NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM

  If there was ever one single car that defined the American vibe, thrill, and need for speed… it is the Chevrolet Corvette.

This car always seemed to be intertwined with my youth – mostly the misspent parts.

In the early 80s, my buddy Peter and I took his 1969 Corvette Coupe, a 350ci beast in a sharp Marlboro Maroon, to the Daytona 200, a non-stop run that only had a slight delay when we hit black ice and spun the ‘Vette several times down I-95, and onto a frozen median.

That was exciting. Sort of. We were in Daytona the next day.

Since then, I have had many friends who were owners of Corvettes. I have a baker’s dozen. Sadly, all mine are 1/64 scale.

  One thing every Corvette owner has is pride, and that does not manifest itself in more appearance than at the National Corvette Museum, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

This place, adjacent to the Corvette factory, is a sprawling museum, some 115,000 square feet (with an additional 66,00 set to open in a year), and holds the complete history of America’s sport car.

From the initial vision of General Motors’ Head of Design, Harley Earl, and the important crafting of Zora Arkus-Duntov, and so many other famed engineers and designers, to today’s supercar C8, the museum pays homage to them all.

  The Corvette made its debut at GM’s Motorama Show in 1953 and was rushed into production, but remarkably fell flat, selling only 183 of the 300 built that first year. At the time, GM was simply trying to compete with European imports… that changed soon, as in 1955, the anemic 6 cylinder was replaced with a small V8.

When Zora got involved, the Corvette truly began to shine. Although Harley Early is credited with the Corvette's beginning, it was Zora who created its true soul and is considered the Godfather of the Corvette.

His ashes are entombed at the museum.

  Visiting this museum should be an all-day affair. If you plan ahead (way ahead), you can start with a tour of the General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant, just one mile from the National Corvette Museum, and witness the precision and performance that define the Corvette legacy. Take a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at where America’s Sport Car comes to life.

But, for mere mortals, you can simply ride up and park your bike and take your time viewing this incredible museum. From its very beginnings to the Corvette’s influence on American and world culture.

Hey, is that a 1960 Corvette-styled Fender Les Paul – with louvers - signed by Zora Arkus-Duntov? Now the world is just hurting me so.

  Moving on, there is an area dedicated to Corvette design and colors.

There is the E. Pierce Marshall Performance Gallery, which highlights the cutting-edge technology, design, and performance that have come into play over the decades. Special one-of-a-kind Corvettes, concepts, actual record-setters, and so many more. L88… ‘nuff said!

One entire section is now dedicated to how Hollywood sees the ‘Vette. The Right Stuff, Hawaii Five-0, The Transformers. My favorite was a 1965 Corvette with Iowa plates, driven (off a cliff) by a 12-year-old James Tiberius Kirk sometime a few centuries hence.

  Speaking of Space – Jim Lovell’s 1968 car is here, and the museum’s new addition will feature more and more Corvettes owned and driven by famous celebrities and Corvettes of note.

I had visited the museum many years ago, and since then one huge news maker here was the fact that on the night of February 12, 2014, at 5:38 in the morning, a large sinkhole, measuring 40 feet wide, 60 feet long, and 30 feet deep opened under the iconic Skydome, at the museum’s center, gobbling down eight historic Corvettes. 

   I was hesitant about asking about such a sad event, but being from Jersey, I can ask about sinkholes without any nervousness.

It seems that the museum has taken this disaster and made it a story of resilience and restoration, with some of the crushed cars on display, along with fully restored Corvettes that were dragged back up. You can even look down a glass floor section to see the hole itself.

Maybe they should do that on Interstate 80? 

    The highest number of Corvettes produced was in 1979 with 53,807. No other Corvette model year before or since has sold so many units. The Base Corvette Sport Coupe retailed for $10,220. There were 10 colors offered that year, with black being the #1 color choice.

 The museum also has a great Café called Stingrays, that has some seriously good burgers and upscale offerings, as well as two Corvette Racing Simulators that looked like a whole bunch of fun, but the line for them did not, so it was onto the gift shop. There is always a gift shop, but this one is full of Corvette stuff, and I had one credit card that my wife did not shut off before I entered Corvette City.

   You see, you can arrange to pick up your new Corvette here at the museum, and I watched a few new owners get tutored on and then handed the fobs for their new C8s. 

I was so happy for them. Really. Okay. Maybe not.

But I did get my own C8… and it is now parked right next to the other 13. Jimmy Buffett has a song called “Someday I will.” Ahh, I boy can dream, right?