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.

Bowling Green, KY Resident Wins a Corvette

Jason Mills takes delivery of a 2013 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible Corvette

March 21, 2013 was Jason Mills’ lucky day. At 2:00pm his raffle ticket #82 was drawn at the National Corvette Museum making him the winner of a 2013 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible Corvette. As a resident of Bowling Green he didn’t waste any time coming to the Museum to see his new car and getting the paperwork started to take it home. Proving that maybe good luck could be contagious, he’s got a special friend to thank… fellow Bowling Green resident and recent Museum Raffle Car Winner, Barry Cummings.

“When I heard that Barry had won a Corvette several months ago, I thought that maybe I could win, too. I called him on the morning that I bought my ticket to ask him how he did it. Barry told me that he got his tickets online and got them early when the numbers were low. I bought one $250 ticket, one $500 ticket and several $10 tickets. It worked! I’ve already had 50 people text me now that I’ve won, and you can bet that they are already planning to buy their tickets now!”

Jason had actually forgotten about the raffle by the time the big day arrived, so when he got the call from Christy Thomas at the Corvette Museum, he was caught totally by surprise. “I was speechless, which is a rare thing for me. It was exciting. Really exciting.”

This is Jason’s first Corvette and he says he’s keeping it. “I’ve already got two offers to buy it,” he says, “but it’s a keeper. I’m building a house right now, and so tonight I’ll have to call the contractor about adding a garage.”

Jason participated in the Museum’s R8C Delivery Program on Friday, March 22 – a program where new Corvette owners receive VIP treatment as they pickup their car from the Museum.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, the National Corvette Museum holds a number of Corvette and other raffles throughout the year featuring various models, ticket prices and odds. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum, by phone at 270-781-7973 or 800-538-3883, online at www.corvettemuseum.org/raffle and even on the road at a number of Corvette and car shows across the country.