National Corvette Museum Receives Generous Donation After Sinkhole Disaster.

The sinkhole that wrecked eight prized models at the National Corvette Museum in February also hit Corvette lovers hard. While some cars emerged from the sinkhole partially damaged, others were almost completely destroyed. 

Luckily, a generous donation from a Corvette owner will help the Museum rebuild from the disaster. When Lynda Patterson got word that a 40th Anniversary "Ruby Red" Corvette fell face first into the sinkhole, she wanted to donate her own to the Museum. She called up workers at the Museum, who were thrilled to hear from her, and brought in the car April 97. 

“Seeing that other Ruby in the hole made me think that maybe I should give ours to the Museum soon. Almost twenty years ago my husband Mike and I designated that our Ruby would go to the National Corvette Museum anyway. He died in 2012 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor a year earlier,” Patterson said.

Speaking about her experience donating the Corvette, she also noted, "This is bitter-sweet. I’m so glad she’s coming here and will be enjoyed by so many.” The National Corvette Museum is located in Bowling Green, Ky. The Museum is showcasing a "Great Eight" exhibit featuring details on the sinkhole Corvettes.

Final Corvette Recovered From Sinkhole at National Corvette Museum.

It was a sad day for Corvette and automotive enthusiasts alike when the news broke that a sinkhole opened up at the National Corvette Museum, swallowing eight prized models. There were one or two that came away relatively unscathed, but the rest weren't so lucky and a few were unidentified.

However, the last of the fallen Corvettes has been pulled from the wreckage. But which one was it? The 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06. This was one of two models that was unaccounted for after the sinkhole and was found earlier this week with its nose pointing towards the center of the room. Found upside down, the 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 is by far the most damaged of all eight models.

"We're happy to have the completion of our major goal to recover all eight of the Corvettes. Next week we have a meeting with all the major players, including the construction team, geo-technical firm, cave and karst specialists, engineers, our insurance company, and others to review all the findings and have discussions on the next steps and a mutual understanding about rebuilding," said Wendell Strode, Executive Director of the Museum, in a statement.

Last December, Kevin and Linda Helmintoller, lifetime members of the museum and previous R8C Museum Delivery participants, donated the 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 to the National Corvette Museum. The couple spent 13 years modifying the Corvette. It features many AntiVenom LSX Performance mods that have boosted its horsepower to 700 with 575 lb.-ft. of torque, helping it score the cover of GM High Tech Performance magazine.

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