Chevrolet to restore Covettes damaged in sinkhole disaster

Though we're very happy that no one was hurt when a sinkhole opened up beneath the Bowling Green, Ky. National Corvette Museum, the fate of the eight Corvettes damaged in the cave-in remained has remained unclear. Photos and footage of the incident show a few cars sitting on top of the rubble at the bottom of the 40-foot wide, 25 to 30-foot deep pit; others are presumably pinned under the debris.

Now we've received word that General Motors will head up the restoration of whatever cars can be extracted from the sinkhole.

In an official statement, GM executive VP of global product development (and noted Corvette fanatic) Mark Reuss vowed to help get those cars -- or at least as many of them as possible -- back in roadworthy condition. “The vehicles at the National Corvette Museum are some of the most significant in automotive history. There can only be one 1-millionth Corvette ever built. We want to ensure as many of the damaged cars are restored as possible so fans from around the world can enjoy them when the Museum reopens,” Reuss said.

Once the cars are pulled from the rubble, they'll be shipped from Bowling Green to GM's Warren, Mich. Mechanical Assembly facility (where the GM Heritage Collection's vehicles are maintained) for assessment. VP of GM Global Design Ed Welburn will reportedly oversee the restoration process. Given his Welburn's work on the new Stingray, and the importance with which GM typically handles its historically significant vehicles, we'd say the damaged Vettes are in good hands.

To recap, here are the cars in question:

- 1993 ZR-1 Spyder

-- 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil”

-- 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

The first two cars belong to GM; the others were property of the museum.

Incredibly, the National Corvette Museum is once again open just days after the sinkhole appeared in its "Skydome" display area. If you'd like to support the rebuilding process, head to the museum's site and make a donation.

By Graham Kozak