Corvette fans around the world are mourning eight historic examples of America’s sports car that were heavily damaged when a massive sinkhole suddenly opened up beneath the floor of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The collapse took place in the museum’s SkyDome exhibition area at 5:44 AM on Wednesday when the facility was closed. As these NCM-supplied photos show, this cavernous hole measures some 40 feet across and is 25-30 feet deep.
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Of the eight vehicles involved, two — a 1993 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder and the 2009 ZR1 "Blue Devil" ‘Vette – were on loan from General Motors while the other six are owned by the NCM. The most valuable of that lot is the 1992 1 Millionth Corvette, which KBB.com’s Collector Car Market Editor Phil Skinner estimates is worth about $350,000-$400,000. Other vehicles included a 1962 Corvette Roadster, 1984 PPG Pace Car, 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Edition, a 2001 Mallet Hammer Z06 Corvette and the 2009 1.5 Millionth Corvette. Skinner sees the collective value of all eight of these rare Corvettes falling somewhere between $1.2-$1.37 million.
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According to the museum, about 25 Corvettes were on display in the Skydome and all of the remaining vehicles were removed without further incident. While other areas of the National Corvette Museum have now reopened, there’s still no timetable regarding when repairs to the Skydome will be completed. However, a structural engineering team has determined that the surrounding area is stable and the reconstruction process is expected to begin shortly. Located adjacent to the Corvette production facility, the National Corvette Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and has a full slate of activities scheduled, including the dedication of a new NCM motorsport park. For complete details and updates, visit the National Corvette Museum’s website.
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