Eight
classic Corvettes tumbled into a pit of debris on Feb. 12, 2014, when an
early-morning sinkhole crumbled the flooring beneath the skydome of the
National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.
All
of the cars were hauled out, but five vehicles were deemed to be “beyond
reasonable repair.” Instead of being scrapped, however, the cars were preserved
“in their damaged state.” The exhibit became a popular attraction with visitors,
illustrating the dagnabbit power of Mother Nature.
The
sinkhole measured about 20 feet deep and 40 feet in diameter. Fortunately, no
one was in the area when the motion-detector alarms went off at 5:38 a.m.
Three
of the Corvettes were nursed back to health by body shop healers. General
Motors (GM) agreed to repair two of the vehicles.
It
took in a 2009 ZR-1 Blue Devil prototype model that suffered only minor
injuries.
GM
also tended to a 1992 white convertible model, the one-millionth Corvette built.
This car sustained a bit more damage, and its disassembly revealed hidden
signatures from the line workers who had originally assembled the car.
Where
possible, GM repaired the original body panels instead of replacing them. Where
new panels were required, workers were invited back to sign them. Recreated
signatures, scanned from the originals, were used for deceased workers, or
those who could not be located.
But
what would become of a “tuxedo black” 1962 convertible that was donated to the
museum in 2011 by its original owner, David Donoho of Speedway, Ind.?
The
museum decided to tackle much of the restoration project in-house at a cost of
about $28,000. The work was performed in the museum’s maintenance and preservation
area, where guests could observe the progress.
The
restored car was unveiled on Feb. 12, 2018, coinciding with the four-year
anniversary of the sinkhole’s collapse.
“The
red interior is exactly the interior Mr. Donoho had in it, the interior that he
so lovingly cared for,” said museum curator Derek Moore. When a crew member
found an old empty sugar packet from a Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant under the
seat, “we set it aside, finished up the car, and then slipped it right back
under the seat where it was.”
Attending
the ceremony was Beth Sease of Zionville, Ind., an attorney and personal friend
of the late David Donoho. He died in 2013 at the age of 76, after an extended
illness. She said that during high school, Donoho worked part-time at Lilly
Industrial Paint in Indianapolis, saved his money and bought a new Corvette in
1962.
“David
was so obsessed with that car that he earned the nickname, ‘The Weather Man,’
because his friends would tease him about how closely he would watch the weather
and quickly take his Corvette home when there was a chance of rain” and park it
in the garage. “He didn’t want raindrops on his car.”
Sease
said: “Truly, David had a kindred spirit toward the car… so when it came time
to make plans for his estate, he knew he wanted his Corvette to go to a loving
home where it would be respected and cared for.”
Sease
reached out to Wendell Strode, who was the Corvette museum’s executive director
at the time. “Wendell came up to see David several times,” she said. “Wendell
earned his trust. Wendell assured David that the museum would preserve his car
according to his wishes.”
“In
2011, David turned over the keys to his beloved car,” Sease said. Strode expressed
the museum’s deep appreciation: “To be gifted a Corvette that has had only one
owner and had been kept in such great condition all these years is rare.”
To
the museum employees who had assembled at the restoration unveiling, Sease
said: “The legacy David Donoho left was preserved by you, and his legacy lives
on. He would have been proud to have been here today to see the way you have
come together, diligently restoring his prize.”
The
115,000-square-foot museum features more than 80 Corvettes displayed in various
settings. No exhibit, however, can rival the “Corvette Cave In: The Skydome
Sinkhole Experience,” chronicling the entire sinkhole story.
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