National Corvette Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Corvette Museum showcases the Chevrolet Corvette
, an American
sports car
that has been in production since 1953. It is located 37°00′15"N 86°22′30"W in Bowling Green
, Kentucky
, off Interstate 65
's Exit 28. It was constructed in 1994 and opened to the public in September of that year.
The museum is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant
, where Corvettes have been made since 1981. Public tours of the assembly plant are available.
Corvette meet-ups are also held at or near the plant.
The museum is open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time zone
, except on Easter
, Thanksgiving Day
, Christmas
(December 24-25), and New Year's Day
(January 1).
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
that has been in production since 1953. It is located 37°00′15"N 86°22′30"W in Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, off Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
's Exit 28. It was constructed in 1994 and opened to the public in September of that year.
The museum is located only a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant
Bowling Green Assembly Plant
The Bowling Green Assembly Plant is a General Motors automobile factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is a specialized plant assembling GM's Y-body sports cars, the Chevrolet Corvette and formerly the Cadillac XLR....
, where Corvettes have been made since 1981. Public tours of the assembly plant are available.
Corvette meet-ups are also held at or near the plant.
Hall of Fame
The museum also sponsors the Corvette Hall of Fame for individuals who have been involved with the Corvette automobile and made significant contributions in their respective fields. Each year, between 2 and 4 persons are inducted into this select group.| Honorees | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Name | Name | Name | Name | Name | Name |
| 1998 | Bill Mitchell | Harley Earl Harley Earl Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques... |
Larry Shinoda Larry Shinoda Lawrence Kiyoshi Shinoda was a noted automotive designer who was best known for his work on the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang.... |
Joe Pike | Ed Cole Ed Cole Edward Nicholas Cole was an American automotive executive for General Motors.- Career :Cole was the son of a dairy farmer. In his youth, he designed, built, and sold homemade radio sets, and as a teenager became a field representative for a tractor manufacturer... |
Zora Duntov |
| 1999 | Jim Perkins | Dave McLellan Dave McLellan Dave McLellan was an automotive engineer for General Motors, most notably the chief engineer for the Corvette from 1975 until his retirement in 1992.... |
Dick Guldstrand | |||
| 2000 | John Fitch John Fitch (driver) John Cooper Fitch is a racecar driver born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the first American to race automobiles successfully in Europe in the postwar era... |
Dick Thompson Dick Thompson Dr. Dick Thompson is a retired American racecar driver. A Washington, D.C. dentist by trade, he is known as "The Flying Dentist". He won numerous Sports Car Club of America championships and was inducted in the Corvette Hall of Fame. Thompson brought credibility to the Corvette as a world-class... |
Jerry Palmer | |||
| 2001 | Gibson Hufstader | Joseph Spielman | Betty Skelton | |||
| 2002 | John Cafaro | James Jeffords | Myron Scott Myron Scott Myron E. Scott was the creator of the All-American Soap Box Derby. He is also credited with naming Chevrolet's sports car, the Corvette. Scott was born in Camden, Ohio... |
|||
| 2003 | Noland Adams | Robert Morrison Robert Morrison Robert Morrison, FRS was an Anglo -Scottish evangelist and the first Christian Protestant missionary in China.... |
||||
| 2004 | Ray Battaglini | Darrel Bowlin | Jon Brookmyer | Dan Gale Dan Gale Daniel James Gale is an English cricketer. Gale is a right-handed batsman who bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He was born in Tadworth, Surrey and educated at Glyn School in Epsom.... |
Terry McManmon | |
| 2005 | Chip Miller | Randy Wittine | Don Yenko | |||
| 2006 | David Hill David Hill -Politicians:* David B. Hill , Governor of the U.S. state of New York, 1885–1891, U.S. Senator from New York, 1892–1897* David Jayne Hill , politician from New York, United States Assistant Secretary of State, 1898–1903... |
John Lingenfelter John Lingenfelter John Lingenfelter was an NHRA driver, engineer and legendary tuner.... |
Gary Mortimer Gary Mortimer Gary Mortimer Hot air balloon Pilot and current holder of the South African Hot Air Balloon Altitude record. The record was set on 9 May 2005 when he flew to an altitude of with DJ Lev David, on a flight in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.He is currently living in the KwaZulu Natal... |
|||
| 2007 | Doug Hooper | Gordon Killebrew | Carl Renner | |||
| 2008 | Allan Barker | Don Barker Don Barker Don Barker is a fictional character in the series Dream Team, played by Jon Morrison.Don Barker had a reputation of being a hard-nosed, tough manager, renowned for making teams achieve promotion in the lower leagues... |
Reeves Callaway | Maurice Olley | ||
| 2009 | Duane Bohnstedt | Tony De Lorenzo | Gerald Thompson | John Hinckley | ||
| 2010 | ||||||
The museum is open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, except on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
(December 24-25), and New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
(January 1).