This museum is dedicated to the men and women with a deep passion for America’s best muscle car. Displays detail its history, development and manufacture. Repeatedly, the connection between the car and its owner and among owners is shown.
The name corvette comes from the French for an anti-sub ship and refers to being fast, maneuverable and able to dart in and out–all characteristics of this car.
Under the strong leadership of Harley J. Earl and engineering and focus of Zora Arkus-Dunter, a 1953 white Corvette with red interior was displayed in NYC. It was a three-page single-spaced letter from Arkus-Dunter that set Chevrolet on the road to “super-car-dom.”
The Hall of Fame in the spire honors those cars and those people who put Corvette at the top of American automobile culture. Featured is the 1,500,000th ‘Vette, a 2009. The final display is a tribute to other muscle cars.
The next morning we got to see the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green. The plant moved from St. Louis to Bowling Green in 1981. The one million square foot plant produces eight cars in up to four models per hour. From start to finish, it takes about a week to complete the assembly. We followed along the line watching fenders and end caps fit in place, seats lifted in, doors attached, and the windshield and top placed. The “marriage” of car and engine is a smooth performance.
Our guide lost his mike to Joe Spielberg, a retired engineer and author of All Corvettes Are Red. He was responsible for the C5 generation of ‘Vettes. His advice to us was to fulfill our dream and get a ‘Vette.
Among the cars we saw on the line were the 2012 sky blue ZR1 and a 100th anniversary of Chevrolet black ZR1. These cars base price at about $110,000.
The assembled car goes through several stages of final testing including 800 tests in four minutes in the Dynamic Testing Booth, a water test, a 0 - 60 test for squeaks, and a shaking test. Each day three cars are put through their paces for twenty miles.
Because no cameras are allowed, all the photos of the plant are in our head except this one of our Honda parked between to red beauties.
We have been eating so many wonderful catered dinners, that our refrigerators overflowed with leftovers. After we polished them off, we had our last trivia contest with the women winning naturally (or unnaturally). (Check the score carefully)
We have shared our group shots but many of us travel with companions. Here they pose for you
As the former owner of '71 and '73 small block Corvettes (driven year round for a total of ten years) I can attest to the joy of owning and driving one of these beasts. They do not tow 4 down!
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