Ok gentlemen, here it is! Our last day to tour we were up early and took a 120 mile trip to Bowling Green to view the National Corvette Museum. What a treat. You may want to take a look at the pictures in the photo album because I will be referring to them alot since those are the only notes I took! I was having too much fun looking and snapping pictures to write any thing down. The factory is right across the street, but we didn't take a tour there.
Anyway, when you first walk into the museum you are greeted by the "Nursery" as seen in pictures 3, 4 and 22. The Nursery is where your car is delivered from the factory to await your arrival. When you order your car you can ask for the R8C option. That entitles you to have your car waiting for you at the nursery along with a VIP tour of the factory, museum and hands on delivery from the staff. There were six "babies" waiting and while we were looking at them all a new delivery was pulled in and parked.
When we went into the museum itself there was a picture of the first Corvette symbol on display, picture 12 (sorry that it's so blurry). But you will notice the difference between that one and the others that I have pictured. The reason for the difference is when Chevy was going to put on the symbol with the US flag (just hours from releasing the first model) they found out that you couldn't display the flag on a commercial product. So they frantically changed the symbol to show the Fleur-de-Lis and quickly put that on. You can see how the symbol has changed over the years.
They had the first car produced (1953) in the museum. At that time, if you ordered the car you could have any color you wanted (as long as it was white) and the interior was also your choice (as long as it was red). It really showed a person's individuality.
We walked through the building and came to the rotunda part that had a model for almost every year made. There was one very interesting car (pictures 17-19) with quite a unique story. During 1983 the factory was planning to move so they only made 43 cars with the year of 1983. the rest were considered 1984's even though they were still made in 1983. Of the original 43 1983's this one is the only one left! So it was a unique thing to see. There was also a special painted car in honor of the POW-MIA's of 4th Allied POW Wing.
Over all it was a great tour and well worth the trip down the road. I wish we had more time to spend in Louiville because we would have loved to have visited the American Printing House for The Blind, General Patton's Musuem, Lexington and so many other places. I guess we will have to go back.
Right now, as I write this we are on the motorcycle traveling up to Calgary, Canada for a Blue Knight West Coast Conference. It seems like, right now, our lives and travels are circled around Blue Knight conferences and conventions. At least it does give us the opportunity to see places that we probably would have passed by (like Louisville). Until next blog have a great day and stay posted!
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