It's always fascinating to...
It's always fascinating to watch how Corvettes are assembled. The plant tour gets you this close to the production line and to the people building the cars. We highly recommend taking this tour at least once.
We joined guide Marty Stout and nine other Corvettes to start the tour. Our first stop was Heaven Hill distilleries, which is located 95 miles north of the NCM in Bardstown and produces Evan Williams bourbon whiskey. Along the way we stopped at President Lincoln's Birthplace National Park and the Whistle Stop Café in Glendale. During our trip we had a chance to try out the Grand Sport's brakes and suspension on the largely deserted byways in the area. Turn-in was very precise, and the brakes pulled the car down quickly. Still, we did have to work the GS pretty hard to keep up with the Cyber Gray ZR1 in front of us.
Once back at the museum, we found plenty more activities to keep us busy. These included a Celebrity Choice car show and a silent auction. It's always fun to take a walking tour through the museum to look at the latest additions (exhibits are updated regularly) and drool over the amazing Corvettes on display.
Carlisle Productions' Lance Miller brought his '60 Le Mans Cunningham Corvette to the museum for the Labor Day event. The Corvette had just returned from Le Mans France to honor its GT class victory 50 years earlier. One of the original drivers, John Fitch, accompanied Miller to Le Mans and drove the old warrior around the famous track on a parade lap. Miller gave people a two-lap ride around the museum for a small donation to the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation and the NCM. (Miller's father, Chip, passed away in 2004 from a rare disease called Amyloidosis.)
Each year, the museum inducts three notable Corvette personalities into its Hall of Fame. This year, Grady Davis, Jim Ingles, and Fred Gallasch were honored. We'll have a report on these three pioneers in the Corvette hobby in a later issue.
It was hard returning our Grand Sport, but during our time behind the wheel we were reminded why Corvette is America's favorite sports car. The coupe's build quality was excellent, and the ride and performance were superb. We encourage you to take your own Vette on a road tour-and be sure to wave at your fellow Corvette enthusiasts along the way.
Heaven Hill distilleries fills...
Heaven Hill distilleries fills 53.8-gallon oak barrels with bourbon and stores them in these seven-story buildings for up to 28 years. The older the product, the more expensive it is, since much of it evaporates during the aging process.
The Schmidt Coca-Cola Museum...
The Schmidt Coca-Cola Museum in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, is filled with Coke-related memorabilia dating back to the late 1800s. This former bottling plant ceased production in 2002, but the museum remains a popular tourist stop.
After our plant tour we headed...
After our plant tour we headed back to the NCM and had a nice lunch at the Corvette Café.
Lance Miller from Carlisle...
Lance Miller from Carlisle Productions took guests for laps around the NCM in his fully restored '60 Corvette Le Mans racer.
The future of Corvette will...
The future of Corvette will depend on the car's ability to appeal to young people. Interactive displays are helping introduce this generation to the marque's rich history.
We selected Joe and Cindy...
We selected Joe and Cindy Owens' 100,000-plus-mile '00 Corvette convertible as our Celebrity Car Show award pick. The couple is very involved in the hobby, and their car is immaculate.
One of the first things you'll...
One of the first things you'll see when you start the NCM tour is this tribute to Zora Arkus-Duntov. Duntov brought performance to Corvette, and this display is a fitting tribute to his contributions.
This Silver Olive '58 Corvette...
This Silver Olive '58 Corvette is called "Fancy Free" and was one of 10 Corvettes penned by the "Damsels of Design" in the GM styling studio. It was created to test features that appealed to women. It is currently on loan from its owner, Werner Meier.