The Corvette’s Performance Data Recorder has struck again as it caught a dealership employee taking a ride in a customer’s car and hitting speeds in excess of 90 mph (144 km/h).
In a video uploaded to YouTube by owner Jon Martin, you can see a Tyler Chevrolet employee back his Corvette Z06 out of the service bay and then go for a spin around Niles, Michigan. The clip isn’t very interesting until about six minutes in, when the driver floors it and quickly jumps from 44 mph (70 km/h) to about 86 mph (138 km/h).
After slowing down for a pedestrian, the driver haphazardly drifts into the oncoming lane and then hits speeds of 58 mph (93 km/h) after passing a speed limit sign that says 45 mph (72 km/h).
After a few more minutes of typical driving, the Corvette pulls onto a main road and then speeds up to at least 90 mph (144 km/h). The driver then slows back down and eventually returns to the dealership.
So what repairs mandated this test drive of a customer’s car? Reportedly a simple airbag recall which only required the installation of new software.
Jalopnik reached out Tyler Chevrolet’s service manager Dale Patzkowsky who seemingly downplayed the incident. He told the publication the company routinely test drives cars after servicing and will drive them fast to “warm up the tires to make it ride smooth.” The latter statement sounds like BS, but Patzkowsky did acknowledge the speeding was excessive and the tech who drove the car has since been punished.
The incident seems pretty minor, but the car’s owner apparently isn’t happy with the dealership’s action or response. That’s understandable, but the owner seems to have taken things overboard by reaching out to the Niles Police Department and trying to get the driver in trouble for speeding, reckless driving and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The department reportedly didn’t think there was cause for pursuing the unauthorized use of a vehicle issue, but seemed open to looking into the speeding and reckless driving side of things.
Martin also reached out to Chevrolet which is reportedly looking into the incident. However, it doesn’t appear that anything will change the situation at this point.