2007 Ron Fellows Edition Z06 Donated to Museum

Volunteers are the lifeblood of most nonprofit organizations and the same is true at the National Corvette Museum. Many of you not only volunteer your time during our Museum events, but you also work the Corvette Store at car shows across the country, plan Corvette Club group visits to volunteer, and even visit us multiple times throughout the year – just to help out around the Museum.  Randy Pierce and Charla Heintz and two such people who come to Bowling Green, simply to help out where they can around the Museum.

“I got to know Randy and Charla when they started volunteering at the Museum,” said Betty Hardison, Library & Archives Coordinator. “That was probably 10-15 years ago. There’s no telling how many hours they spend here. They come at least 6-8 times a year for a week at a time just to volunteer.” 

Betty shared that you’ll often find them in the Corvette Store working, but that Randy also picks up oversized items across the country, typically things people have donated, and delivers them to the Museum.  “He picked up several pallets of little model Corvettes in Pennsylvania; about 2,600 automotive magazines in New York… he goes anywhere for us,” Betty added.

Gary Cockriel, Development Officer for the Museum, reiterated Randy and Charla’s commitment. “I don’t think we’ve ever called on them, and they not help us do something. Ever.” Gary shared that while Randy and Charla will volunteer for the Museum, they also are Lifetime Members, have loaned cars for display, are in the Duntov Society, participated in R8C Museum Deliveries and an Xperience, have Walk of Fame bricks, and more.

Randy came to Betty in January when he and Charla were volunteering at the Museum and told her he had a surprise. “He said he was going to be donating their 2007 Ron Fellows Edition Z06 Corvette to the Museum during the April Bash event, but he wanted to surprise everyone.”  Betty said that with the car being a Special Edition, they didn’t drive it much to keep the miles low.

“I figured because this one is such a unique car, it’s a numbered car… we might as well donate it now and get some fun out of it being down there,” Randy said.  “It’s probably the only one of that edition to be donated to the Museum, and we will get more pleasure out of it being down at the Museum.”

The 2007 Ron Fellows Special Edition Z06 was created to honor the famed American LeMans Series GT1 racer, and was the first signed limited edition in Corvette history. It was Arctic White with Monterey Red front fender stripes, and had a unique interior and exterior trim. Only 399 were built, including 300 for the U.S., 33 for Canada and 66 for other markets.

“This is a rare edition and we are excited to have it for display,” said Betty. “It is with the help of Randy and Charla and other Museum supporters that we are able to continue preserving the history of Corvette. Their car will be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.”

“It’s part of our life anymore, the Corvette family,” Randy added. “We enjoy everyone at the Museum and the Museum itself, all the people that come with it, the volunteers and employees.”

Thanks to Randy and Charla not only for this generous donation, but for their on-going support of the Museum!

National Corvette Museum Announces 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees

The National Corvette Museum has announced the following inductees to be recognized as part of the 14th Annual Corvette Hall of Fame Ceremony in 2011. Ron Fellows, a champion driver for Corvette Racing, Clare “Mac” MacKichan, a key designer for the first and other early Corvettes, and Ray Quinlan, donor of a 1953 Corvette to the Museum taking the project from an archives facility to museum will be recognized with the highest honor bestowed by the Museum for their contributions to the past, present and future of Corvette.

The 2011 Hall of Fame recipients will be inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame during a ceremony and banquet on Friday, September 2, 2011. Their induction will take place as part of the Museum’s 17th Anniversary Corvette Celebration festivities September 1-3, 2011.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Ron Fellows’ impressive skill as a driver for the Corvette Racing Team has earned him the respect of Corvette fans everywhere. His 27 wins, three ALMS championships and two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, along with his unprecedented four consecutive "Most Popular Driver" awards from ALMS fans, testify to his track record of success. Although he has not raced for the factory team since 2008, he remains one of the most recognizable, respected and popular personalities to ever represent Corvette's racing heritage. As evidence of his enormous popularity, GM paid tribute to Ron by creating the "Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Champion Corvette Z06" in 2007.

While he still races in NASCAR events and is tied with Terry Labonte for the most road course wins in NASCAR history, Ron has served as an advisor for the GM/Pratt & Miller factory team and an ambassador for Corvette in general, showing up at races, Corvette Corrals, Corvette functions and charities, often auctioning off passes to the Ron Fellows Driving School for worthwhile causes.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Clare “Mac” MacKichan was instrumental to the design and success of all Chevrolets in the mid-twentieth century. In his position as Chief Designer of the Chevrolet Studio, General Motors Design Staff, he was directly responsible for the design of all of the Corvettes from number one, through the 1950s and early 1960s. It was under his guidance that the 1954 Waldorf Show Corvettes were designed. In addition to his position as Chief Designer for Chevrolet, Mac also served as Director of Design for GM's Adam Opel AG in Germany, and later as Executive in Charge of Advanced Design and Engineering for Design Staff.

While he didn't always work on the Corvette brand, he continued to own one and participate in many Corvette activities - appearing and speaking at car shows and event all over the country. He would even decorate his office with parts of Corvettes that had been thrown away. Mac bought Corvettes and truly loved having a role in the creation and evolution of America’s sports car, even though it was unrecognized due to Harley Earl’s policy of giving credit only to himself, and later to Bill Mitchell. Sadly, Mac passed away but his contributions to the Corvette live on.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Ray Quinlan is probably the first Museum enthusiast, and it's fair to say the Museum might not be where it is today without the support of this NCM Lifetime Member No. 001. When the idea of a Corvette Library & Archives first came about, it was Ray who came forward and said he would donate his 1953 Corvette if the plans would incorporate a Museum... a place to house not only historical documents but also artifacts and cars. Memberships were the sole means of raising money in the early days, and Ray was right there, joining at the beginning.

While Ray owned a number of collectible cars, Corvettes were his passion. He was a member of the Corvette Club of Illinois and active with the National Council of Corvette Clubs and National Corvette Restorers Society. Ray always loved the Museum and all it represented, talking to visitors that were looking at the 1953 on display and sharing with them the history. Today, every visitor passing through the halls of the Museum hears the story of Ray and how his donation started the Museum.

The National Corvette Museum established the Corvette Hall of Fame in 1998 to confer the highest honor and recognition upon the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to their respective fields, each having reached the highest level of accomplishment. Inductees must also reflect the highest standards of integrity and character to positively enhance the prestige of the Corvette and the National Corvette Museum.

Additional information on reserving a spot at the prestigious Corvette Hall of Fame banquet will be available in the coming months via our website at: www.corvettemuseum.org or can be obtained by subscribing to our weekly eNewsletter “NCM eNews” at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ncmenews/.

The National Corvette Museum is the ‘Gateway to All Things Corvette’ and a member-driven, 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation. Weekly news on the latest Corvette developments, racing updates, event features and raffles are available by subscribing to “NCM eNews” at: corvettemuseum.org/ncmenews. Dedicated to the mission of celebration, education and preservation, the Museum is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT - located at Exit 28 on I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.