National Corvette Museum

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National Corvette Museum
National Corvette Museum logo.svg
National Corvette Museum, KY.JPG
National Corvette Museum
EstablishedSeptember 1994;29 years ago (1994-09)
Location350 Corvette Drive
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Type Automobile
PresidentSharon Brawner
Website www.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 and near General Motors' Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes are manufactured. It was constructed in 1994, and opened to the public in September of that year. [1]

Contents

The mission of the National Corvette Museum is to educate worldwide audiences on the evolution of the Corvette – America's Sports Car – through 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.

2014 Skydome collapse

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 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. [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 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]

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 [9]
YearNamesCategory
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
1999Jim PerkinsGM/Chevrolet
Dave McLellan GM/Chevrolet
Dick GuldstrandRacing
2000 John Fitch Racing
Dick Thompson Racing
Jerry Palmer GM/Chevrolet
2001Gibson HufstaderGM/Chevrolet
Joseph SpielmanGM/Chevrolet
Betty Skelton Racing
2002John CafaroGM/Chevrolet
Jim JeffordsRacing
Myron Scott GM/Chevrolet
2003Noland AdamsEnthusiast
Robert MorrisonEnthusiast
2004Ray BattagliniEnthusiast
Darrel BowlinEnthusiast
Jon BrookmyerEnthusiast
Dan GaleEnthusiast
Terry McManmonEnthusiast
2005Chip MillerEnthusiast
Randy WittineGM/Chevrolet
Don Yenko Racing
2006 Dave Hill GM/Chevrolet
John Lingenfelter Racing
Gary MortimerEnthusiast
2007Doug HooperRacing
Gordon KillebrewEnthusiast
Carl RennerGM/Chevrolet
2008Allan and Don BarkerRacing
Reeves Callaway Enthusiast
Maurice OlleyGM/Chevrolet
2009Duane BohnstedtGM/Chevrolet
Tony De Lorenzo and Jer ThompsonRacing
John HinckleyEnthusiast
2010Grady DavisRacing
Fred GallaschEnthusiast
Jim IngleGM/Chevrolet
2011 Clare "Mac" MacKichan GM/Chevrolet
Ray QuinlanEnthusiast
Ron Fellows Racing
2012 Andy Pilgrim Racing
Gary ClaudioGM/Chevrolet
Patrick DolanEnthusiast
Bob McDormanEnthusiast
2013 Johnny O'Connell Racing
Wil CookseyGM/Chevrolet
Werner MeierEnthusiast
2014 Dave MacDonald Racing
John Heinricy GM/Chevrolet
Jerry BurtonEnthusiast
2015Herb FishelRacing
Russ McLeanGM/Chevrolet
Rick Hendrick Enthusiast
2016 Bob Bondurant Racing
Ralph KramerGM/Chevrolet
Donna Mae Mims Enthusiast
2017Tommy MorrisonRacing
Jim MinnekerGM/Chevrolet
Peter Brock Enthusiast
2018Burt and John Greenwood Racing
Tom WallaceGM/Chevrolet
Mike YagerEnthusiast
2019 Briggs Cunningham Racing
Tom PetersGM/Chevrolet
Dollie ColeEnthusiast
2020Doug FehanRacing
Henry HagaGM/Chevrolet
Wendell StrodeEnthusiast
Mike McCaghEnthusiast
2022 Gary Pratt and Jim Miller Racing
Ed Welburn GM/Chevrolet
Elfi Arkus-DuntovEnthusiast

See also

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References

  1. Antonick, Mike (2006). Corvette Black Books 1953-2007. MotorBooks International. p. 106. ISBN   9780760328941.
  2. "Kentucky Sinkhole Eats Corvettes, Raises Questions". news.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  3. 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.
  4. Jeffries, Adrianne (February 12, 2014). "Eight vintage Corvettes swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole inside National Corvette Museum". The Verge. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  5. Jones, Matthew (February 13, 2014). "Corvettes disappear into massive hole". BBC TopGear. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  6. Katie Frassinelli
  7. 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.
  8. "Corvette Cave In Exhibit". National Corvette Museum. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  9. "Corvette Hall Of Fame". National Corvette Museum. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.

37°00′15″N86°22′30″W / 37.00417°N 86.37500°W / 37.00417; -86.37500