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.

Corvette Raffle Winner Spotlight: Phil Hans

Phil Hans of Middleburg, Florida has been diligently purchasing our Corvette Raffle tickets for the past four years. On Thursday, January 17, 2013, Phil and his wife Lorraine were drawn as the lucky winners of the highly coveted 2013 Night Race Blue ZR1, a part of the General Motors fleet and the personal car of Corvette Exterior Designer, Kirk Bennion. Phil’s Corvette Raffle ticket, #997, was drawn from a sold out raffle pool of 1,994 tickets.

"Although winning the raffle was amazing, it was the staff that made it a really memorable time for the both of us. You have a great product and a superlative delivery team. This was truly an incredible experience and your staff made it that way. I can still remember everyone clapping and cheering as Larry drove me out of Corvette Boulevard in my ZR1 Corvette. I can tell you that smile still hasn't left my face! My dream has really come true thanks to the National Corvette Museum."

Prior to winning, Phil had plans to trade in his 1994 Admiral Blue Corvette for a 2004 Z06 Special Edition Corvette, and came very close to making the trade only a week before winning our raffle. Phil did end up selling the ’94 recently due to a lack of garage space for his new addition. Since picking up his prize, Phil says that he has been showing it off at every opportunity and has fallen in love with Corvettes all over again.

“I have been a Corvette fan since my youth,” said Phil. “As a farmer growing up in Maryland, I was a bit of a motor head always working on cars or farm machinery, when not doing farming chores. My first Corvette ride was when my cousin stopped by the farm with her Army Ranger boyfriend who had a brand new 1971 yellow Corvette with the LS5 motor and a 4 speed transmission. We ventured out and of course we had to stop by my friend’s house to show off. On the ride back, he stopped that Corvette right in the middle of a country road and said, “you drive.” So, I excitedly got behind the wheel and felt the power and rumble from that car right through my seat, up my spine and in to my head. I was hooked on Corvettes forever from that moment on.”

 

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.

Adam Turpin of Henderson, KY Wins a Vette

Adam Turpin, a native of Henderson, KY (now stationed out of Norfolk, VA) received a special and exciting phone call on Thursday, September 22. He was drawn as the winner of a 2011 “Build Your Own” ZR1 Corvette in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Adam had visited the National Corvette Museum in August and entered a fundraising raffle sponsored by the Museum – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. His lucky ticket, number 153, was drawn.

Adam had the option of building a ZR1 Corvette, choosing the color and features of the car – or taking an $80,000 cash option. Adam is currently deployed to the Middle East, serving in the US Navy on the USS Typhoon in the Persian Gulf, and decided to take the cash option on the raffle.

The National Corvette Museum holds a series of fundraising raffles each year, varying in ticket price, odds and type of Corvette. The raffles help support the Museum, which is not only a nonprofit organization, but also a membership organization created solely by Corvette enthusiasts. The Museum is located just off I-65, exit 28 in south central Kentucky and is open daily, 8am-5pm CT. Learn more about the Museum online at www.corvettemuseum.org or call 800-53 VETTE.

Congratulations to Adam!