Astrovette On Display At ‘Cars at The Capital’
‘Astrovtette,’ the Corvettes offered to astronauts of the Apollo program for a $1 a year lease, is on display in Washington D.C.
The moon landings forever remain an iconic moment in human history. Everyone in the world collectively held their breath as man stepped foot on the moon, achieving what was merely a dream a decade earlier. Astronauts were like celebrities back then, and GM treated them as such. They were offered Corvette leases for only one dollar a year. Each is dubbed an ‘Astrovette,’ for obvious reasons. What a life to live! Spending all day training to walk on the moon, then driving home in a Stingray Corvette.
Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan Bean‘s former Corvette is on display at the National Vehicle Historic Register‘s Cars at The Capital event September 12th-19th. Bean and fellow Apollo 12 crew members Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon chose color-matched gold and black two-tone Corvettes. The custom 390 horsepower beasts each had a red, white, and blue plaque with their mission position abbreviation on it. They were delivered by Jim Rathmann, former Indy 500 winner and GM dealer located in Florida.
Bean’s Astrovette is the only surviving of the Apollo 12 three. The current owner, Danny Reed, has owned it for 48 years. He is graciously displaying it to the public with Historic Vehicle Association.
Moreover, this Corvette has won a couple of different awards. It won a Top Flight award at the 2002 National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) National Meet, and in 2003 won the coveted Duntov Award of Excellence at the NCRS Nationals. In 2008, the car also won the NCRS American Heritage Award “for the preservation of a historically significant piece of Corvette history” at the NCRS Nationals.
Seeing such an important part of GM history maintained is always great. However, this is much more than that. This is a piece of American history because of its ties to the Apollo program. Furthermore, it’s a piece of world history because of its connection to the moon landing.
If you want a chance to see it in person, you’d better hurry. The display of the Astrovette ends on September 19th. Even if you don’t get a chance to see it up close, seeing pictures of it is still plenty exciting.
Photos: Historic Vehicle Association
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