NCM Motorsports Park's First FIVE Acre Club Member: E. Pierce Marshall, Jr.

E. Pierce Marshall, Jr. of Dallas, TX is a self-proclaimed Corvette Junky as well as a proud Lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum. Having grown up with a father who also had a great love for America’s Sports Car, Pierce currently owns a total of 11 Corvettes. A supporter of the museum since its opening in 1994, Pierce has been purchasing our Corvette Raffle tickets for several years, often 15 at a time! This dedication finally paid off in November of 2011 when his winning ticket #181 was drawn in our raffle for a Build-Your-Own 2012 ZR1 Corvette. Pierce knew as soon as he won that he wanted to order a 2012 Centennial Edition ZR1, which is exactly what he did.

In addition to his many Corvette Raffle ticket purchases, Pierce also became a One Acre Club member, writing a check on the day that he picked up his new ZR1. After seeing the progress that the NCM Motorsports Park project has made over the last year since his initial donation, Pierce recently decided to up the ante and become our very FIRST and only FIVE Acre Club member! We spoke with him recently about his generous contribution:

What is your “Corvette story”?
My father was a huge Corvette fan since he bought his first one in 1958, and he passed that passion (some might call it an obsession) on to me. He had taken me to Powell High Performance Driving School numerous times from the time I was 21 and all we drove were Corvettes. When I got out of law school in 1995, I finally had a chance to own one - I decided to build a replica of one I had seen on the cover of Car & Driver back in 1992: it had a Lingenfelter 383 and the Larry Shinoda body kit and I spent the next 3 years while in school drooling over the prospect of having one, one day. Needless to say, I’m great at buying them and not selling them!

What made you decide to join the One Acre Club and then the Five Acre Club?
I have been a huge fan of the Museum ever since, by complete happenstance, I was driving back to law school in September of 1994 on I-65 at 9:30pm and saw the spot lights during the Grand Opening event. It was open 24 hours all that weekend if I recall correctly. I somehow convinced my wife to let me pull in to check it out, despite how late it was. I was on Cloud 9! Unfortunately by the time I was done at midnight I had to drive 2 hours to find an available hotel room!

I first learned to drive Corvettes on the track at Mosport in Canada at John Powell’s driving school in 1988 and was blown away by what they could do right off of the showroom floor. By far, they are the best sports car available for the money. I am a Lifetime Member of the Museum and Corvette’s racing heritage is vital to its brand and pedigree – to have a track connected to the Museum was a project that I was extremely happy to see coming to fruition.

How do you plan to use the Motorsports Park?
I have a very heavily modified, track-dedicated 2007 Z06 Corvette, and I definitely want to bring that to the track one day to try it out!

Do you own a Corvette or multiples?
I have a small collection:

1. 1961 Silver restored 283/315HP “Fuelie” with the Big Brake option
2. 1961 Red 283/315HP “Fuelie” that my father owned new for just 2 years and then sold in 1963. He never stopped talking about how much he regretted selling that car for the rest of his life. I tracked it down and purchased it last year from the guy that had owned it since 1975; I am having it restored to the way my father had it 50 years ago.
3. 1967 original Black/Black Coupe with a 427/435HP engine and 41,000 original miles- 98 point Bloomington Gold
4. 1995 Admiral Blue with Z07 brake/suspension package, a Lingenfelter 383 and a Larry Shinoda Rick Mears Body Kit
5. 2007 White Ron Fellows Edition Z06, #48
6. 2007 Blue track Z06 for road racing (865HP and is normally aspirated)
7. 2011 Blue Z06 Carbon Edition (Stock) Took Museum Delivery
8. 2011 Blue Z06 Carbon Edition, which has a 1,200HP twin turbo C5R engine
9. 2012 Centennial Edition ZR1- Took Museum Delivery, which I won in the January 2012 NCM raffle
10. 2012 Centennial Edition ZR1-modified with 820HP
11. 2013 Convertible 427 with the 60th Anniversary package

The Museum survives on the generosity of its supporters, and the Motorsports Park is no different. Each acre purchased sends a powerful message to potential sponsors of how committed Corvette enthusiasts are to making this project happen. The National Corvette Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational foundation and is the largest car museum in the world dedicated to a single model. The planned Motorsports Park will have over one mile of frontage on Interstate 65, the third most traveled north-south Interstate in the eastern United States. For more information visit www.motorsportspark.org or call 800-53-VETTE (83883).

Corvette Raffle Winner Spotlight: Dick Murphy

Dick Murphy, like many of our Museum supporters, is also a dedicated Corvette raffle ticket buyer. “It’s hard to say how many tickets I’ve purchased over the years, but I am confident that I spent at least $2,000-3,000 prior to winning,” said Murphy. Murphy, from the Houston, Texas area, won our “Build Your Own 2012 Z06 or Grand Sport” raffle with lucky ticket #490, drawn on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

Murphy is no stranger to Corvettes, as prior to winning he already owned three C3’s; a 1971 LT1 Convertible, 1973 Coupe with a 454 engine and a modified 1981 that Murphy uses as his daily driver. He enjoys working on his older cars and making modifications, but admits that he is a bit intimidated by his new Z06’s level of technology. “The older cars give me something to work on as they pretty much only rely on spark and gas to run; the new car is so computerized it is well beyond my ability and comprehension to even consider working on. On cars 30 to 40 years old, there’s always something to replace or fix. It’s hard to imagine what I could possibly do to make the Z06 any better than it already is!”

Murphy picked up his new Z06 Centennial Edition in April 2012, and has had many adventures and fun experiences in his new toy. “I have truly been enjoying the car.  After winning and driving it back from the Museum I headed to Colorado for a few days.  The trip through northern Texas, New Mexico and some back roads heading up to Colorado gave me a good feel for the car which I doubt I will ever push to its limits.  The car is blisteringly quick, extremely stable at high speeds and gets 27 MPG when driving the car normally; hard to imagine.  The car is truly amazing given the level of power, comfort and economy on the open road.”

The National Corvette Museum has been turning Corvette dreamers into owners since 1997 when the first raffle was held.  As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, the Museum holds a number of Corvette and Camaro raffles each year, with varying odds and ticket prices, as a means to raise funds for the Museum’s operations.  Those interested in participating may sign up for the Museum’s email newsletter to receive updates on the next chance to participate at www.corvettemuseum.org.  Tickets can be purchased online, by phone and in person.

Corvette Raffle Winner Spotlight: Rico Cuomo

Rico Cuomo of Scottsdale, Arizona made an impulsive stop at the National Corvette Museum while on a business road trip between Nashville and Louisville. Little did he know at the time, this trip would result in winning a brand new 2012 ZR1 Corvette, built his way!

During Rico’s impromptu visit, he toured the museum and almost bought a raffle ticket, but his business partner talked him out of it. “When I got home I just had a weird feeling I should have bought one so I went online and pulled the trigger on the $500 ZR1 raffle,” said Cuomo.  His $500 winning ticket, # 29, was drawn on Thursday, January 5, 2012. “When Christy called me, I was on a conference call and saw the call was coming from KY. I just knew that I had won which was a feeling I had from the moment I bought the ticket!”

While he waivered back and forth on whether to take the ZR1 or the $80,000 cash option, he eventually decided on the car. Today, he says that he can’t imagine not picking the car! Rico picked Cyber Gray as his ZR1’s paint color, and loaded it up with options such as cup style black satin wheels, black metallic headlamps, blue stitching in the leather interior upholstery, and of course the ZR1 High Performance package.

Rico’s return trip to the museum to pick up his new car was even more memorable than he had expected. “The experience was almost better than the car! Everyone from Gary, Lori, Christy, Adam, Chuck (Dealer) and especially Ron were just awesome. Yes, winning something as special as a ZR1 is awesome but the way you all delivered it from the call to the car was just beyond our expectations.  The plant tour with Ron was really the icing on the cake for us. You all contributed to the experience in a special way which was truly seamless and appreciated based on the way the car came out. The factory tour was great and taking delivery of the ZR1 couldn’t have been better. I wanted to thank you again for what was one of the best service experiences my wife and I have had in a long time.”

The National Corvette Museum has been turning Corvette dreamers into owners since 1997 when the first raffle was held.  As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, the Museum holds a number of Corvette and Camaro raffles each year, with varying odds and ticket prices, as a means to raise funds for the Museum’s operations.  Those interested in participating may sign up for the Museum’s email newsletter to receive updates on the next chance to participate at www.corvettemuseum.org.  Tickets can be purchased online, by phone and in person.