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National Corvette Museum

Coordinates: 37°00′15″N 86°22′30″W / 37.00417°N 86.37500°W / 37.00417; -86.37500
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National Corvette Museum
National Corvette Museum is located in Kentucky
National Corvette Museum
Location within Kentucky
National Corvette Museum is located in the United States
National Corvette Museum
National Corvette Museum (the United States)
EstablishedSeptember 1994; 30 years ago (1994-09)
Location350 Corvette Drive
Bowling Green, Kentucky
TypeAutomobile
PresidentSharon Brawner
Websitewww.corvettemuseum.org

The National Corvette Museum showcases the Chevrolet Corvette, an American sports car that has been in production since 1953. It is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, off Interstate 65's Exit 28. It was constructed in 1994, and opened to the public in September of that year.[1]

The museum is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes have been made since 1981. Public tours of the assembly plant are unavailable as of June 16, 2017, and GM has given no indication when or if they will resume.[2] Patrons can, through their local Chevrolet dealership, add package option R8C which can give them a VIP tour of the Corvette Museum and assembly plant and patrons can have the option to build their own engine for their Corvette (this option adds $995 (as of 2020) to the car).[3]

2014 damage

On February 12, 2014, a sinkhole opened under the floor of the Skydome area of the museum at around 5:44 AM local time, causing a portion of the floor to collapse. Kentucky is one of the many states that is notable for having karst topography. Karst topography is the landscape that is formed from the dissolving of rocks such as limestone. In the museum's case, the sinkhole was caused by the dissolving of the limestone in the ground which caused pockets to open underneath the surface. Eventually, the weight of the building caused the top layer of soil to collapse.[4] Eight rare and one-of-a-kind Corvettes, portions of the display stands and rails, large concrete floor slabs and dirt fell into the sinkhole, causing serious damage to some of the Corvettes. The Corvettes involved have an estimated value of a million dollars.[5][6] The remaining 20 cars in the Skydome were immediately removed from that area. Between March 3, 2014 and March 6, 2014, 5 of the 8 Corvettes were recovered from the sinkhole. The spire area of the Skydome is being reinforced before work starts on removing the final three buried cars.[7] Multiple multigravity tests were done to ensure that another sinkhole wasn't present or in the making. The results came back clear which allowed for the construction work to begin. For added precaution, micropiles, or systems of steel rods, were inserted into the ground before the concrete was repoured to help give the building more support.[8] The museum reopened the day after the sinkhole appeared.[9]

An exhibit opened in the museum two years later to tell the story of what happened that day and why it happened. This exhibit gives visitors the chance to virtually recover the cars that were in the sinkhole.[10]

Hall of Fame

The museum also sponsors the Corvette Hall of Fame for individuals who have been involved with the Corvette automobile and made significant contributions in their respective fields. Each year, from two to six persons have been inducted into this select group. Members have been divided into three categories: enthusiasts, GM/Chevrolet, and racing.

Honorees[11]
Year Names Category
1998 Bill Mitchell GM/Chevorlet
Harley Earl GM/Chevorlet
Larry Shinoda GM/Chevorlet
Joe Pike GM/Chevorlet
Ed Cole GM/Chevorlet
Zora Arkus-Duntov GM/Chevorlet
1999 Jim Perkins GM/Chevorlet
Dave McLellan GM/Chevorlet
Dick Guldstrand Racing
2000 John Fitch Racing
Dick Thompson Racing
Jerry Palmer GM/Chevorlet
2001 Gibson Hufstader GM/Chevorlet
Joseph Spielman GM/Chevorlet
Betty Skelton Racing
2002 John Cafaro GM/Chevorlet
Jim Jeffords Racing
Myron Scott GM/Chevorlet
2003 Noland Adams Enthusiast
Robert Morrison Enthusiast
2004 Ray Battaglini Enthusiast
Darrel Bowlin Enthusiast
Jon Brookmyer Enthusiast
Dan Gale Enthusiast
Terry McManmon Enthusiast
2005 Chip Miller Enthusiast
Randy Wittine GM/Chevorlet
Don Yenko Racing
2006 Dave Hill GM/Chevorlet
John Lingenfelter Racing
Gary Mortimer Enthusiast
2007 Doug Hooper Racing
Gordon Killebrew Enthusiast
Carl Renner GM/Chevorlet
2008 Allan and Don Barker Racing
Reeves Callaway Enthusiast
Maurice Olley GM/Chevrolet
2009 Duane Bohnstedt GM/Chevrolet
Tony De Lorenzo and Jer Thompson Racing
John Hinckley Enthusiast
2010 Grady Davis Racing
Fred Gallasch Enthusiast
Jim Ingle GM/Chevrolet
2011 Clare "Mac" MacKichan GM/Chevrolet
Ray Quinlan Enthusiast
Ron Fellows Racing
2012 Andy Pilgrim Racing
Gary Claudio GM/Chevrolet
Patrick Dolan Enthusiast
Bob McDorman Enthusiast
2013 Johnny O'Connell Racing
Wil Cooksey GM/Chevrolet
Werner Meier Enthusiast
2014 Dave MacDonald Racing
John Heinricy GM/Chevrolet
Jerry Burton Enthusiast
2015 Herb Fishel Racing
Russ McLean GM/Chevrolet
Rick Hendrick Enthusiast
2016 Bob Bondurant Racing
Ralph Kramer GM/Chevrolet
Donna Mae Mims Enthusiast
2017 Tommy Morrison Racing
Jim Minneker GM/Chevrolet
Peter Brock Enthusiast
2018 Burt and John Greenwood Racing
Tom Wallace GM/Chevrolet
Mike Yager Enthusiast
2019 Briggs Cunningham Racing
Tom Peters GM/Chevrolet
Dollie Cole Enthusiast
2020 Doug Fehan Racing
Henry Haga GM/Chevrolet
Wendell Strode Enthusiast
Mike McCagh Enthusiast
2022 Gary Pratt and Jim Miller Racing
Ed Welburn GM/Chevrolet
Elfi Arkus-Duntov Enthusiast

See also

References

  1. ^ Antonick, Mike (2006). Corvette Black Books 1953-2007. MotorBooks International. p. 106. ISBN 9780760328941.
  2. ^ "Bowling Green Assembly Plant". plants.GM.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "Delivery Programs". National Corvette Museum. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Kentucky Sinkhole Eats Corvettes, Raises Questions". news.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  5. ^ JUSTIN STORY and ROBYN L. MINOR (February 12, 2014). "Local contractor will help remove reported $1 million in Corvettes from sinkhole at museum". Bowling Green Daily News.
  6. ^ Jeffries, Adrianne (February 12, 2014). "Eight vintage Corvettes swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole inside National Corvette Museum". The Verge. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  7. ^ Jones, Matthew (February 13, 2014). "Corvettes disappear into massive hole". BBC TopGear. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Katie Frassinelli
  9. ^ Everson, Zach (February 13, 2014). "Corvette Museum Sinkhole Swallows Eight 'Vettes: Watch Them Sink". Aol Travel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  10. ^ "Corvette Cave In Exhibit". National Corvette Museum. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  11. ^ "Corvette Hall Of Fame". National Corvette Museum. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.

37°00′15″N 86°22′30″W / 37.00417°N 86.37500°W / 37.00417; -86.37500

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