The wheel may have fallen off Doug Mirabelli’s 1966 Corvette convertible at the most embarrassing moment imaginable, but the wheels are still rolling on the 2004 World Series championship he helped deliver to Boston.
The former Red Sox catcher recently revisited that unforgettable night while reflecting on the Tuxedo Black Sting Ray he once owned — the same car now up for sale on Hagerty Marketplace.
Mirabelli bought the Corvette to celebrate Boston’s historic 2004 title, the one that ended the franchise’s 86 year drought and shattered the “Curse of the Bambino.” The car became his personal trophy, a reward for helping the Red Sox topple the Yankees and rewrite baseball history.
“I loved that car. I had a lot of fun in it,” Mirabelli says. “We loved taking it out on those old backroads in New England on sunny days with all of the beautiful scenery. And the sound of that engine was amazing.”
The Corvette’s numbers matching 327/300 hp V8 never gave him trouble. But one of its knockoff wheels? That was another story.
On his way to Fenway Park for a 2005 game against the Yankees, Mirabelli felt something odd.
“The rear end felt a little loose—a little squirrely—and fish tailed just a little bit.”
Focused on the rivalry ahead, he parked the car and headed inside.
After the Red Sox beat New York, Mirabelli eased onto Yawkey Way, waving to fans as they celebrated the win.
“There were so many people. They’re waving to me and shouting, and I’m waving back … but the engine was so loud with those side pipes that I could barely hear anything,” he recalls.
Then came the thud.
“[I] thought I’d run over a bottle. A fan came running after me shouting, ‘Doug stop! Don’t move!’ The spinner had loosened and the left rear wheel had fallen off.”
The Corvette dropped onto its rear bumper, fortunately not on the wheel hub itself — and Mirabelli suddenly found himself stuck in the middle of a crowd.
“I sat there with nowhere to go, talking with the fans and signing autographs the entire time.”
It took a tow truck an hour and a half to reach him.
Once the wheel was reattached, Mirabelli immediately called Corvette Mike New England.
“I’ve got to get rid of these rims, man. This isn’t safe,” he told them.
He swapped the knockoffs for traditional wheels — a decision he now laughs about.
“I really should have hung onto those original wheels, though. What was I thinking?”
The Corvette features black upholstery, a wood rimmed steering wheel, power steering, a four speed manual, and a color matched hardtop. Mirabelli eventually sold it after retiring to northern Michigan after another championship in 2007.
“It just wasn’t very practical for me, living in Michigan and with three children, so I decided to let it go,” he says. “I actually considered buying it back at one time. Those cars are just so cool.”
And that unforgettable night in 2005? It still follows him.
“I was feeling pretty good about myself that night, and then my wheel falls off in front of everybody,” he says with a laugh. “It made for a funny story later on, and the fans were great about it. I’m sure it’s a story that’s been told by a lot of people over the years.”
Now the Corvette is back on the market — and its next owner will inherit not just a classic , but a story that has already traveled far beyond Fenway Park.
Source:
Hagerty Marketplace
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