friday: 1967 C2 Owned by Vietnam Hero Gets Auctioned Off

War hero

Keith Richard Litavsky is the original owner of this beautiful classic Vette and a distinguished veteran of our country's armed forces. While in Vietnam, his troop came under enemy fire and his commander became too wounded to carry on moving. Litavsky knew what he had to do and went to rescue his commanding officer before he succumbed to his wounds. 

Two Purple Hearts

He carried his commander out of a firefight successfully but became injured himself by a nearby grenade. Litavsky was the only member of his troop to survive the encounter. After his dismissal, he was evaluated and found to have suffered the effects of Agent Orange. For his heroic duty in the service, he was awarded two Purple Hearts.  

Don't even look at it wrong

Litavsky bought the Corvette before being shipped out to fight overseas and had the car waiting patiently for him upon his return. He paid for the car by sending money home from his military paychecks during his time away during the war. When he finally did make it home he was so taken with the car and treated it so gingerly that before taking his sons for a ride, they had to take off their shoes before getting into the car. 

That's dedication

The car was stored in a climate-controlled garage and was never driven in the rain or parked in the direct sun. When the car was in storage, it would rest on 4 carpeted jack stands to keep the weight off of the suspension and tires.   

Kept in beautiful condition

The car is a Marina Blue 1967 427/435 coupe with an L71 motor, an M21 4-speed transmission, 4.11:1 rear end, F41 suspension, power windows, and off-road exhaust. With a car like that, you'd think that Keith would have been out enjoying the car daily, but the Vette had just 8,515 miles on it. 

Rest in Paradise

It has never been judged or shown during the span of its 50-year lifespan. Sadly, Litavsky passed away from cancer in 1993 and his Corvette has been cared for since by his sons. 

Say what?

Finally, the time had come for the Litavsky family to say goodbye to Keith's car so that someone else could love the car as much as their father had.  The car still sports the original paint, interior, tires, and engine that it rolled out of the factory, along with just traveling just 15 miles on the Odo since Keith last drove it. 

It's all there

The car is documented with its window sticker, the car shipper, radio tag, Protect-O-Plate, and owner's manual. If you open up the gas tanker cover, you'll find a pristine tank sticker saying hello to you. Keith even had something I've never heard of an owner keeping before: a log of every time he started the car and how far he went when he drove it! 

To the new owner

This meticulously cared for the car was offered as Lot S111 at Dana Mecum's 30th Annual Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner of the auction, Gary Runyon, is a dealer of rare cars but reassured Keith's son Matt that he would not be selling the Corvette and that Litavsky could come to visit the car anytime. Matt replied, "That's good to know that it's there if I need to see it." To see a video of Keith's prized possession with his son Matt talking about his dad,  just click here. 

>>Join the conversation about Keith and his '67 Stingray right here in the Corvette Forum!

For help with service and maintenance of your car, see the how-to right here.