Team ChEaparral Donates 1986 "Sucker Vette"

One of our top priorities at the National Corvette Museum is to create opportunities that will inspire, educate and engage young minds. The automobile, and Corvette in particular, is in itself the ideal classroom combining art, science, cultural trends, commerce and innovative thinking into what truly is a marvel of human ingenuity. So what better place is there than the Museum to introduce students of all ages to the technologies that go into it?

We often attract like-minded people and organizations who are also on a mission to ignite the imaginations of tomorrow’s innovators. Such was the case last Friday when the members of Team ChEaparral donated their 1986 ChEaparral J2J “sucker Vette” to the Museum.

Part fun, part engineering exercise, and part financial challenge, this was a project taken on by a group of engineers from Proctor & Gamble, looking to come up with an entry to compete in the $2007 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. The goal for this contest was to build a car for under $2,007 that they could enter in a variety of competitions.

With the challenge of doing this on the cheap, they found a wrecked Corvette in a barn for $1400. It already had a hole in the hood so they cut it out further to make room for twin turbos that gave it an extra 100 horses.

Because they couldn’t get fast enough in an autocross to generate downforce in the usual way, they came up with another idea to get more grip inspired by the Jim Hall vacuum enhanced Chaparral 2J from the 1970’s. For their CHEAParral version of Jim’s car, they rigged up a skirt under the car connected to a cooling fan from an Abrams tank installed in the passenger seat. They powered the fan with a snowmobile engine, to create so much suction that you can actually see the car being pulled to the ground. They wound up getting around 1000 pounds of downforce while making quite a spectacle of themselves for the crowds. With a beer keg for a gas tank designed to keep the engine from being gas starved in the hard turns, they were ready to see what they could do with this car.

They competed against 50 others, winning the autocross, concourse, best-engineered award, top finishing team and the 2007 Challenge Overall Champion award. Having succeeded in their goal of making this car a winner, the question eventually came up of what should happen to the car.

“It is sad for us to let the car go, but we are happy that the car is coming here,” says Cliff Papsdorf when he handed over the keys. “The National Corvette Museum is the perfect home for it.”

The team hopes that the ChEaparral will show future generations what a group of people can make happen with hard work, a good education, and a focused devotion to a cause.

Museum Sinkhole Remediation Plan Outlined, Construction Starts November 10

Corvette Museum Skydome Sinkhole Viewing Ending Soon

National Corvette Museum officials met on Wednesday with construction personnel and engineers to review the plan, process and timeline for remediating the sinkhole and repairing the Skydome building.  Construction is slated to begin on Monday, November 10 and if everything goes according to schedule, the project will be completed by July, 2015.

The team reviewed the step-by-step process of filling the sinkhole beginning with the removal of boulders.  Late November through December the team will then install sheet piling to block the cave openings.  The hole will then be filled with about 4,000 tons of fist-sized #2 stone, taking place late December through mid-January, 2015. The remaining concrete slab flooring in the room will be removed in mid-January.  At that time, electrical, water and HVAC  repair work will occur through mid-February.

A quantity of 46 micropiles as well as grade beams will be installed mid-February through late March. The micropiles will be spaced 15-20 feet apart at an average depth of 141 feet based on the structural engineering design.  This design will ensure that if another collapse were to occur, the floor would remain intact.  Following this process will be the installation of additional stone as well as a new concrete slab floor (anticipated to take until late April to complete).  The final two months of construction will include the rebuilding of a new entrance with garage door and emergency exit doors, other repairs, repainting, installing new lighting fixtures, a thorough cleaning and other final touch ups.

Changes to the room will include a one-level natural color polished concrete floor without stairs and ramps like the current room has; the new garage door to allow for easy display car access as well as the ability to have an open-air entry for after-hours facility rentals; a redesigned drainage system; and 12 foot paved perimeter around the Skydome.  The cost of the project is just over $3.2 million.

While the Skydome web cams will be removed during the construction process, the Plexiglas viewing window will remain so that Museum guests can watch the on-going work.

The Museum team has received numerous ideas and suggestions on ways to tell the story of what happened on February 12, 2014 and provide interesting and entertaining aspects for visitors.  The Museum is currently exploring several options that include the opportunity to see down into the caves and 3D art.

The Museum plans to display the three restored Corvettes and five unrestored Corvettes in the Skydome once work has completed.

“We appreciate all of the support, feedback, ideas and prayers throughout this very interesting time in our history,” said Wendell Strode, Museum Executive Director.  “Sunday, November 9 will be the very last day to see the sinkhole up close and in person – so if you’ve been wanting to check it out for yourself you have just over three weeks to do so.”

Currently six of the eight “sinkhole Corvettes” are on display in the Skydome: the 1962 Tuxedo Black Corvette, 1984 PPG Pace Car, 1993 ZR-1 Spyder, 1993 40^th Anniversary Ruby Red Corvette, 2001 “Mallet Hammer” Z06 and 2009 “1.5 Millionth” Corvette.  After November 9^th the Museum will move as many of the cars as possible into other public viewing areas until the Skydome re-opens in July, 2015.

The National Corvette Museum is located at I-65 exit 28 in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is open seven days a week, from 8am until 5pm Central Time. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids age 6 to 16, $8 for seniors or $25 family admission. Children age 5 and under are free, but are not allowed in the Skydome building. For more information on the Museum, visit www.corvettemuseum.org or download their free app on iTunes or Google Play, or call 800-538-3883.

Corvette Z06 Sprints to 60 mph in Less than 3 Seconds

New eight-speed automatic enables 2.95-sec. 0-60 time, 10.95-sec. quarter-mile

The performance of the all-new, 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 establishes it as one of the most capable vehicles on the market – and one of the few to achieve sub-3-second 0-60 performance and a sub-11-second quarter-mile time.

“The Corvette has long been known as America’s sports car,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors’ executive vice president, Global Product Development. “With the capability of the new Z06 rivaling the best performance cars in the world, we will also be America’s Supercar.”

The Corvette Z06 accelerates from a rest to 60 mph in only 2.95 seconds when equipped with the all-new, available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission – and achieves it in 3.2 seconds with the standard seven-speed manual transmission.

A quarter-mile sprint takes just 10.95 seconds with the eight-speed automatic and 11.2 seconds with the seven-speed manual. With both versions, the Corvette Z06 hits 127 mph at the end of the quarter-mile.

When it comes to braking performance, the Z06 can stop from 60 mph in only 99.6 feet. That’s the best braking performance of any production car GM has ever tested. Additionally, the Corvette Z06 achieves 1.2 g in lateral acceleration compared with the Corvette’s previous best 1.13 g.
The new Z06 is also the fastest production car ever tested at GM’s 2.9-mile Milford Road Course, beating the record set by the Corvette ZR1 by a full second.

All test results were achieved with Z06 coupes fitted with the Z07 Performance package, which adds Brembo carbon ceramic brake rotors and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. The Z07 package also features the most aggressive aerodynamic package available on the Corvette Z06, which delivers the most downforce of any production car GM has ever tested.

“The defining aspect of driving the Z06 is seamless integration of power, technology and aerodynamics,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “As a result, the Z06 delivers ferocious acceleration, tenacious handling, and high-speed stability that few cars can match.”

It is the first Corvette Z06 with a supercharged engine – SAE certified at 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque – and the first with an available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission.

Performance-enhancing Magnetic Ride Control and Performance Traction Management are standard, and the award-winning, industry-first Performance Data Recorder is available.

The 2015 Corvette Z06 coupe goes on sale in in early 2015 priced at $78,995, while the Z06 convertible goes on sale in the second quarter, priced at $83,995.

Editors’ Note: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price includes destination freight charge but excludes tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment. Excludes other General Motors’ vehicles.

Museum Owned GS90 Unveiled at 20th Anniversary Event

Enthusiast funds restoration of car to former glory

On Thursday, August 28, 2014 as part of the National Corvette Museum’s 20^th Anniversary Celebration, a special Corvette was unveiled, one that had recently undergone a cosmetic facelift.  The story of the car’s rebirth began during a Museum Display Committee meeting.

“Our collection of Corvettes was continuing to grown, so the committee was reviewing the list to see if there were any we might consider selling,” said Adam Boca, committee member and NCM Insurance Agent.  “The GS90 was in rough shape when we received it, and does not even have a motor so we thought it would be worth exploring a new home for it.”  In December 2013, Adam worked closely with Museum Lifetime Member Charlie Budenz to insure the GS90 #2 that he had recently purchased.  “I thought perhaps Charlie would be interested in the car, so I gave him a call and from there, the conversations turn to bringing the car back to life.”

Charlie offered to fund the restoration of the car and create a Museum quality showpiece.  “Basically, I couldn’t afford to corner the market on these cars… and I didn’t feel that I needed a set of bookends,” Charlie said.  “Then, in February of this year, the very Earth opened up and swallowed so many special NCM display Corvettes.  All of a sudden, the GS90 project went on a ‘front burner’ in order to replace some of the display cars,” he added.

Work on the car began in July and was completed in about a month.  The team at Final Finish in Morgantown, KY (a member of the Motorsports Park One Acre Club) complete some fiberglass repair, sanded the body down to the gel coat, then painted, striped and clear coated the car.  The wheels were also cleaned and new center caps made and applied.

Charlie Budenz provided some history of the car at the event, and former Project Manager for the GS90, Detlef Stevenson, was also on hand to share information and answer questions (and sign a few autographs!).

“Many diverse people have come to this 20^th Anniversary Celebration of the National Corvette Museum to share and enjoy its success! These good folks are the fans, the enthusiasts, the hobbyists who have the stories which make the cars so interesting. So many people have contributed to the stories as well as the success of this especially American museum… and they have contributed in large and small ways, which combined have made the huge success possible today,” Charlie said.  “It has been my profound pleasure to provide the donation resulting in the GS90s refurbishment for display as honored at the National Corvette Museum.”

The car is currently on display in the lobby of the Museum.  In addition to the Museum’s GS90, Charlie owns #2 while the other four are thought to be in museums in Detroit, Europe and Japan.

History of the GS-90

In 1994, Corvette racing driver and tuner, Dick Guldstrand introduced his first and only coachbuilt Corvette: the GS90.  The car is based on the Corvette ZR-1 chassis and engine designed by Steve Winter.  When the C4 ZR-1 was released, Guldstrand saw an opportunity to bring back the Grand Sport he used to race with, pitching the concept of his radically restyled ZR-1 to Chevrolet.  He requested several ZR-1s and a few million dollars.  Instead he received one car and a blessing.

The GS90 was Guldstrand’s ultimate 475hp version of the ZR-1, incorporating influences from the Grand Sports of the early 60s inside a distinctive body style that is a throwback to the original 1963 Corvette Grand Sport race cars.   Guldstrand left the ZR-1 cabin alone, concentrating instead on the chassis and engine development, and bespoke coachbuilt distinctive body. 

The car was debuted at the L.A. Auto Show and had a price tag of $134,500, and as a result, only six GS90s were built and sold.

Museum Board Finalizes Decision on Sinkhole, Great 8 Corvettes

The National Corvette Museum Board of Directors held their quarterly meeting and finalized plans for repair of the Museum’s Skydome building, and the eight Corvettes affected by the February 12, 2014 sinkhole collapse.

After careful review of additional information and revised plans with price quotes from the construction company, the board voted to completely fill in the sinkhole.

“We really wanted to preserve a portion of the hole so that guests for years to come could see a little bit of what it was like, but after receiving more detailed pricing, the cost outweighs the benefit,” said Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode. “At the June board meeting, the information available at that time indicated a cost of around $500,000 more to keep the hole, but after incorporating additional safety features and vapor barriers for humidity control, the price tag rose to $1 million more than the cost to put the Skydome back how it was.”

Keeping even a portion of the sinkhole would require 35 foot retaining walls to be built inside of the sinkhole, additional micro piling, visible steel beams running through the hole, and soil nailing. All of these additional structural features are to ensure the safety of the sinkhole and prevent cracking and breaking of the sides in the future, which could result in stability issues, but take away from the natural look of the original sinkhole. The board also considered future maintenance issues that could arise if the hole was kept and the possibility that the hole wouldn’t look like a naturally occurring sinkhole any longer.

“The interest in our new attraction has been phenomenal so we do plan to leave it ‘as-is’ through our Vets ‘n Vettes event November 6-8, 2014, after which time we will begin the process of remediating and filling the hole,” Strode added.

Chevrolet and the National Corvette Museum will restore three of the Corvettes that were damaged when they were swallowed up by the sinkhole.

Chevrolet will restore the 2009 Corvette ZR1 prototype, known as the Blue Devil, and the 1-millionth Corvette produced – a white 1992 convertible. The GM Heritage Center will oversee this process. In addition, the restoration of the 1962 Corvette will be funded by Chevrolet, but will be handled by the National Corvette Museum. A restoration shop has not yet been determined. The remaining five cars were determined to be too badly damaged to warrant restoration. They will remain in their as-recovered state to preserve the historical significance of the cars and what happened on February 12, 2014. They will become part of a future display at the Museum.

In total, General Motors will provide nearly $250,000 in support to help the Museum recover from the sinkhole. The National Corvette Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary this weekend as it welcomes the Corvette enthusiasts nationwide who have helped expand and support the non-profit Museum.

“Our goal was to help the National Corvette Museum recover from a terrible natural disaster by restoring all eight cars,” said Mark Reuss, GM Executive Vice President, Global Product Development. “However, as the cars were recovered, it became clear that restoration would be impractical because so little was left to repair. And, frankly, there is some historical value in leaving those cars to be viewed as they are.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Corvette enthusiasts from around the globe.

“There has been an outpouring of messages from enthusiasts the world over, asking us not to restore all of the cars,” said Wendell Strode, executive director for the National Corvette Museum. “For Corvette enthusiasts, the damage to the cars is part of their history, and part narrative of the National Corvette Museum. Restoring them all would negate the significance of what happened.”
Timelines for the start and projected completion dates for the three Corvettes’ restorations have not been established. They will be announced later.

Sinkhole summary

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, at 5:44 a.m., National Corvette Museum (NCM) personnel received a notification from their security company about motion detectors going off in the Skydome area of the museum. When those personnel arrived on site, a sinkhole was discovered, eventually measuring about 45 feet wide, 60 feet long and up to 30 feet deep.

Security camera footage showing the Skydome floor’s collapse has been viewed nearly 8.3 million times on YouTube.

The sinkhole swallowed eight historic Corvettes – two on loan from GM and six owned by the museum:

• 1993 ZR-1 Spyder (on loan)
• 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” prototype (on loan)
• 1962 Corvette
• 1984 PPG Pace Car
• 1992 1-millionth Corvette
• 1993 40th Anniversary Corvette
• 2001 “Mallett Hammer” Z06
• 2009 1.5-millionth Corvette.

On March 3, the 2009 Blue Devil was the first car recovered and despite significant damage was started and driven out of the Skydome. The 1.5-millionth Corvette and Mallett Corvette were the last cars pulled from the sinkhole, on April 3 and April 9, respectively – after workers were initially unable to find them amid the collapsed earth.

All eight cars were placed in a special display, fueling a nearly 70-percent jump in museum visitor traffic in the months after the sinkhole appeared.

Construction is expected to take approximately 6 months to complete. The Museum will remain open during the process, and the work in the Skydome will be viewable via a Plexiglas wall.
The Museum plans to create a meaningful sinkhole exhibit within the Skydome, featuring the cars involved, 3D interactive images of the sinkhole, videos, photos and more.

The Museum is located at I-65, exit 28 in Bowling Green, KY - just one hour north of Nashville, TN and less than two hours south of Louisville, KY. Open daily, 8am-5pm CT, admission to the Museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors age 65 and over, $5 for kids age 6-16 and children age 5 and under are free. Access to view the sinkhole is included with regular admission. Guests who enter the Skydome to view the sinkhole must be age 8 or older. For more information on the Museum, visit their website at www.corvettemuseum.org or call 800-538-3883.

Ron Fellows Performance Driving School Partners with the National Corvette Museum

During the National Corvette Museum’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, a partnership was announced naming the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain as the “Official Performance Driving School of the National Corvette Museum” and “Official Partner of the NCM Motorsports Park.”

“We are pleased to come to a multi-year agreement with the National Corvette Museum and it's new Motorsports Park," said Ron Fellows, a charter member of Corvette Racing and 2011 Corvette Hall of Fame inductee. "All of us at Spring Mountain and the school are looking forward to this partnership to better serve the Corvette and performance driving community on a number of initiatives.”

Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain has been successfully operating high performance driving schools just outside of Las Vegas, NV since 2008, with nearly 30,000 graduates to date. As “The Official High Performance Driving School of Corvette” and the exclusive home of the C7 Corvette Owners School, partnering with the National Corvette Museum and Motorsports Park only benefits the Corvette community.

The 186-acre NCM Motorsports Park features a 3.15 mile road course which is comprised of two circuits, “East” and “West”. The teams at Corvette Racing and Pratt and Miller advised the Museum on the layout, incorporating features from their most challenging track, the Le Mans circuit. The facility welcomes all makes and models of vehicles, including motorcycles and is located adjacent to I-65 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

“Joining forces with Ron Fellows and Spring Mountain furthers our mission to offer a safe and challenging environment where drivers of all ages, interests and skill levels can become more proficient behind the wheel,” said Mitch Wright, NCM Motorsports Park General Manager. “Spring Mountain has a long-standing track record of successful driving programs so we are excited to have them as our Official Partner at the track.”

Look for an announcement in the coming weeks regarding programs and curriculum at the NCM Motorsports Park; featuring the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, space will be limited!

NCM Motorsports Park Pavilion and Entry Road Named for Autocross Enthusiast

Family of Kimberlee Fast Donate in Remembrance

Kim Fast started racing in 1997 and was named Rookie of the Year for the Corvette Club of Michigan.  She was always ranked in the top five for the club in racing, and in the top 10 for the Michigan Region of NCCC (National Council of Corvette Clubs).  It was safe to say that autocrossing and high speed events on road courses in the mid-west states were her “thing.”  Kim was also no stranger to the National Corvette Museum, attending most of the events hosted in Bowling Green, KY.

In January of 2007 Kim was diagnosed with ALM leukemia, losing her battle just three years later in 2010.  Her parents, Chuck and Sharon Fast of Northville, MI, wanted an appropriate way to remember their daughter.  “We know that Kim would have been at the NCM Motorsports Park for any and every opportunity,” said Chuck.  “We can’t think of a better way to honor her memory than by contributing to the project.”
Chuck and Sharon first contributed to the Motorsports Park in 2013, purchasing five acres through the Museum’s “Buy an Acre Club” fundraising program, in Kim’s name.

“Kim attended most of the events at the NCM, and that’s why we donated the acres in her name, so when the opportunity came up to name the entry road to the track we couldn’t pass it up,” said Chuck.  “Then in our conversations with Wendell and Gary the naming of the Pavilion came up and we thought that she would really be proud to have the building named after her.”

Chuck and Sharon’s legacy gift to the NCM includes naming the entry road the Kimberlee A. Fast Drive and naming the pavilion the Kimberlee A. Fast Pavilion.  The pavilion’s construction is planned for completion in the spring of 2015 and will include food services, open-air picnic seating, restrooms and showers.  Kimberlee A. Fast Drive will officially open August 28, 2014 as part of the Grand Opening ceremony of the NCM Motorsports Park.

“Chuck and Sharon used what would have been Kimberlee’s inheritance to recognize her love for Corvette and the Corvette Museum,” said Gary Cockriel, Development Officer for the Museum.  “It really is a unique way to remember her and all the memories she made with her family enjoying the Corvette hobby.  Kim’s legacy will continue on at the Motorsports Park.”