WOW!! Sinkhole, Corvette Museum

[usmusclecars]

Today's big news has been the 40-foot sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, that swallowed eight rare Corvettes, including two that were on loan from General Motors. After initially announcing that the rest of the museum would be open today, authorities then served notice that the entire museum would be closed for the day while they figured out what to do next.

Evidently, 'what to do next' includes moving other cars in their collection that might be at risk due to the sinkhole. Because the museum operates so many webcams, it's been possible to follow the action unfolding live. Teams of people have been pushing Corvette display cars of all years and descriptions through the museum's carpeted halls, but it isn't immediately clear where these cars are going. Thanks to Autoblog reader Arnold A. and the folks at Jalopnik, we've got some choice screencaps of the action in our gallery.

The museum was alerted to the appearance of the sinkhole when motion sensors went off at 5:44 AM this morning. The 25- to 30-foot deep void has decimated a key attraction at the museum. Unfortunately, the webcam inside the Skydome is either not working as a result of the sinkhole or has been intentionally disabled. Either way, the Enthusiast cam will still provide you with a glimpse at its entrance. According to reports, structural engineers are now on site to assess the damage. The story is still developing, and the condition of the cars trapped in the hole is still unknown.

More pics
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/02/12/corvette-museum-evacuates-at-risk-cars-after-sinkhole/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016&ts=1392235819

MORE VIDEOS IN OUR DRIVE IN SECTION http://www.americanmusclecarsaustralia.com/forum/index.php/topic,6044.0.html

[ozpont]

Museum cars damaged in sinkhole collapse will be shipped to Warren, Mich.

DETROIT – To help the National Corvette Museum recover from the massive sinkhole that opened under the facility this week, Chevrolet will oversee restoration of the Corvettes damaged. General Motors Design in Warren, Mich., will lead the project.

Six of the cars were owned by the museum and two – a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder and a 2009 ZR1 Blue Devil – were on loan from General Motors, said museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli.

The other cars damaged were a 1962 black Corvette, a 1984 PPG Pace Car, a 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette, a 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette, a 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette and a 2009 white 1.5 Millionth Corvette.

“The vehicles at the National Corvette Museum are some of the most significant in automotive history,” said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of General Motors Global Product Development. “There can only be one 1-millionth Corvette ever built. We want to ensure as many of the damaged cars are restored as possible so fans from around the world can enjoy them when the Museum reopens.”

Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design, will oversee the restoration.

When the cars are recovered, they will be shipped to the Mechanical Assembly facility, a small specialty shop within GM Design, where the best restoration approach will be determined. Mechanical Assembly has been part of GM Design since the 1930s, and today maintains and restores many of the vehicles in the GM Heritage Collection and GM’s historic concept cars.

The National Corvette Museum is independently owned, and supported solely by charitable donations from enthusiasts. It is currently accepting donations on its website to assist in refurbishing the facility. Donations are tax-deductible.

[Jethro]

 "Chevrolet will oversee restoration of the Corvettes damaged. General Motors Design in Warren, Mich., will lead the project."


Hope someone decide to install some some Reinforcing to the the next slab 

[ozpont]

Last Corvette brought to the surface.. bit of work to do on this one...
was a 2001 Z6 Corvette...was...


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/04/09/national-corvette-museum-pulls-the-last-corvette-from-the-sinkhole/

[ozpont]

National Corvette Museum might preserve sinkhole
Decision coming June 25; until then, dive in
Graham Kozak 9:36 am, June 9, 2014

The sinkhole that swallowed up eight Corvettes earlier this year has been something of a mixed blessing for the Bowling Green, Ky., National Corvette Museum. On the one hand, those rare (if not uniformly invaluable) Corvettes were damaged, or outright destroyed, in the carnage.
On the other, it has been a publicity bonanza for the museum -- which probably hadn't even been on the radar of enthusiasts lacking a passion for 'Vettes.

But the sinkhole's days could be numbered. Or maybe not. We're not really sure, and neither is the museum. Pending cost estimates, the giant pit might be preserved as is, partially restored or fully paved over. We'll have a better idea how the museum plans to move forward after June 25, when it says it will decide the fate of the sinkhole.

We think it would be cool if the floor were rebuilt with glass slabs; toss the shredded wreckage of one or two of the Corvettes down there, add some dramatic lighting and you would have a nice little display that doesn't eat into that precious Skydome floorspace.
Besides, completely removing every trace of the sinkhole would erase one of the museum's biggest draws. Ever since February, when the sinkhole formed, interest has ballooned. Part of it is undoubtedly morbid curiosity (the museum has expertly played to this with live-streaming webcams and high-res photos of the demolished cars).
But hey, we're not judging -- all press is good press, and this is a textbook demonstration of turning lemons into a semi-stable revenue stream. The museum reports that attendance has jumped a whopping 50 percent over this time last year; it is expected to welcome its 3 millionth visitor some time in the coming days as a result of this flood of guests.

According to a statement by the museum, “The interest in the damaged Corvettes continued to grow as did the Museum's attendance, so much so that the Museum decided to leave the sinkhole for the summer, and delay construction until after their 20th Anniversary Celebration August 27-30.”
We're guessing many of those Corvette geeks (6,5000 or so are expected) just want the chance to gawk, not that we blame them -- seemingly everyone wants to catch a glimpse of the fiberglass-devouring sarlacc pit. If you're keen to take a tour, head to the National Corvette Museum's website for more information.