National Corvette Museum

Friday, June 28, 2013

2014 Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition Coupe Unveiled

Sunday, June 30th, is the 60th Anniversary of the first 1953 Corvette to roll off the line at the old Chevrolet Flint Assembly plant.

This weekend, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, has been celebrating the anniversary with a special display of 2014 Corvette Stingray models. As a crescendo for the celebration, the 2014 Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition coupe was shown for the first time to those attending the museum celebration.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition is a celebration of the return of the Stingray. The Edition comes one way and is a fully contented 3LT coupe model

with the available Z51 Performance Package that will be limited to 500 cars. It will feature a unique VIN sequence and a special numbered interior plaque.

The Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition (3LT with Z51 Performance Package) will feature the following content, including custom Corvette Stingray luggage:

Exterior

Laguna Blue Metallic Tintcoat Exterior
Visible Carbon Fiber Roof Panel
Torque Style Chrome Wheels
Carbon Flash Hood Stinger Stripe
Stingray Logo Wheel Center Caps

Interior

Brownstone Sueded Microfiber Interior with Sueded Microfiber Seat Inserts
Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
Sueded Microfiber Upper Interior Trim
Floor Mats with Stingray Logo
Sill Plates with Stingray Logo
Cargo Shade with Stingray Logo
Special Stingray Premiere Edition Numbered Interior Plaque
Custom 5-piece Corvette Stingray Luggage Set

Performance

Seven-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Match
Z51 Performance Package
Magnetic Ride Control
Performance Variable Tuned Exhaust System

Kentucky Tourism and Corvette Racing Join NCM for Groundbreaking of Motorsports Park

$20 million, dual-track motorsports attraction on track for 2014 completion

Surrounded by area community leaders and Corvette enthusiasts, Commonwealth Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage Bob Stewart and Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan joined forces with the National Corvette Museum to break ground on NCM’s $20 million, 184-acre, dual-track NCM Motorsports Park.

The groundbreaking today at 500 Grimes Road-- directly across Interstate-65 from the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green-- opens the throttle on up to 80,000 visitors each year, bringing an estimated impact of $15 million in motorsports tourism and racing events revenues.
“Motorsports enthusiasts from across America have a new favorite destination,” announced Bob Stewart, Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. “Once fully operational, The NCM Motorsports Park will draw as many as 80,000 visitors to Bowling Green to drive their dreams.”

“Corvette Racing has long hoped for just such an outstanding track with exciting features,” noted Doug Fehan, Program Manager of Corvette Racing, who participated in the groundbreaking. “Our drivers and many proud Corvette owners are looking forward to experiencing this premier motorsports facility. We enjoyed every minute of our participation in the design process.”

The NCM Motorsports Park will be situated on 184 acres purchased and rezoned by the National Corvette Museum. Two circuits, “East” and “West” can be combined in multiple configurations ranging from a high speed loop of 1.96 miles to an extended 3.15 mile technical course. The Corvette Racing/Pratt and Miller Team advised NCM on the layout of the technical track that will include features from their favorite and most challenging track, the Le Mans circuit.

Jack Matukas, Chair of the NCM Board of Directors, added, “When the NCM Motorsports Park gates open next year, our region will not only see increased visits and events sponsored by Corvette owners and fans, but from just about every different sports car club in America.”

Wendell Strode, Executive Director of NCM observed, “Because of the outpouring of financial support by thousands of contributors including the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau, we are on track to open the NCM Motorsports Park on the 20th Anniversary of the National Corvette Museum—Labor Day weekend 2014.”

“As the community so fortunate to host an international attraction like the National Corvette Museum, the NCM Motorsports Park will turbo-charge Bowling Green’s already-powerful position in the high-performance motorsports world,” added Brad Howard, Chair of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Monday, June 24, 2013

National Corvette Museum and Chevrolet to Celebrate 60 Years of Corvette

Special Two-Day Event Offers Hands-On Look at New "C7" Corvette Stingray, Groundbreaking of Motorsports Park

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of when the first Corvettes rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan on June 30, 1953, the National Corvette Museum along with the Chevrolet Corvette team will mark the occasion with a special two-day event June 27-28 in Bowling Green, KY.

Thursday kicks off with a special "Evolution of Corvette" Display featuring 60 years of Corvettes. Chevrolet Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and Corvette Product Marketing Manager Harlan Charles will be joined by other members of the GM Detroit and Bowling Green Assembly Plant teams for three "walk arounds" of the all new 2014 "C7" Stingray Corvette. The team will be available to answer any questions from attendees, and this event will be the first opportunity the public will have to actually "try on for size" the car and sit behind the wheel.

On display will be a number of coupe and convertible 2014 Corvettes, various components from the cars and other visual elements highlighting the development of the latest generation.

NCM Motorsports Park Project Manager Roc Linkov will offer a seminar to share updates on the Motorsports Park Thursday at 11am, and Friday morning at 8:30am Corvette Racing Team Manager Doug Fehan will conduct a seminar on Corvette Racing and the Motorsports Park. Following Doug's presentation guests are invited to venture up the road for a historic groundbreaking ceremony for the Motorsports Park.

Car enthusiasts of all ages can rev up for a child-sized version of America’s iconic sports car with the Power Wheels® Corvette Stingray from Fisher-Price, which will be on display for the first time as part of the event. The battery-powered ride-on is modeled after the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and features the all-new design with the same cool, realistic body styling and detailing like sporty “chrome” wheels. This will be the first Power Wheels Corvette in 25 years - introducing the all-new Corvette Stingray to the next generation of drivers. The Power Wheels Corvette is appropriate for children ages 3+ and will retail in the Corvette Store for approximately $259.99 beginning this September.

Guests at the 60th Anniversary event will have the chance to win one of the first Power Wheels® Corvette Stingrays with a Fisher-Price sponsored giveaway. No purchase is necessary to enter.

Two Corvette raffles will also be conducted as part of the festivities - a 2013 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible on Thursday at 2pm and the 2010 "Jake" Grand Sport Corvette on Friday at 2pm. Proceeds from the "Jake" raffle will benefit the Motorsports Park. Tickets to both raffles are available online at www.corvettemuseum.org/raffle, by phone at 800-538-3883 and at the Museum.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the event is a special reveal on Friday at 1pm CT led by Chevrolet Corvette team members Harlan Charles and John Fitzpatrick. Chevrolet has kept tight-lipped as to what they are revealing at the Museum, but auto enthusiasts are buzzing in hopes that it is a new high performance model of the Stingray - though the base model already has plenty of powerful features to accompany its 450 horsepower engine. Be at the Museum at 1pm Friday to hear the big news yourself!

The two-day event is open to all at no charge for Museum members and only Museum admission for non-members. Admission fees are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for kids age 6-16 or $25 for a family. For a complete agenda visit the Museum website here.

Friday, June 21, 2013

National Corvette Museum to Break Ground on Motorsports Park

Park will offer high performance drivers' education events beginning in 2014

After over five years of planning, due diligence, and fundraising, the official groundbreaking and beginning of construction for the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (MSP) will become a reality on June 28, 2013.

The MSP will be situated on 184.05 acres that the Museum has purchased and rezoned. It will feature a two mile west and a 1.1 mile east circuit which can be combined in multiple configurations ranging from the high speed loop of 1.96 miles to the 3.15 mile technical course. The facility will also include an autocross / skid pad area, paddocks, control tower, and classrooms.

The Corvette Racing/Pratt and Miller Team has contributed to the layout of the MSP track which will include features from their favorite and most challenging track, the Le Mans circuit. Testing on the Le Mans track is not possible because the circuit is composed of public roads, making the MSP track a valuable resource to test the key features of the Le Mans circuit. The NCM Motorsports Park will provide for many other functions such as vehicle testing by engineers at the nearby Corvette Assembly Plant, teen driver training programs, emergency vehicle response training and corporate events. Corporations will be able to hold team building events for their employees or customer reward events.

The Motorsports Park will be used primarily for High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) events conducted by the Corvette Museum and other driving school organizations. Owners of all makes and models of sports cars can participate in driving schools designed for all skill levels, including beginners. Numerous national and regional car and motorcycle clubs will rent the track for their club driving activities.

Potential opportunities in the future for the Motorsports Park include a third road course, drag strip, karting track, garages, condos, classrooms, fueling stations, concession stand, condominiums, and commercial development.

The target date for at least part of the facility to open is the Museum’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Labor Day weekend, 2014. Motorsports Park Project Manager Roc Linkov says, “The close proximity of the track to hotels, restaurants, and things to do in Bowling Green is just another reason this track will be appealing to clubs and high performance driving enthusiasts.”

The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, June 28, 2013 at 9:30am on Grimes Road, the site of the future Motorsports Park. In addition, a number of seminars will be held during the Museum’s ‘Celebration of Corvette’ event which focus on the Park – including a presentation by Roc Linkov, and one by Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan.

For a complete schedule of events visit http://www.corvettemuseum.org/registration/Anniversary/info.shtml.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

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:

1961 Silver restored 283/315HP “Fuelie” with the Big Brake option
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.
1967 original Black/Black Coupe with a 427/435HP engine and 41,000 original miles- 98 point Bloomington Gold
1995 Admiral Blue with Z07 brake/suspension package, a Lingenfelter 383 and a Larry Shinoda Rick Mears Body Kit
2007 White Ron Fellows Edition Z06, #48
2007 Blue track Z06 for road racing (865HP and is normally aspirated)
2011 Blue Z06 Carbon Edition (Stock) Took Museum Delivery
2011 Blue Z06 Carbon Edition, which has a 1,200HP twin turbo C5R engine
2012 Centennial Edition ZR1- Took Museum Delivery, which I won in the January 2012 NCM raffle
2012 Centennial Edition ZR1-modified with 820HP
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).

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

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.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

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.”