Established | September 1994 |
---|---|
Location | 350 Corvette Drive Bowling Green, Kentucky |
Type | Automobile |
President | Sharon Brawner |
Website | www |
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 and near General Motors' Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes are manufactured. It was constructed in 1994. It was opened to the public in September of that year. [1]
The mission of the National Corvette Museum is to educate worldwide audiences on the evolution of the Corvette – America's Sports Car – through the collection, preservation, and celebration of its legacy. The museum offers captivating exhibits, immersive experiences, Corvette manufacturing plant tours, and unique offerings that engage visitors of all ages and backgrounds in the history of Corvette.
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. [2] Eight rare and one-of-a-kind Corvettes, portions of the display stands, 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. [3] [4] 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 was reinforced before work started on removing the final three buried cars. [5] 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 an 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. [6] The museum reopened the day after the sinkhole appeared. [7]
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. [8]
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.
Year | Names | Category |
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1998 | Bill Mitchell | GM/Chevrolet |
Harley Earl | GM/Chevrolet | |
Larry Shinoda | GM/Chevrolet | |
Joe Pike | GM/Chevrolet | |
Ed Cole | GM/Chevrolet | |
Zora Arkus-Duntov | GM/Chevrolet | |
1999 | Jim Perkins | GM/Chevrolet |
Dave McLellan | GM/Chevrolet | |
Dick Guldstrand | Racing | |
2000 | John Fitch | Racing |
Dick Thompson | Racing | |
Jerry Palmer | GM/Chevrolet | |
2001 | Gibson Hufstader | GM/Chevrolet |
Joseph Spielman | GM/Chevrolet | |
Betty Skelton | Racing | |
2002 | John Cafaro | GM/Chevrolet |
Jim Jeffords | Racing | |
Myron Scott | GM/Chevrolet | |
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/Chevrolet | |
Don Yenko | Racing | |
2006 | Dave Hill | GM/Chevrolet |
John Lingenfelter | Racing | |
Gary Mortimer | Enthusiast | |
2007 | Doug Hooper | Racing |
Gordon Killebrew | Enthusiast | |
Carl Renner | GM/Chevrolet | |
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 |
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some evidence that karst may occur in more weathering-resistant rocks such as quartzite given the right conditions.
Warren County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,554, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kentucky. The county seat is Bowling Green. Warren County is now classified as a wet county after voters approved the measure in 2018. The measure became law in January 2019 that allows alcohol to be sold county wide.
Bowling Green is a city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Louisville and Lexington. The Bowling Green metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in the state and had a population of 179,639 in 2020.
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water enters into underground passages known as ponor, swallow hole or swallet. A cenote is a type of sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath. Sink and stream sink are more general terms for sites that drain surface water, possibly by infiltration into sediment or crumbled rock.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953.
The Bowling Green Assembly Plant is a General Motors automobile factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is a specialized plant assembling GM's Y-body sports cars, including the Chevrolet Corvette and, formerly, the Cadillac XLR. It was first opened on June 1, 1981.
Zachary "Zora" Arkus-Duntov was a Russian and American engineer whose work on the Chevrolet Corvette earned him the nickname "Father of the Corvette." He is sometimes erroneously referred to as the inventor of the Corvette; that title belongs to Harley Earl. He was also a racing driver, appearing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times and taking class wins in 1954 and 1955.
The Chevrolet Corvette (C4) is the fourth generation of the Corvette sports car, produced by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet from 1983 until 1996. The convertible returned, as did higher performance engines, exemplified by the 375 hp (280 kW) LT5 found in the ZR1. In early March 1990, the ZR1 would set new records for the highest average speed over 24 hours at over 175 mph (282 km/h) and highest average speed over 5,000 miles at over 173 mph (278 km/h). With a completely new chassis, modern sleeker styling, and other improvements to the model, prices rose and sales declined. The last C4 was produced on June 20, 1996.
The National Corvette Homecoming is an annual event held in Bowling Green, Kentucky celebrating America's production sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette. First held in 1981, it was created by two Corvette enthusiasts, Tom Hill and Sam Hall, in response to the assembly of Corvettes moving from St. Louis, MO to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, which is currently the sole assembler of the car. The event is a summertime event that focuses on vintage as well as modern Corvettes. The homecoming offers Corvette owners and specialty vendors opportunities to network. All Corvette production years and custom variations are welcome.
The Cave of Swallows, also called the Cave of the Swallows, is an open-air pit cave in the municipality of Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The elliptical mouth, on a slope of karst, is 49 by 62 m wide and is undercut around all of its perimeter, widening to a room approximately 303 by 135 m wide. The floor of the cave is a 333 m (1,093 ft) freefall drop from the lowest side of the opening, with a 370 m (1,210 ft) drop from the highest side, making it the largest known cave shaft in the world, the second deepest pit in Mexico and perhaps the 11th deepest sheer drop in the world.
Kentucky Route 446 is a state highway in the city of Bowling Green in Warren County, Kentucky. The highway runs 0.970 miles (1.561 km) from U.S. Route 31W, US 68, and KY 80 east to Interstate 65 (I-65). KY 446 is a four-lane divided highway that serves as a connector between the Interstate and U.S. Highways east of Bowling Green and provides access to the National Corvette Museum and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant.
A karst window, also known as a karst fenster, is a geomorphic feature found in karst landscapes where an underground river is visible from the surface within a sinkhole. In this feature, a spring emerges, then the discharge abruptly disappears into a sinkhole. The word fenster is German for 'window', as these features are windows into the karst landscape.
The Historic Railpark and Train Museum, formerly the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is located in the historic railroad station. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979. Opened in 1925, the standing depot is the third Louisville & Nashville Railroad depot that served Bowling Green.
A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum.
Corvette Forum is an auto enthusiast website for owners and fans of the Chevrolet Corvette sports car.
Suffosion is one of the two geological processes by which subsidence sinkholes or dolines are formed, the other being due to collapse of an underlying cave or void, with most sinkholes formed by the suffosion process. Suffosion sinkholes are normally associated with karst topography although they may form in other types of rock including chalk, gypsum and basalt. In the karst of the UK's Yorkshire Dales, numerous surface depressions known locally as "shakeholes" are the result of glacial till washing into fissures in the underlying limestone.
The Chevrolet Corvette (C7) is the seventh generation of the Corvette sports car manufactured by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet from 2014 until 2019. The first C7 Corvettes were delivered in the third quarter of 2013. The racing variants include the C7.R, which won the GTLM 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Cedar Sink is a vertical-walled large depression or sinkhole in the ground, located in Edmonson County, Kentucky and contained within and managed by Mammoth Cave National Park. The sinkhole measures 300 feet (91.4 m) from the top sandstone plateau to the bottom of the sink and was caused by collapse of the surface soil. The landscape is karst topography, which means the region is influenced by the dissolution of soluble rocks. Sinkholes, caves, and dolines typically characterize these underground drainage systems. Cedar Sink has a bottom area of about 7 acres (2.8 ha) and has more fertile soil compared to the ridgetops.
Patricia Kambesis is an American caver, cartographer and educator.