Let’s face it. Even if you have the money to buy a brand-new Corvette and travel to the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant to pick it up, you won’t be able to pay your way into taking pictures there. But if you’re a magazine as well-known and highly circulated as Road & Track, it’s a different story.
The crew got a special pass to show the inner workings of the birthplace of modern ‘Vettes. Here are the 14 things it learned while it was picking up its long-term Stingray.
2.) The factory staff offers little pieces of “mutilation protection” neoprene to keep the vehicles from being scratched by jewelry and belts.
3.) There’s only one shift for Corvette production. Ideally, those workers produce 17.2 cars every hour.
4.) Convertibles take more time to build than coupes, so they’re always separated on the production line by a hardtop in order for things to flow as efficiently as possible.
5.) The only 1983 Corvette (out of 42 built) still in existence is housed in the museum.
6.) Chevy pays tribute to the father of the Corvette and former Ford V8 designer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, by keeping a Blue Oval motor there, as well.
7.) Three guys sign every museum-delivered ‘Vette after performing dealer-quality prep and any necessary detailing and wet sanding.
8.) In 1981, America’s sports car was simultaneously built at the outgoing St. Louis and upcoming Bowling Green plants.
9.) The National Flag Code kept the American stars and stripes from being used on the original crossed-flags badge. Instead, Chevy opted for one featuring the fleur-de-lis, in honor of Louis Chevrolet’s French heritage.
10.) Whenever there’s a parts shortage or quality defect on the assembly line, the appropriate workers are notified by the playing of the 8-bit version of a song such as the Star Wars theme or “Popeye the Sailor Man.” The issue is then resolved in real-time.
11.) You can now eat Mexican food at the site of the original Corvette museum…because it’s a restaurant.
12.) General Motors employee Myron Scott, the father of the soapbox derby, proposed the Corvette name, which is also attached to a class of sailing warships.
13.) It “rains” inside of the factory. Every Corvette’s roof and windshield seals are tested for water-tightness.
14.) You can see the vehicles that have been brought out of the sinkhole on display before you walk out of the gift shop. But not for long. In August, they’ll be taken away for restoration.
Check out R&T’s photos in the gallery below to see Stingrays in different stages of production and the museum Corvettes in need of some major TLC.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
