National Corvette Museum

National Corvette Museum

No other automobile defines America’s love of the open road like the Chevrolet Corvette. A blend of aerodynamic styling and pure performance, the Corvette has been America’s sports car from the time the very first Vette rolled off the assembly line in 1953.

The first Corvettes were assembled at the General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan, but eventually the operation moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky. The National Corvette Museum is also in Bowling Green, located near the factory that produces these fine automobiles. The non-profit museum houses an outstanding collection of Corvettes and is dedicated to educating the public through the preservation of the Corvette’s past, present, and future.

Having owned two Corvettes over the years, it was just a matter of time until we made it to Bowling Green to pay homage to the fastest thing on wheels made in the United States. We toured the museum, thrilling at the many beautiful cars on display, learning about the history of the Corvette, and remembering our days cruising down the Mother Road in our red 1969 Stingray during Arizona ’s Route 66 Fun Run. Those were the good old days.

The museum is housed in a 68,000 square foot building featuring an eleven story high Skydome just off Interstate 65 at Exit 28. Inside the complete history of the Corvette is told, and of the people who helped to shape its legend.

Harley Earl, who reigned over General Motors’ design team for 32 years, was instrumental in shaping the Corvette, along with later GM designs. Earl, a mercurial dictator who breached no nonsense, was known for his flamboyant wardrobes just as much as his creative car designs. It is said he was a clothes hog who loved to wear suits color coordinated with the car he was driving any given day, and usually changed clothes and cars at midday. When Earl first came to Detroit from Hollywood , he directed design efforts from a sling chair, shouting instructions through a megaphone while dressed in jodhpur pants and riding boots, and slapping a riding crop against his leg.

Earl had a terrible temper, and on more than one occasion fired an employee on the spot simply for walking between him and a car he was reviewing. The other side of his personality was that Harley Earl opened the doors in the automotive industry for women to work in the design field, creating a cadre affectionately known as the “damsels of design.”

The demand for Corvettes has never let up since the first models hit the road. During the first model year in 1953, something over 300 vehicles were produced. Today over 150 Corvettes roll off the Bowling Green assembly line daily!

Included in the museum’s ever-changing collection are rare classic Corvette models, famous race cars, and exotic experimental models. The Chevrolet Theatre inside the museum shows a video telling the history of the Corvette.

Different galleries in the museum highlight different periods in Corvette history, from the early days to futuristic designs that incorporate the latest technology and innovations. Corvettes are made of fiberglass, providing them with light weight that, when matched to their high performance engines, combines to make a speedster that runs on pure adrenalin.

Many celebrities own Corvettes, and the museum’s collection includes several cars owned by famous people, including a gorgeous red 1967 model with 400 horsepower 427 cubic inch engine and four speed transmission owned by singing sensation Roy Orbison. Another celebrity car on display is Country Music Hall of Fame’s Marty Robbins’ beautiful 1981 Corvette, one of the early cars built in Bowling Green . The sleek red Corvette was driven daily by Robbins, who was a great fan of fast cars. A real classic is the red and white 1958 Corvette once owned by another country star, George Strait .

Besides celebrity-owned cars, the museum also has on display other Corvettes of star status, including the 1989 ZR-1 model that set three world speed and endurance records and seven FIA records during time trials in two days in Fort Stockton, Texas in 1990. Several Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars are on display in the museum, along with the One Millionth Corvette made, a white convertible that was built on July 2, 1992 at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green and donated to the National Corvette Museum by General Motors.

Another eye-catching Corvette on display is the Great White, a highly customized 1976 sport coupe that Bill Mitchell, Vice President of Design for General Motors, had built specially for his wife. It features custom fiberglass sculpting, special trim, and an all aluminum 454 cubic inch engine.

If a customer purchases a new Corvette and wants to pick it up from the factory, the National Corvette Museum will work with the assembly plant to take delivery of the car and present it to its new owners in a special ceremony at the museum, complete with the appropriate pomp and circumstance.

The museum has a very nice gift shop, where you can purchase clothing emblazed with the Corvette logo, books on Corvettes, and other souvenirs to remind you of your trip to the shrine to America’s sports car.

The National Corvette Museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for major holidays. The parking lot has a special area for RVS and tour buses and can accommodate any size RVs. Admission to the museum is $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 6 to 16, and senior discounts are available. For more information on the National Corvette Museum, call 800-53-VETTE or visit their web site at www.corvettemuseum.com.