Wil Cooksey to Receive Prestigious Lee Iacocca Award

Wil Cooksey, former manager of the world's only Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, KY and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Corvette Museum will receive the prestigious Lee Iacocca Award August 21, 2010 at the "Cool Cars, Cool Mountains" Car Show in Gunnison, Colorado. Only 20 car clubs in the United States are designated annually by Mr. Iacocca to select recipients for the award that bears his name. 2010 marks the third year he has chosen the Gunnison Car Club, host of the nation's first carbon neutral car show.

The Iacocca Award was created in 2006 by automobile industry legend and best selling author Lee Iacocca to honor, in his words, "some of the world's most committed classic-car collectors and their passion for maintaining an American tradition."

Mike Callihan, president of the Gunnison Car Club, says the choice of Wil Cooksey for the Iacocca Award was a natural one. "Wil is simply an incredible individual. Whether in the car business, on the boards of non-profit community organizations or on the race track he never gives less than his all out best. It doesn't hurt that he's a car nut from head to toe, either."

A Distinguised Graduate of the Officer's Training School, Cooksey served as an executive officer in the U.S. Army Artillery, 1st Lieutenant. His last assignment was a year in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Cookey's General Motors career is the epitome of achievement beginning with his first job as an assistant professor in industrial engineering at GMI in Flint, MI. In 1976 he transferred to the St. Louis plant where he held several positions before being transferred to the Doraville plant in Atlanta. After working at various superintendent positions at Doraville, he was named the production manager at the Fairfax plant.

Cooksey takes an active role in the community. He currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Bowling Green, First American Bank, Greenview Hospital, the Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University School of Business Advisory Board, Drug Abuse Resistance Education Advisory Council and Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering Executive Advisory Board.

In 1997 Cooksey received the "Black Engineer of the Year President's Award." Also in 1997, Austin Peay University named him "Achiever of the Year" in their Focus Program. This year Cooksey received a Presidential Citation from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in HIgher Education in recognition of exemplary experience that honors Tennessee State University. Dollars & Sense Magazine honored COoksey in their 1998 "Salute to America's Best & Brightest Business and Professional Men and Women." Cooksey is featured on the cover of African Americans on Wheels magazine as they named the Corvette the "Best Urban Car of the Year." He has been honored as Outstanding Graduate of Tennessee State and named a "Black Achiever in the Industry" by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Wil Cooksey will receive his Lee Iacocca Award at the Gunnison, Colorado Car Club's 23rd Annual "Cool Cars, Cool Mountains Open Car Show" which runs August 20-22.

National Corvette Museum Offering New Grand Sport Raffles

Most Popular Corvette Model Offered as Part of Raffle Program

Summer will be a little bit sweeter for some lucky Corvette raffle participants as the National Corvette Museum is now offering more Grand Sports to their line-up of available raffle cars. "NCM Board Member and Corvette Assembly Plant Manager Bob Parcell shared with us that Grand Sports have become the most popular model of Corvette, and overall Corvette sales are up this year," said Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode. "We thought we'd follow the trend and offer more of what customers are wanting."

The first of several Grand Sport raffles is a 2010 Black Coupe. The coupe features a manual transmission, which includes the dry sump oil system. Something many people who love to experience the high performance of Corvette enjoy having. The coupe also includes ebony leather interior, dual-mode performance exhaust, Grand Sport chrome aluminum wheels and is equipped with the 3LT package which includes options like the Bose Premium 7-speaker system, 1-year Satellite XM radio, head-up display, power telescoping steering wheel, heated seats, memory package, adjustable sport bucket seats and 6-way passenger power seat adjustment. Tickets for this raffle are $400 each, and the raffle is limited to 500 tickets. The drawing will be held on Thursday, May 20 at 2pm Central Time regardless of the number of tickets remaining.

Just two weeks later the Museum will offer yet another Grand Sport - this time Arctic White with red hash marks, black convertible top and two-tone red and black leather interior. The car is equipped with the Grand Sport Heritage Package which features Grand Sport logo in the seat headrest, iPod connectivity and racing-style pedals. The car features an automatic transmission and tickets are $100 with 1,994 tickets available. "Our $100 raffles offer a lower price point, but you are still getting really good odds," said Strode. The drawing will be held on Thursday, June 3 at 2pm Central Time.

National Corvette Museum raffle winners also receive the exciting R8C Museum Delivery Program option benefits when picking up their new Corvette. The program is a memorable experience for new Corvette owners and offers a VIP tour of the Museum and Corvette Assembly Plant, one-year individual membership to the Museum, hands-on training by a delivery team member, program decal and plaque.

The National Corvette Museum is the "gateway to all things Corvette" and a member-driven, non-profit foundation. Dedicated to the mission of celebration, education and preservation, the Museum is open seven days a week from 8am to 5pm CT and is located at Exit 28 on I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.

National Corvette Museum Welcomes Two New Driving Simulators

Simulators are the first of their kind in the United States

Created by some of the same engineers that developed the flight simulators for the aeronautics industry, Virage Simulation Inc. has taken the danger out of learning to drive with two new, state-of-the-art driving simulators located in the National Corvette Museum. The simulators are designed to present a limitless number of scenarios that drivers can face… challenging situations on city streets and freeways and in all kinds of weather conditions. The National Corvette Museum purchased and installed the simulators as a permanent addition to the Museum, furthering the Museum’s mission of educating the public and making a positive impact in the community.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Virage creates simulators that are so realistic that student drivers in Canada can earn drivers education hours by training with them. When the seatbelt is secured and the key is turned, the dashboard lights up and drivers can feel and hear the virtual engine running. The driving experience is so authentic that drivers will feel the vibration of the pavement under their virtual tires, and the weight of the car shift as the wheel is turned.

“A realistic cockpit was essential,” says Danny Grenier, Chief Software Architect for the system. “We wanted to duplicate the driving experience as closely as possible for students so that they could really get a feel for what it is like to be on the road.”The simulators are so real, in fact, that warnings of motion sickness are posted, and all drivers must have at least a learner’s permit to operate the equipment. Five educational programs are offered on the simulators, including Emergency Driving Situations; Driving Under the Influence; Speed, Road Conditions and Stopping Distances; Hazard Perception and Fuel Efficient Driving.

“We can do things with this system that you just cannot duplicate in real life. We can simulate a car coming into your lane, or a blow out, or brake failure and teach students how to react properly in a way that minimizes the risk of injury,” said Dr. Pierro Hirsch, Road Safety Research and Driver Training Program Development Manager for Virage. “We can replay these events if we need to and practice them, allowing students to face the situations without the consequences. We can rehearse them until the proper response comes naturally.”

Not only are the simulators a powerful training tool for student drivers, but it also has classroom applications as well. With a few clicks, the panoramic view of the road switches into a PowerPoint presentation on the effects of driving while intoxicated.

Drivers can wear a special set of goggles that skews their vision similarly to the way that alcohol does. “People are amazed when they do this exercise and get to see for themselves what the effects of alcohol are on the system. What really makes the point is when we set the simulator to duplicate the impaired driving experience.” The simulator adjusts itself to mimic impaired reaction time of an intoxicated driver, over-compensating, and over braking, delaying and speeding up the actions of the driver.

Another useful function of the simulator is the “Eco-Driver” training feature. With this program, drivers are challenged to change their driving styles in such a way that promotes good fuel economy by learning how to accelerate properly and time their stops more precisely. “What is interesting,” Dr. Hirsch notes, “is that often students will get to their destinations just as quickly as another will while saving fuel at the same time.”

The simulators will serve as an important tool to help educate drivers of all ages on safe driving and ultimately make our roads safer by helping to prevent accidents, reduce injuries and ultimately save lives. Statistics indicate that nearly 5,000 young people die in car crashes every year and another 300,000 teens are injured in car crashes annually. New methods of teaching driver safety is imperative to ensure teens are given the best chance to survive their early, and most risky, driving experiences.

“We are extremely fortunate to have the only simulators of this kind in the U.S.,” said Chris Sweeney, Tours and Admissions Supervisor for the Museum. “They will give us the opportunity to educate drivers of all ages and experience levels – providing useful knowledge and a safe learning environment for students to develop their driving skills.” The simulators are open to Museum visitors from 8am until 4:30pm daily at no additional charge. Visitors can reserve a 15-minute slot at admissions. Simulators are also available for private rental for a fee during or after hours and anyone interested can contact the Admissions team to schedule a time.

The National Corvette Museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids age 6-16, $8 for seniors and $25 for a family. The Museum is located at Exit 28 off I-65 in Bowling Green, KY. For more information on the National Corvette Museum, visit our website at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ or call (800) 53-VETTE (83883).For more information about the Driving Simulators visit: http://www.viragesimulation.com/.

For images of the driving simulators, please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/corvettemuseum/DrivingSimulators#High res versions can be obtained by contacting Katie Frassinelli.

Get Up Close and Personal with Corvette Racing April 29, 2010

Everyone knew that ALMS racing was going to get a lot more interesting when Corvette Racing entered the GT2 picture but few expected it to come to blows the way it did in the last race of the year at Laguna Seca on October 10, 2009. A collision between the No. 45 Porsche and the No. 3 Corvette C6.R sent the Corvette and driver Jan Magnussen head on into a concrete barrier at nearly 200 mph. In the end, Corvette Racing earned their fifth podium finish in five races since moving to the GT2 category.

This April, race fans will get the unique opportunity to lunch with Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan and C6.R No. 3 driver Johnny O’Connell, hearing “behind the scenes” stories and getting a preview of what to expect this season.

Fehan recently shared details with the National Corvette Museum about how Corvette Racing works with the Corvette Design team to develop a better race car, and how that technology is transferred into Corvettes built for consumers.

“Our guys do the driving at the test tracks and have input into the cars, looking at shock balance on the car, over-all handling and performance. GM takes what we learn in racing and they put it into play for you,” said Fehan.

As part of the National Corvette Museum’s C5/C6 Bash April 29 through May 1, 2010, Fehan and O’Connell will share information about why they made the move to the GT2 race program, and provide insight to the all new car for 2010.

“For GT2, we obviously wanted to come out strong and prove that we could be competitive, but only looked at the five-race schedule [in 2009] as a testing program for the car and the team,” said Fehan. 2010 will be the first time the team has competed in GT2 at Le Mans. “If you come out you won’t be disappointed as we wave the Corvette flag, taking on BMW, Porsche and Ferrari. We won’t let you down,” he added.

The luncheon and private autograph session is on Thursday, April 29 from 11am to 1pm. The fee is $18 for National Corvette Museum members and $25 for non-members. More information and an online registration form are available at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/registration/c5_bash/info.shtml. An autograph session is also scheduled to be held in the Corvette Store immediately following the luncheon and is open to all event participants.

High res Corvette Racing images can be obtained from Richard Prince Photography at http://www.rprincephoto.com/. The Museum also has a small selection of images available for media use.

Senator Reynolds files bill naming the Corvette as the official state sports car

State Senator Mike Reynolds, D-Bowling Green, has filed legislation (Senate Bill 111) designating the Corvette as the official state sports car of Kentucky.
The Corvette’s role in Kentucky’s manufacturing and tourism industries make it a natural choice for “official sports car of Kentucky.” Warren County is the home of the General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant and the National Corvette Museum.

“Bowling Green is becoming more of a tourist destination. The National Corvette Museum is a major part of that and is a definite drawing card for the traveling public. Drawing attention to our community and the Corvette’s unique role in our American heritage can only boost economic development for our area,” Senator Reynolds said.

The first 300 Corvettes were built by hand in 1953 in Flint, Michigan, just after General Motors unveiled the Corvette as a “dream car” in the Motorama show in New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The next year, the production was moved to St. Louis and in June of 1981, the Corvette production was transferred to Bowling Green. Today, the Bowling Green plant employs more than 500 Kentuckians and is known throughout the world for its famous high-quality product.
On July 2, 1992, the one millionth Corvette was manufactured. The 50th anniversary was marked in June of 2003 with a special 50th anniversary Corvette package. The Corvette plant received a number of awards in 2009 including the J.D. Power’s Top GM Model, Best in Segment and the Bronze Plant Award.

Each year, approximately 50,000 tourists from around the world visit the Corvette plant to watch the manufacturing process. The plant has partnered with the National Corvette Museum to enable Corvette enthusiasts the opportunity to watch their own dream car being built and to take a personalized tour of the facility. The museum has around 150,000 visitors a year.

Senate Bill 111 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor. “The Corvette has become a tangible symbol of our Commonwealth, and I’m excited to make that symbolism official,” Senator Reynolds said.Senator Reynolds represents the 32nd district, which includes Butler and Warren counties.

Celebrate National Boy Scout Day February 8!

On Monday, February 8 the National Corvette Museum is celebrating National Boy Scout Day! The Museum is extending our hours, and running a special to welcome Boy Scouts. From 4 - 6pm we are offering a museum tour, hot dog and soft drink for just $6 per person!

Boy Scout Groups can RSVP at 270-781-7973 ext. 185. Individual visitors can simply show their Boy Scout identification to receive the offer.

Can't make it on February 8? Boy Scout groups can book this special the entire month of February! To reserve your spot, contact our Admission Coordinator, Chris Sweeney, at chris@corvettemuseum.org, or call 270-781-7973 ext. 185 or toll-free at 800-538-3883.

Scouts won't want to miss our new, temporary exhibit, 'The World We Create.' The exhibit includes 10 hands-on displays within three unique 'zones' including the Transit Hub, Tech Works and Construction Zone. The exhibit is from the Louisville Science Center and is available through April 18.

The National Corvette Museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. The Museum is located at Exit 28 off I-65 in Bowling Green, KY. For more information on the National Corvette Museum, visit our website at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ or call (800) 53-VETTE (83883).

Explore 'The World We Create' Traveling Exhibit at the National Corvette Museum January 9 - April 18, 2010!

The National Corvette Museum has hosted dinosaurs, dresses, Corvairs and even creatures of the deep... but now the Museum is hosting a hands-on exhibit that will entertain both kids and kids at heart. THE WORLD WE CREATE Traveling Exhibit blends concepts of science and technology and translates them into hands-on, heads-up activities for all ages. The exhibit, on loan from the Louisville Science Center, offers captivating designs, informative graphics and exciting activity stations to create a one-of-a-kind experience for our visitors.

“We enjoy bringing in exhibits that appeal to a younger generation, and have an educational aspect that attracts school groups. We have found this is a great way to expose young people to the Corvette brand and start growing enthusiasts from a very young age,” said Stephanie Morrill, Membership and Admissions Manager.

The 2,500 square foot exhibit celebrates human ingenuity through hands-on exploration of our material world. Imagination guides children through three themes from the manufactured world: Construction Zone, Transit Hub and Tech Works. At each stop, they’ll experience how human creativity solves problems and advances technology. Activities promote concepts like teamwork, problem solving, and communication. The temporary exhibit is on display January 9 through April 18 and is included with museum admission.

Download high resolution images on our Flickr site!
View a short video clip about our exhibit on our You Tube channel!

Family Fun Day January 16, 2010
A kick-off day of free activities will be held this Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Museum. Activities are scheduled from 10am until 3pm and includes a fossil dig, bounce house, book fair, story time, Hot Rod's baseball team's mascot Axle the Bear, a model railroad, booths from other area attractions, arts and crafts, kid-friendly cooking demonstrations, Master Tom Pardue’s East West Kung Fu will perform and much more! Museum admission is separate from the free activities.

The National Corvette Museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids age 6-16, $8 for seniors and $25 for a family. The Museum is located at Exit 28 off I-65 in Bowling Green, KY. For more information on the National Corvette Museum, visit our website at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ or call (800) 53-VETTE (83883).