2007 Z06 Donated to Museum

For most of his life, Cliff Young was a Mustang man, but it was in 2006 that he fell in love with Corvette.  After a trip to a high performance driving school, he immediately started calling around trying to find a Chevrolet dealership with allocation for a Z06.  “It just had to be LeMans Blue as 2007 would be the last year for that color,” wife Sally remembers.  “It was a bit of a fiasco trying to get the car ordered.  Cliff knew he wanted to order it with the Museum Delivery option, so he spoke with the Delivery Department and happened to mention to Lori that he wasn’t able to get a car yet.  Lori connected him with a broker in Bowling Green that had allocation and made it happen.”

The Youngs picked up the car on June 27, 2007.  It was their first visit to Bowling Green, and sadly Cliff’s last.  The couple had planned on visiting April 2014, but Cliff experienced major health complications from Agent Orange – an exposure that occurred while serving in Vietnam – and passed on January 28, 2014 at the age of 68.

“While the Museum is in our wills, Cliff didn’t specifically list the car but I felt donating it was the most appropriate thing,” said Sally.  “He was always so impressed with how the Museum is run, I know he would be pleased with its new home.”  Sally was excited to hear that the car would be used for Parade Laps and other activities at the Museum’s new Motorsports Park.   The Youngs had already stepped up and supported the Park by joining the One Acre Club, donating funds for a purchase of one acre of land for the track.

“While Cliff enjoyed taking his car to the track, he didn’t race it,” said Sally.  “Cliff’s friend Mike Pettiford operates Go 4 It Racing Schools, and Cliff would attend and help out with the classes.  Mike would host special corporate events so Cliff would bring his car to use for instruction purposes and to enjoy an occasional drive around the track,” added Sally.  “Cliff also belonged to SCCA and would do flagging at races.”

While Cliff’s day job prior to retirement had been as a systems analyst, he was also a pilot, a flight instructor, scuba diver, parachutist, ham radio operator, and spelunker, and even spent over 30 years planning and designing his and Sally’s dream home.  “He was very gifted in electrical, plumbing and construction,” Sally noted.  “He lived a very full life.”

Indeed he did, and his legacy will continue through every enthusiast who steps foot for a ride in Cliff’s 2007 LeMans Blue Z06.

Automobile Magazine Honors Tadge Juechter and 2014 Corvette Stingray

Tadge Juechter with his father, Mat Juechter at the Museum on November 20, 2013 for the R8C Museum Delivery of Mat's brand new C7

On a recent visit to the National Corvette Museum, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter took a moment to speak with us about his 2014 Man of the Year award from Automobile Magazine. It is no coincidence that this man’s creation, the 2014 Corvette Stingray, also earned top honors by being awarded the designation of Automobile Magazine’s 2014 Car of the Year.

On receiving this honor, Tadge was humble as always saying, “Well the man of the year recognition is really a symbol of what the team has accomplished. It’s a little embarrassing for me because it's totally a team sport and I'm just the lucky guy who happens to be in charge that gets to pick up this award.”

Born in Laredo, Texas, as part of an Air Force family who frequently moved, Tadge earned degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering and an MBA at Stanford. Working for GM for two summers in college convinced him of one thing: he didn't want to work at GM. Today, he considers the term "GM lifer" a badge of honor.

The introduction of the new 2014 Corvette Stingray was well received by most, bringing in various awards and accolades, but even so, the Automobile Magazine article states, "Corvette critics can be harsh, and those complaints are rarely unfounded. Some will contend that Chevy's engineers should not be applauded for simply fixing all the stuff that was wrong in previous versions. But Juechter's team did far more than finally bolt in decent seats..." The article also hails the car as being full of thoughtful engineering, innovative technology and awe-inspiring design.

“You know, we've been nearly a full year now of almost continuous media coverage, starting with the long lead media previews before we even introduced the car in Detroit,” says Tadge. “So basically last November all the way through now, we've been in the media spotlight, you know kind of feeding out bits of information, and basically showcasing what the car is and I think it really captures people's imagination. Not just the automotive press but also the popular press, the national and international press.”

Watch the interview with Tadge below or on the YouTube website here.