National Corvette Museum

National Corvette Museum
Established September 1994
Location 350 Corvette Drive
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Type Automobile
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. It was constructed in 1994, and opened to the public in September of that year.[1]

The museum is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where Corvettes have been made since 1981. Public tours of the assembly plant are available. In addition, Chevrolet allows Corvette buyers to take delivery of their new vehicles at the museum, with a VIP tour of the plant and museum included for the buyer and up to three guests.[2]

2014 damage

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.[3] 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.[4][5] 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 is being reinforced before work starts on removing the final three buried cars.[6] Multiple multigravity tests were done to insure 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.[7] The museum reopened the day after the sinkhole appeared.[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, between two and four persons are inducted into this select group.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Antonick, Mike (2006). Corvette Black Books 1953-2007. MotorBooks International. p. 106.
  2. ↑ "National Corvette Museum Delivery (Option R8C)". National Corvette Museum. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Kentucky Sinkhole Eats Corvettes, Raises Questions". news.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  4. ↑ 783-3249, JUSTIN STORY and ROBYN L. MINOR The Daily News rminor@bgdailynews.com. "Local contractor will help remove reported $1 million in Corvettes from sinkhole at museum".
  5. ↑ Jeffries, Adrianne (February 12, 2014). "Eight vintage Corvettes swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole inside National Corvette Museum". The Verge. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ Jones, Matthew (February 13, 2014). "Corvettes disappear into massive hole". BBC TopGear. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ Katie Frassinelli
  8. ↑ Everson, Zach (February 13, 2014). "Corvette Museum Sinkhole Swallows Eight 'Vettes: Watch Them Sink". Aol Travel. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Corvette Hall Of Fame Inductees". National Corvette Museum. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
Chevrolet Corvette timeline, 1953–present
Type 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
3456789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456
3-box coupe C2 C3 C5
Fastback coupe C3 C4 C5 C6 C7
Convertible C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7
Performance Fuel Injection Z06 Big Block ZR-1 LT4 Z06 Z06 Z06
L84 Big Block LT1 ZR1
Motorsports: Grand Sport • GTP • C5-R • C6.R • C7.R

Coordinates: 37°00′15″N 86°22′30″W / 37.00417°N 86.37500°W / 37.00417; -86.37500


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