The National Corvette Museum Newsletter
for February, 2010
|
Grand Sports
Added to List of Upcoming Raffles
 With the Corvette Grand Sport topping the
list as most popular model, the Museum has added two to our upcoming
schedule of Corvette raffles, including a Black Grand Sport Coupe
with manual transmission, and a souped up Arctic White Convertible
with automatic transmission. Read more about these raffle cars on
our
blog!Your next chance to win a Corvette is on Thursday, April 15 when we raffle a 2010 Black Coupe! The Coupe is fully loaded with ebony leather seats, automatic transmission, removable transparent roof panel, crossed flag embroidery on the headrests and the 3LT package. Purchase your tickets online or by calling (800) 538-3883. You don’t have to be present to win. The drawing is Thursday, April 15 at 2 p.m. CT! Check out our Twitter page if you'd like ticket count updates! |
|
Wil Cooksey
Receives Prestigious Award
 Wil Cooksey, former manager of the
world’s only Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, KY and a
member of the Board of Directors of the National Corvette Museum
will receive the prestigious Lee Iacocca Award August 21, 2010 at
the “Cool Cars, Cool Mountains” Car Show in Gunnison, Colorado.
Only 20 car clubs in the United States are designated annually by
Mr. Iacocca to select recipients for the award that bears his
name.Mike Callihan, president of the Gunnison Car Club, says the choice of Wil Cooksey for the Iacocca Award was a natural one. “Wil is simply an incredible individual. Whether in the car business, on the boards of non-profit community organizations or on the race track he never gives less than his all out best. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a car nut from head to toe, either.” Read more about this award on our blog. |
|
Taking
Track-to-Street Technology to a New Level
 When the 2006 Corvette Z06 was introduced,
it represented the closest connection to the Corvette race cars
ever. The 2009 Corvette ZR1 closed the gap between racing and
production even further. This year, Corvette continues its tradition
of track-to-street technology transfer with the 2011 Corvette Z06
Carbon Limited Edition.The Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is another example of the expanded Corvette line-up. Five years ago, customers had the choice of a Corvette coupe or convertible. With the addition of the Z06, Grand Sport coupe and convertible and ZR1, Corvette enthusiasts now have more choices than ever. Learn more about the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition here. Register to attend the Birthday Bash and see this car in person!! |
|
New to the
Floor: Melon Metallic Prototype
 The 1992 Melon Metallic was originally
built as a Black Corvette with gray interior. GM took the Corvette
from the assembly plant and did a test shot of the new color to
test it for future years. GM never produced any other Melon
Metallic Corvettes after this Corvette. Chevrolet made several
different hues of Gold cars over the years, but this is the only
Melon Metallic Corvette.This special car is now on display in our Skydome, and is on loan to the Museum from Mark and Sheri Pieloch of Lincoln, NE. Do you have a sweet ride you'd be willing to loan us for display? Visit our website at www.corvettemuseum.org/display to learn more about this unique opportunity! |
|
Labor Day Event
Celebrates 1960 and 1985 Corvettes
 New for this year's Labor Day event is a
special display to celebrate the 25th and 50th anniversaries of
Corvette models. This year's spotlight is on 1960 and 1985
Corvettes.If you are coming to our Labor Day event and are interested in being a part of this display, please contact Karen Renfrow in our Events Department at 270-467-8804 or 800-538-3883. You can also email her at karen@corvettemuseum.org. |
|
Spring eCatalog
and FREE SHIPPING!
 Download our
Spring
eCatalog (a pdf file with all the new looks) and shop online for
some great Corvette finds like these
Grand
Sport mats! Spend $75 or more and receive FREE Shipping!Free shipping applies to orders* placed by Tuesday, April 6, 2010 on purchases of $75 or more within the Continental U.S. only (free shipping is applied after discounts and does not include shipping charges). Free shipping does not apply to Overnight, Second/Third Day and International shipping. *Some exclusions apply. Not valid on previous purchases. Shop online now at: store.corvettemuseum.org |
|
Add-On an
Xperience You'll Never Forget!
 Are you coming to any of our events this
year? Have you considered coming in a day or so early, or staying
a day or so late?Is your club planning a group visit to the
Museum, or are you passing through during your spring and summer
travels? Read more about this special experience online and make plans to participate in one, or put it on your bucket list! |
|
Dana Forrester
Joins NCM Board of Directors
 Dana Forrester, nationally known artist
from Independence, Missouri, and member of the Kansas City
Corvette Association (KCCA) has been named to the National
Corvette Museum Board of Directors. Dana succeeds John Pirkle of
Augusta, Georgia, who served in that postion for ten years
representing the National Corvette Restorers Society.Dana assumed his responsibilities at the March 1 board meeting at the National Corvette Museum. |
|
Featured Corvette
Store Item
 C6 Corvette Duet Polo.
This sporty polo features colorblock details at the front and back
plus a fabric that has a beautiful, soft hand feel and moisture
wicking to keep you cool and dry! Tonal National Corvette Museum
embroidered on the left sleeve and the C6 Corvette emblem embroidered
on the front left chest. 65% cotton/ 35% polyester.$59.00 Don't forget about our $8.99 and under sale going on now while quantities last! Shop online now at: store.corvettemuseum.org |
|
Flint Bricks Available in Bulk at
Greatly Reduced Prices
 Do you have any spring projects planned,
like building a fire pit, patio, walkway, etc.? How would you like
to incorporate a piece of Corvette History into your plans?The Museum has bricks from the original Corvette assembly plant in Flint, Michigan now available at bulk rates. Bricks must be picked up, and the bricks are not cleaned... they have old mortar on them. There are four styles/colors of bricks to choose from. 50-99 bricks: $2.50 each 100-199 bricks: $2.00 each 200-299 bricks: $1.50 each 300-399 bricks: $1.00 each 400-499 bricks: $0.75 each 500 or more: $0.50 each Call or email Connie Russell for any questions or to reserve your bricks! Bricks can be picked up anytime that you are visiting us. connie@corvettemuseum.org or 270-467-8815. |
|
Anonymous Memorabilia Donation
Received
 The Corvette Museum Library and Archives
recently received an anonymous donation of two Beach Boys concert
tickets from the Museum's Grand Opening in 1994. We'd like to thank
the person who sent these... they are now on display with the other
Grand Opening Memorabilia in the display window outside our Library
and Archives.Do you have any quirky Corvette memorabilia you'd like to donate? We'd love to have it! Donations can be sent to: Betty Hardison National Corvette Museum 350 Corvette Drive Bowling Green, KY 42101 |
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
C5/C6 Bash Click here to download our new Events brochure with paper registration form! We also have these available if you want some to hand out at your event or club meeting. Call us and we'll mail you some! |
|
Cool Visitor Video
David Rosenberg of Louisville, Kentucky shared this video he made of
his visit to the National Corvette Museum with us. We thought we'd
share it with you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBHimeD4-qU |
|
Corvette Racing Encounters Perfect Storm in Sebring Pit Lane Contact Seals Corvettes' Fate in Classic Endurance Race
SEBRING, Fla., March 20, 2010 – For
many years, Sebring International Raceway was Corvette Racing's
Bermuda Triangle, a place where strange things happened
routinely. After seven victories at the classic circuit, Sebring
was once again the team's nemesis in the 58th running of the
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. An improbable collision in the
pit lane ultimately consigned the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6. R
to an eighth-place finish and the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R
to ninth place at the checkered flag.
The race started well for the twin Corvettes, with Jan Magnussen running fourth and Oliver Gavin fifth. At the 39-minute mark, the Corvettes were second and third before the first full-course caution period began. But Murphy's Law – "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" – was about to be invoked as the No. 3 Corvette went behind the wall to repair a power steering hose at 1:55 into the race, rejoining the fray with an eight-lap deficit to the leader. The decisive moment occurred at 3:09 when the No. 3 Corvette pitted, with Magnussen replacing Johnny O'Connell. Magnussen was released from his pit box just as Emmanuel Collard was entering the adjacent stall in the No. 4 Corvette. The resulting contact damaged both cars. The No. 4 went immediately to the transporters where the Corvette crew replaced its front stabilizer bar and bodywork. The No. 3 suffered a punctured front tire and returned to the pits for repairs after completing a lap at reduced speed. "I can’t tell you all the things that had to line up for that to happen right there, but it was super unfortunate and everyone is feeling bad about it," Magnussen said. "I feel so sorry for the No. 4 Corvette – we were out of contention because we had a long pit stop, but the No. 4 car was in with a good shot, it was fast. I can guarantee that things will be done so that never happens again." "It was a misunderstanding because normally I should pit one lap later, but I had a low fuel alarm on the back straight," Collard explained. "I put the reserve on and they asked me come to the pits."
"An incident like this has never
happened before at Corvette Racing," said program manager Doug
Fehan. "A perfect storm of events that certainly we can't
attribute to any one thing caused the two cars to come together
in pit lane. We’ll go back and look at what took place,
establish procedures to ensure that it never happens again, and
come back stronger for the next event. Even when our guys were
laps down to the leaders, they ran just as hard after that
incident as they did before. That tells you what Corvette Racing
is about."
The misfortune continued in the eighth hour as the No. 4 Corvette C6.R with Oliver Gavin at the wheel was hit by an errant tire on the course. It was a glancing blow; a few microseconds later, it might have been much worse. As darkness settled on Sebring, Gavin found that the headlights were not working. He returned to the pits, where the Corvette crew replaced the nose, headlight, and harness assembly. "I don't know which of the racing gods I've offended, but I'd certainly like to apologize," Gavin quipped. "It’s been an extraordinary day, the most eventful ever for this team. We had a car capable of challenging anyone, but somehow it all went wrong. So now it’s on to Long Beach.” In the closing hours, the race settled into a steady routine as the miles went by. The drivers completed their stints without incident, punctuated by pit stops for four Michelin tires and a tank of E85 ethanol fuel. O'Connell took the No. 3 Corvette C6.R across the finish line, and Olivier Beretta piloted the No. 4 to the finish. "Racing is hard stuff, and no matter how hard you try and how hard you prepare, sometimes things go wrong," O'Connell said. "You can either beat yourself up or be encouraged by how well the crew performed to get both cars back in the race. The guys were awesome. We got a lot of positives out of this event: We made good progress on our engine development and we got a gauge to measure where we stand versus the competition. The mark of a champion is overcoming adversity and finding ways to win, and I know this team can do that." Corvette Racing’s next event is the American Le Mans Series at Long Beach on Saturday, April 17. The one-hour, 40-minute race will start at 4:15 p.m. PT and will be televised at 8 p.m. ET on SPEED. |
Save the Wave