Post by Corvsport.com Administrator on Mar 9, 2014 18:27:12 GMT -6
(Bowling Green, KY.) - Since beginning the actual excavation/removal of the eight Corvettes that were swallowed up by a sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum, five of the cars have been recovered so far. The first of the cars to be removed from the sinkhole was the 2009 Corvette ZR1 "Blue Devil" prototype. The car was hoisted from the sinkhole early in the day on March 3, 2014. Miraculously, the car arose from the cavern virtually unharmed, was started by museum officials, and was driven across the museum floor - demonstrating that the car could "take a licking and keep on ticking" (as Mike Murphy, construction manager for the excavation project, was reported to have said after seeing the car returned safely out of the sinkhole.)
Later that same afternoon, the second of the cars was removed from the sinkhole, though its condition was somewhat more compromised than the ZR1. The 1993 40th Anniversary Ruby Red Corvette emerged, showing significant body damage to the car's front end, broken glass, and other notable "bumps and bruises." Despite its injuries, the car was still reasonably preserved, given the extent of the damage to the museum and the size/depth of the sinkhole itself.
The excavation of cars continued the very next day. The 1962 Corvette was the next to be removed, though only after engineers evaluated the best approach to removing the car. The black C1 was wedged beneath a five-ton slab of concrete which had landed on its front end. A careful excavation meant removing the concrete slab and the car simultaneously. To lift the car from the pit, excavators entered the sinkhole, removed the Corvette's hood, and wrapped the hoisting straps through the frame of the car's front end, just ahead of its engine. While the car has some cosmetic damage, including a cracked windshield and some dings and scratches in its paint, the car also remained fairly well intact.
On March 5, excavators went after the 1,000,000th Corvette. This 1992 white C4 model suffered similar damage to the 40th Anniversary Ruby Red model, and both will require extensive body repair, new windshields (and other glass in the case of the 40th Anniversary coupe), and other cosmetic repairs. However, like all of the cars recovered to this point, appeared to be fully repairable.
The 1984 Corvette PPG Pace Car, on the other hand, had fared much worse than any of the cars that had emerged before it. This "one-off" Corvette was, as officials at the Corvette Museum put it, "karate chopped" by a slab of concrete on its fall into the sinkhole. The damage was extensive; the rear panels were completed separated from the rest of its body, the front fascia appeared to have been ripped off, and just about every surface on the PPG Pace Car's body was dented, cracked, or completely shattered.
Despite this, all of the experts involved with both the excavation and the pending restoration projects believe that all of the cars removed to date are capable of being fully restored, given the proper resources. However, the same may not be true for the cars that remain in the sinkhole. The other cars, which include the 1993 ZR-1 Spyder, a 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 and the 1.5 millionth Corvette, are still buried under tons of earth and concrete. Despite this, the progress that has been made over the past week have been encouraging, and all involved in the excavation (along with the rest of us following the story around the globe), are hopeful that the remaining cars (or what is left of them) will soon be returned to the surface.
For anyone visiting the National Corvette Museum, all of the excavated cars will be on display throughout the summer before being sent to Detroit where they will be restored to their original condition. For the latest information on the excavation process, check back with us or visit the NCM website at www.corvettemuseum.org.
Also, please visit Corvsport.com and select our Blog Page to see pictures of all the recovered Corvettes. You can also reach our Blog by clicking here.
Later that same afternoon, the second of the cars was removed from the sinkhole, though its condition was somewhat more compromised than the ZR1. The 1993 40th Anniversary Ruby Red Corvette emerged, showing significant body damage to the car's front end, broken glass, and other notable "bumps and bruises." Despite its injuries, the car was still reasonably preserved, given the extent of the damage to the museum and the size/depth of the sinkhole itself.
The excavation of cars continued the very next day. The 1962 Corvette was the next to be removed, though only after engineers evaluated the best approach to removing the car. The black C1 was wedged beneath a five-ton slab of concrete which had landed on its front end. A careful excavation meant removing the concrete slab and the car simultaneously. To lift the car from the pit, excavators entered the sinkhole, removed the Corvette's hood, and wrapped the hoisting straps through the frame of the car's front end, just ahead of its engine. While the car has some cosmetic damage, including a cracked windshield and some dings and scratches in its paint, the car also remained fairly well intact.
On March 5, excavators went after the 1,000,000th Corvette. This 1992 white C4 model suffered similar damage to the 40th Anniversary Ruby Red model, and both will require extensive body repair, new windshields (and other glass in the case of the 40th Anniversary coupe), and other cosmetic repairs. However, like all of the cars recovered to this point, appeared to be fully repairable.
The 1984 Corvette PPG Pace Car, on the other hand, had fared much worse than any of the cars that had emerged before it. This "one-off" Corvette was, as officials at the Corvette Museum put it, "karate chopped" by a slab of concrete on its fall into the sinkhole. The damage was extensive; the rear panels were completed separated from the rest of its body, the front fascia appeared to have been ripped off, and just about every surface on the PPG Pace Car's body was dented, cracked, or completely shattered.
Despite this, all of the experts involved with both the excavation and the pending restoration projects believe that all of the cars removed to date are capable of being fully restored, given the proper resources. However, the same may not be true for the cars that remain in the sinkhole. The other cars, which include the 1993 ZR-1 Spyder, a 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 and the 1.5 millionth Corvette, are still buried under tons of earth and concrete. Despite this, the progress that has been made over the past week have been encouraging, and all involved in the excavation (along with the rest of us following the story around the globe), are hopeful that the remaining cars (or what is left of them) will soon be returned to the surface.
For anyone visiting the National Corvette Museum, all of the excavated cars will be on display throughout the summer before being sent to Detroit where they will be restored to their original condition. For the latest information on the excavation process, check back with us or visit the NCM website at www.corvettemuseum.org.
Also, please visit Corvsport.com and select our Blog Page to see pictures of all the recovered Corvettes. You can also reach our Blog by clicking here.
