HomeMediaC8 clay model, powertrain test car go on display at Corvette museum

C8 clay model, powertrain test car go on display at Corvette museum

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Also being displayed at the Corvette museum is this clay model from 2014 that became the basis for the C8 Corvette’s design

Two key elements in the development of the mid-engine C8 generation of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette are on display at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The first 40 percent scale clay model of what would become the C8 was created in 2014 and was used for theme evaluation and aerodynamic testing, the wind tunnel testing resulting in the black ink streaks that run across the car’s surface. The model is showcased in the museum’s Design & Engineering exhibit.

Meanwhile, under the museum’s Skydome sits the prototype vehicle used for powertrain development of the car. In addition to its 6.2-liter LT2 engine, the car has a unique exhaust system designed so engineers could run a variety of tests on the engine during powertrain development testing and validation.

Wendell Strode didn’t know about his selection to the Corvette Hall of Fame until it was announced

Stode to join Corvette Hall of Fame

The National Corvette Museum not only inducted its Class of 2019 into the Corvette Hall of Fame over the Labor Day weekend, but it announced that its retiring executive director Wendell Strode will be part of the Class of 2020.

“Wendell, your 23 years of service to the NCM could never be understated,” museum board chairman Lon Helton said in making the surprise announcement. “A few years after it opened, the NCM fell on some pretty tough times, to the point where I think that its very existence was threatened. Not only did you rescue the NCM — you led it to the prosperity that we enjoy today.”

When the National Corvette Restorers Society let it be known in 1988 that is was exploring the idea of building a museum, Stode, a local banker, suggested to the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce that the museum be built in the same city where Corvettes were produced. 

He then led a task force that secured a 30-acre land donation, worked with state government to get infrastructure improvements and even helped put together the financing for the museum, which opened in 1994.

He also led the museum team that turned the sinkhole catastrophe into the ultimate lemon-to-lemonade experience.

Daytona-winning No. 3 cars get Hall of Fame display

Though only from September 17-29, the No. 3 Chevrolets that won the Daytona 500 in 1998 with Dale Earnhardt and in 2018 with Austin Dillon will be displayed at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the “RCR 50: Only in America” exhibition that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Richard Childress’ racing team.

The pair of 3s will join Kevin Harvick’s 2007 Daytona-winning Childress Chevrolet in the display.

“During the planning stages of the development of the ‘RCR 50: Only in America’ exhibit, we were thinking of artifacts that we believed our fans would appreciate the most,” Childress is quoted in the announcement. “Matching up two of RCR’s most memorable winning cars, especially Dale’s ’98 car since it has not left our RCR Museum in over 20 years, should provide the fans a unique opportunity to pay a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

Petersen offers photo sessions in the Vault

From September 14-30, and for the first time, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will offer opportunities to photograph the cars in its famed and underground Vault. In conjunction with Samy’s Camera, the museum will also offer guests the opportunity to have their own vehicles professional photographed in the museum’s studio.

The photo op tours of The Vault will be priced at $95 and the vehicle photography sessions will cost $250. For more information, visit the museum’s special photography website.

Indy museum sets fall speaker series

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has announced the lineup for its Distinguished Speaker Series for Fall 2019, when Tony Kanaan will be featured on September 24, Bobby Rahal on October 9 and Michael Andretti on November 6.

The museum also announced a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to improve the storage environment for its collection of nearly 400 racing trophies, which date to 1903 and include the pre-war trophies won by Rudolf Caracciola.

Museum Day is September 21

The 15th annual “Museum Day, A Celebration of Boundless Curiosity” is scheduled for September 21 with many museums across the country offering a free downloadable admission ticket. The effort is done to spread the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s facilities in Washington, D.C., where admission is free every day.

Car museums participating include the Auburn Cord Duesenberg in Auburn, Indiana.

Visit the Smithsonian website to see the full list of museums and to download your free admission ticket.

Special events this weekend

LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, is participating in the Concours d’Mariners, a car show at 5:10 p.m. before the Seattle Mariners game on September 13 at T-Mobile Park. People showing their cars get discounted game tickets and a special Mariners license plate.

The Auto World Museum in Fulton, Missouri, hosts the 24th annual Willy Jeep Reunion on September 13 and 14. 

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum hosts a coffee and cars cruise-in show from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. on September 14 at its preservation and storage facility in Macedonia, Ohio.

The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina hosts a Fall Ford Garage Sale beginning at 8 a.m. on September 14.

Seat belts weren’t a part of anyone automaker’s specifications when this vintage vehicle was produced | Museum photo

The Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles will host a SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. child passenger safety workshop and check-up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on September 14. Parents must make a reservation by calling (310) 318-5111.

The Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island will have a “hoods up” weekend September 14-15.

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts Art Evans and Tony Baker and their books World War II Veterans in Motorsports and Southern California Road Racing from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on September 14.

Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine stages its Foreign Auto Festival from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on September 14-15.

Rockne brand featured at Studebaker museum | Museum photo

Mark your calendar

The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, will be the site of a presentation at 1:30 p.m. on September 18 by Richard Quinn who will talk about the history of the Rockne Motor Corporation and its cars named for the legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, stages its annual Saratoga Auto Auction on September 20-21. On the eve of the auction, the museum will stage “A Special Evening with David Hobbs & Friends” from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will be the site of the Road Map Collectors Association convention and show on September 20-21. On September 21, it hosts a Matchbox car show from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, hosts a 1969 Mustang Reunion on September 20-21 featuring a special display of ’69 Mustangs, a cruise to Petty’s Garage, a ’69 Mustang car show and a presentation by Don Eichstaedt, who worked at Kar Kraft as an engineer developing the Boss 302, Boss 429 and Trans Am race cars.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum joins Tacoma Power in hosting an electric vehicle ride and drive event from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on September 21.

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, England, has set the schedule for its Autumn Series, which begins September 21 with David Bremner firing up the re-creation of the 1915 Bristol Scout flown by his grandfather during World War I. Bremner will start the plane at 6:15 p.m. and then will show a documentary movie about the build. Other Autumn Series events are racer and Bugatti restoration specialist Ivan Dutton talking about his career and his work on October 19, pilot Paul Catanach and his Gone Bush adventure in Australia on November 16, and Pat and Ness Garrod and their around-the-world motorcycle trip on December 6.

Italy’s Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Torino opens its new permanent exhibition area on September 24.

The LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, has added one more Model T Experience event to its schedule for September 29. The program includes driving a Model T on the Marymount grounds. For details, visit the Lane Collections website.

The Audrain Auto Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, will host the inaugural Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week from October 3-6 with car collector and new Newport resident Jay Leno as chairman of the inaugural motor week and with his TV show partner and well-known vehicle valuation expert Donald Osborne as chairman for the concours. Also during “motor week,” the Newport Car Museum will have extended hours, open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily from October 2-6.

The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California, resumes its “Muscles & Mojo” morning car shows on October 6. 

The AACA Library in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is holding a yard sale from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on October 8 in conjunction with its move to a new building. All book prices will be reduced 20 percent during the sale, and several special bundles focusing on a particular make or model year have been created for the sale.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will present its Automotive Heritage Award to Carlisle Events founders Bill Miller Jr. and the late Elliot “Chip” Miller at the Night at the Museum gala October 9.

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, stages its Night at the Museum gala on October 13. The theme is “Diamonds in Danville.”

It’s the “Tractors & Brews” party night at 6 p.m. on October 18 at the California Agriculture Museum in Woodland

An All-British Motor Show will be staged October 20 at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California.

The Revs Institute and Collier Collection in Naples, Florida, will host its inaugural Cars & Coffee at Revs from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. on October 26. 

October 27 is the third annual Legends Day at the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, where Ollie Silva, Bentley Warren and Ed West will be honored in a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m.

“Legends of Speed,” a showcase of nearly two dozen historic racing cars, opens November 2 at the Phoenix Art Museum.

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento joins with the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association to offer “An Evening with Tom Matano, The Father of the Miata” at 7 p.m. on November 2.

The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, will offer free admission to veterans from November 7-11. 

The LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, stages its annual benefit dinner and sock hop dance from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on November 16.

Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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