The National Corvette Museum Newsletter
for July, 2010
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Pace Car Reunion Offers Behind the
Scenes Access September 22-24
 This bi-annual event is expanded to
include a road tour that will take you behind the scenes at many
places not open to the public!
A kick-off is set for Wednesday, September 22 with a private Corvette Plant tour and visit with Bob Parcell, Plant Manager. Next is an update on the Motorsports Park project and guided Museum tour followed by a catered Meet 'n Greet drivers/ navigators meeting before staging and caravanning to Indianapolis. Activities along the road tour include Chip Ganassi / Target Racing team garage tour, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hall of Fame Museum visit, Ray Skillman Car Collection viewing, dinner and visit at Andy Wolf's Car Collection, Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum visit, Milford Proving Ground laps, Pratt & Miller lunch and tour, GM's Heritage Collection viewing and more! This is definitely a behind-the-scenes tour you won't want to miss. View the full event agenda and register online here. Don't have a Pace Car? No worries! The caravan will include other Corvettes, followed by any metal cars. |
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Your Donations Have Helped!
 Thanks to everyone who contributed to our
Spring giving campaign, we have a lot of new things implemented at
the Museum! We wanted to update you on how your donations are being
used, including:
Gifts from our supporters help us to enhance your Museum and achieve the mission of celebration, education and preservation of America's Sports Car. If you didn't get a chance to participate, it's not too late! Gifts in support of the NCM's projects at $150 or above can still receive a commemorative dash plaque designed by Corvette Designer Kirk Bennion. Total gifts of $1,000 or more will be recognized at our annual Winners Circle and Duntov Society Recognition Event in April 2011 as part of the C5/C6 Bash. Click here to give today! |
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V.I.P. Tour Discount Offer Extended!
 Due to the popularity of our V.I.P.
Corvette Plant and Museum tour promotion we have extended the
deadline to participate to August 26! Book and use your tour by
the deadline, and
save $50 off the regular price.
The 3-5 hour tour includes the GM Corvette Assembly Plant and The National Corvette Museum. Tours are more in-depth and include portions not included in the regular tours. Regular price of tours is $250 and includes up to four people in a group. Special pricing now until August 26 is $200. Additional persons are $50 each. Mention this special offer when booking. More information is online here. You may also contact Gary Cockriel or Lori Bieschke at 800-205-4248 or by email gary@corvettemuseum.org or lori@corvettemuseum.org. |
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Top 100 Website Seeks Corvette
Writers
 Share your passion for America’s sports
car. Examiner.com is looking for contributors throughout North
America to write about local Corvette events, history, news,
products and personalities behind the cars. Each writer (or what
is called an Examiner) is given a page on Examiner.com and they
are free to write stories, publish slideshows and link to other
resources. Check out
Mark Leevan’s column.
Examiners are paid based on performance.
Interested? Apply here as a Corvette Examiner in the Transportation channel. Or contact Nate Ferguson with questions. |
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Thunderhill High Performance Driving Event Offers One-Day Option
 Those wanting to participate in the
popular Thunderhill HPDE but for a shorter amount of time now have
a Thursday or Friday, one-day driving school option! Four levels
of run groups are available to choose from with a cost of only
$285 for the single day. This year's event also has a new Mystery road tour option, taking you through some areas of Northern California that we bet most have never seen. The tour includes lunch and ends at the Thunderhill track where you will enjoy light refreshments, a tour of the facilities and a parade lap. Learn more online here. |
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Club and High Performance Driving
School Insurance Now Offered Through NCM
 The NCM Insurance Agency offers two new
types of insurance. Our club insurance is intended for clubs with
100-500 members that meet in rented or owned spaces. We also provide
coverage for special events, cruise-ins, car shows, scenic road
tours as well as coverage for board members and officers in your
club.Also new is High Performance Driving School physical damage coverage. The policy is designed to provide coverage for street legal and/or track prepared vehicles while "on track." The policy picks up where your standard policy ends for approved Drivers Education, Member Day, Autocross, Open Track and Time Trial events. If you are interested in learning more about either of these policy options, contact Adam Boca directly for a quote at 877-678-7626. |
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Photo Album of Your Corvette Being Born
Recent album purchaser Len Feinberg shared with us his impression of the album, "I got the Corvette Photo Album today. Absolutely FANTASTIC, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL. I am overwhelmed. The price is a true bargain. In this day and age of computers and robots to have someone go out in the plant and take pictures of your car being built is a fantastic service. Probably one of the better kept secrets in the automotive world." Photo albums are $500. Learn more online
here! |
Let us help you preserve a monumental
part of your Corvette's history with a 20-page photo album that
captures the complete build of your new Corvette!|
Corvette Store Featured Item: C5
Corvette Emblem End Table
 C5
Corvette Emblem End Table - $114.95C5 Corvette Emblem End Table in pewter shade with custom grind pattern. Table is 18" tall with a 16" table top. Great for displaying your Corvette collectibles. Made with aluminum so it will not rust. |
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Meal and a 'Moovie' Added to Labor Day
Event Agenda
 Wind down our Anniversary Celebration with
a nice, relaxing drive to Chaney's Dairy Barn for a buffet dinner
and ice cream, followed by a movie! Bring a blanket or lawn chair
and watch the movie under the stars as it is projected on the side
of the barn.This newly added road tour is Saturday, September 4 beginning at 4:45pm. If you are already registered for the event, you can add this on. And if you aren't registered, why not? We hope to see you here! Check out this short You Tube video about our upcoming event and review the agenda online here. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
R8C
/ Xperience Reunion Click here to download our new Events brochure with paper registration form! |
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NCM's Anniversary Celebration to
Showcase Corvette's Past and Future
 This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans
marked the 50th anniversary of Corvette's first participation
in the world's most celebrated sports car race. And this
year’s NCM Anniversary Celebration will re-unite Briggs
Cunningham’s No. 3 Corvette with the 2011 Special Z06 created
as a modern version of the 1960 racer.
Briggs Cunningham's No. 3 Corvette was purchased by the late Chip Miller who went through great lengths to restore the car. His son, Lance, has carried on the passion by shipping the car to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race… a race where it finished first in the large displacement GT category and eighth overall at Le Mans in 1960. Lance will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky September 2-4 with the Cunningham Corvette, and conduct a seminar as part of the National Corvette Museum’s weekend activities. His Corvette will be displayed side-by-side with the 2011 Special Z06. View the full release on this reuniting here. Check-out the event agenda and register online here. |
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Corvette Offers "Build Your Own Engine"
 For many customers, a Corvette purchase
is much more than just “buying a sports car” – it is a total,
unique experience.If the purchase involves a Z06 or ZR1 model, the customer upon delivery will immediately open the hood and locate the engine builder’s name, recognizing their new Corvette engine was hand assembled by a unique team at the Performance Build Center. In the back of their mind, they probably wish they could be at the center participating in the assembly of their engine. Starting today, they could do just that – participate in the assembly of their Z06 or ZR1 engine at the Performance Build Center. A new option code PBC (Corvette Engine Build Experience) is available for ordering on all 2011 Z06 and ZR1 models. Selecting this code provides the customer the opportunity to be directly involved in the assembly of the engine that will be installed in their respective Z06 or ZR1 model. The MSRP of this option is $5800, and includes one night stay; meals and a driver who will transport the customer from a Detroit area hotel to the Performance Build Center for their engine build experience. Similar to the Corvette Museum option, the customer is responsible for costs associated with travel to and from the Detroit area.
Check out this
You Tube video about the
experience! |
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Take a Letterboxing Quest Through the Museum
 If you are looking for a new way to
explore the Museum, why not take a letterboxing quest!
Letterboxing is a treasure-hunt in scenic places that the whole family can enjoy. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by following clues, and then record their discovery in their personal journal with the help of a rubber stamp that's part of the letterbox. In addition, letterboxers have their own personal stamps which they use to stamp into the letterbox's logbook. More FAQs online here. We have planted 7 letterboxes throughout the Museum, and participation is simple. Visit atlasquest.com and perform a location based search for 42101. All of our letterboxes start with "NCM." You can view the clues to help you identify where our boxes are located. We will continue to add more boxes, so if you have any automotive or travel themed stamps you'd like to donate, let us know! |
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Receive Raffle Updates Via Text Message
 Want to stay on top of our ticket counts
for limited raffles? Sign up to receive raffle text alerts! Simply
text NCM
to 247411.
You will get a welcome. Reply with
NCMRAFFLE to confirm your
subscription.You may opt out at any time by texting NONCMRAFFLE. There are no additional fees for this service other than your normal messaging and data rates for your cell phone. |
CORVETTE RACING:
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Rocky Road for Corvette
Racing in Lime Rock ALMS
Gavin and Beretta Finish Fifth, O'Connell and Magnussen Retire After Contact2010-07-24
LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 24,
2010 – Lime Rock Park proved to be no walk in the park for
Corvette Racing in today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand
Prix. Suspension damage resulting from contact sidelined the
No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, while a stop-and-go penalty
effectively took the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R out of
contention for a victory.
The No. 4 Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta finished fifth in the GT class, two laps behind the winning No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche. The No. 3 Corvette C6.R of Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen finished 12th after retiring shortly after the first hour with 35 laps completed. After rain throughout Friday's practice and qualifying sessions, race day dawned hot and humid, with the thermometer at 88 degrees at the start of the two-hour, 45-minute race. The Corvettes started fourth and sixth in the 13-car GT field, and held those positions through the opening laps as the GT cars formed a six-car freight train on the roller coaster 1.5-mile circuit. At 22 minutes into the race, there was contact between O'Connell's Corvette and the No. 62 Ferrari of Jaime Melo going in the first turn. The Ferrari ended up in the barrier and subsequently retired; Melo was not injured. When racing resumed, the Corvettes emerged third and fourth in the GT category. "Melo had a legitimate run on me going down the hill, I got caught up by guys running 10 seconds off the pace, and he came up the inside," O'Connell said. "In my view, he moved to the left, made contact, and that's what caused him to go off. I know that he's very disappointed, but it is what it is." Beretta was vigorously defending fourth place against a pair of BMWs when he was notified to come into the pits to serve a stop-and-go penalty for blocking. At the 40-minute mark he complied with the officials' decision. Five minutes later, Gavin took over the No. 4 Corvette and drove it to the finish. "I was very upset with the penalty because everything was good in our first race in GT at Lime Rock," Beretta said. "I was bumped three times – I was the victim, and yet I got the penalty. I just moved one time to defend my line, I was not zigzagging. It was just racing, but the penalty destroyed our race." Seconds later, the No. 3 Corvette's race came to an abrupt end in Turn 1 after contact with a GTC entry damaged the left rear suspension. The immobilized race car was loaded onto a flatbed and taken to the Corvette Racing transporters. After inspecting the damage, the team retired the car. "By the time the car got back to the transporter and the crew took a look at it, we knew that we didn't have enough time to make the repairs and still complete 70 percent of the laps that are required to score points," explained team manager Gary Pratt. Gavin's two-hour stint in the No. 4 Corvette was relatively uneventful. Caught out by a safety car that split the GT field, Gavin lost a lap to the leaders. He got back on the lead lap with one hour to go when the leaders pitted, but didn't get the caution that he needed to rejoin the frontrunners. Gavin's stint did have its own share of drama, however, with a quick spin in the uphill chicane and a close encounter with a Ferrari in Turn 1. Then light rain began to fall in the final 10 minutes. "When I got in the car I knew I was going to be behind because of the extraordinary penalty we received," Gavin said. "From that point onwards we were just trying to get that lap back. We had a bit of an incident with a Porsche trying to go around the outside in Turn 5 and lost the rear of the car, and that cost me maybe 10 seconds. When it started to sprinkle and the track got slippery, I thought it could be a time for us to capitalize so I tried to go around the outside of the Patron Ferrari in Turn 1. I don't think he saw me, and he pushed me wide into the marbles. "It seemed that everything we tried today just didn't work out," Gavin noted. "At least we came away with a fifth place, but it's frustrating that we can't seem to get a break at the moment." "At the end of the day, we had cars that were competitive at Lime Rock," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "We hadn't turned a lap in the dry until warm-up this morning. If you are looking for a silver lining at Lime Rock, it was quite an accomplishment for the Corvettes to be able to run with teams and cars that have years of experience here." Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mid-Ohio Sports Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The 2-hour, 45-minute race will start at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 7, and will be televised by CBS Sports on Sunday, August 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Live streaming video can be viewed on americanlemans.com, and live radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio, Sirius Channel 127, and XM Channel 242. American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix GT Results: Pos./Drivers/Car/Laps 1. Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 161 2. Auberlen/Milner, BMW M3 GT, 161 3. Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 161 4. Salo/Kaffer, Ferrari 430 GT, 160 5. Gavin/Beretta, Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 159 6. Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 430 GT, 157 7. Law/Neiman, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 157 8. Sellers/Henzler, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 156 9. Dalziel/Goosens, Jaguar XKRS, 152 10. Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari 430 GT, 150 11. Robertson/Murry, Ford GT-R, 110 12. O'Connell/Magnussen, Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 35 13. Melo/Bruni, Ferrari 430 GT, 22 |
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