Sinkhole in the Corvette Museum

[cook_dw]

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/24702447/sinkhole-collapses-part-of-corvette-museum-in-bowling-green

http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/collapse-at-national-corvette-museum-sends-cars-into-sinkhole/article_773f14c0-d55e-5925-9361-29635b40349f.html

[lakeholme]

Bummer! Thought that stuff only happened in Florida. Hopefully, the cars can be saved.  And, hopefully, John is still smiling....

[cook_dw]

Bowling Green and practically all of south central KY has caves under it.  There have been several sinkholes pop up over the years.  There was one when I was living there that dropped out on a new section of road that had been opened about a year.  Took 2 cars with it.  It was very close to the Lost River Cave in BG.

[69Z28-RS]

from one of the NCM employees:

"The following is what I know about cars involved:
We received a call at 5:44am from our security company alerting us of our motion detectors going off in our Sk...ydome area of the Museum. Upon arrival it was discovered that a sinkhole had collapsed within the Museum. No one was in or around the Museum at the time. The Bowling Green Fire Department arrived on the scene and secured the area.
It is with heavy hearts that we report that eight Corvettes were affected by this incident. Those cars include:
• 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors • 2009 ZR1 "Blue Devil" on loan from General Motors The other six vehicles were owned by the National Corvette Museum including:
• 1962 Black Corvette
• 1984 PPG Pace Car
• 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette
• 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette
• 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette
• 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette
None of the cars affected were on loan from individuals. We have contacted a structural engineer who is arriving today to assess the existing damage and stability of the surrounding areas. While the Skydome area is closed, the remainder of the Museum is still open"

This list includes mostly 'one of one' Corvettes..  including the 'One Millionth Corvette' built, a white / red '92 Corvette that I saw being built back in '92, which was celebrated with a huge 'to-do' at the NCM and plant...
PS.  Just remembered that the current NCM wasn't opened until 1994; the 'ncm' in 1992 was at a small location in a local BG shopping center..  

[ko-lek-tor]

Pics coming in :

[BULLITT65]

looks like a black 59 in your pic, I did't see any mention of that one.

[cook_dw]

looks like a black 59 in your pic, I did't see any mention of that one.

Thats a 62.

[BULLITT65]

my mistake, thank you.

[ko-lek-tor]

Some videos: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/02/12/national-corvette-museum-sinkhole-security-camera-footage/

[1968RSZ28]

Holy giant mole, Batman...





Paul

[Azure1969Z/28]

That's brutal. Should have been the Ford Museum, or the Hugger Orange Museum.....Relax I'm only kidding

[ZLP955]

or the Hugger Orange Museum.....Relax I'm only kidding

Course you are; can only think of one guy that'd pay to go visit that one

Very sad to see those unique cars damaged/lost like that.......

[JKZ27]

Jeez! That video is hard to watch. Does anyone really believe they can retrieve any of those cars? Or, will it just be a grave site with a memorial??   

[69Z28-RS]

Jeez! That video is hard to watch. Does anyone really believe they can retrieve any of those cars? Or, will it just be a grave site with a memorial??   

I'm told that the Kentucky EPA prohibits leaving them in there due to the gas/oil in them (although I'm not sure that the lowest ones could be retrieved.. and they may determine that it's too dangerous to hook onto them to retrieve them).  Personally I hope they find a means to get the top ones out, and hopefully, if safety isn't an issue, then retrieve them all to be restored.  The only means I can conceive of how to retrieve them would be to disassemble a portion of the yellow dome, and use a crane to hook them and lift them out.   If they were mine, I'd sure go down there and hook them up (with appropriate safety cable/harnesses)..

[Everett#2390]

Tragedy to say the least.
What's the story of the '62 Corvette?
Why is this one here?