The Battered 1962 Corvette Sinkhole Victim Set for Restoration (photos)

1. Kentucky Sink Hole

The National Corvette Museum was constructed in 1994 and opened to the public that year in September. The museum not only offers fans of the American sports car to see the evolution of the models through the years but also allows new customers along with up to three guests to take delivery of their vehicle at the location with a VIP tour of the plant.

Two years ago Corvette enthusiasts all over the world woke up to the startling news that the museum in Bowling Green had suffered an insane tragedy. On February 12, 2014, a sinkhole had opened up in inside the Museum and swallowed up rare one of a kind Corvettes. Eight Corvettes were damaged in the disaster, and only five of them were able to be salvaged from the sinkhole. One of them was this beautiful 1962 black Corvette that will be able to live again after careful restoration. 

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2. Saving the '62

The next morning, workers worked hard on retrieving the eight Corvettes. Here you can see them pulling up the 1962 Corvette, not knowing what condition it will come out in.

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3. Retrieving the Corvette

There were various opinions regarding keeping the sinkhole as an attraction, but it wasn't going to be doable. The sight of the '62 Vette being pulled up brought a lot of heart ache to all Corvette enthusiasts.

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4. Still Glorious

Once the 1962 Corvette was pulled out, museum workers quickly realized that it could be fixed, it just won't be easy. However,  the museum's attendance went up through the roof after the disaster, going from 150,000 in 2013, to 220,000 after the sinkhole.

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5. Breaking Hearts

People consider the 1962 Corvette to be the biggest loss in the sinkhole disaster. After retrieving the eight damaged Corvettes, the museum placed them in display like they were before the sinkhole, except they were severely damaged.

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6. Can't Break American Muscle

Here, we see the 1962 Chevrolet Corvette on display, but the damage only assisted in boosting the attendance up. This damage was caused mainly from a 30-foot drop, which attendees were allowed to look through a glass-window down the 30-foot hole. Somehow, the Vette still holds all of its glory.

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7. Restoration Starts Now

In February of 2017, the National Corvette Museum decided to fully restore the 1962 Corvette and bring it back to life. The Corvette will need approximately $15,000 worth of parts, and the restoration process should take close to a year, which will be done inside of the museum, so attendees can follow the progress of the restoration.

Check out the 1962 Corvette update video HERE.

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