First Sinkhole Corvette Rescued with Minor Damage

30-foot drop has nothing on the 2009 ZR-1 “Blue Devil”.

The first of eight historic Corvettes was rescued yesterday from deep within the sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Surviving a 30-foot fall, the ZR-1 was in good enough condition to drive itself out of the museum’s Skydome, following initial inspection. The sinkhole erupted suddenly in the night of February 12, swallowing eight classic Vettes that were on display in Kentucky, including two on loan from General Motors.

The Corvette Museum has vowed to restore all damaged models, and has cleared the rest of its collection to safety. "The 'Blue Devil' is in remarkable shape," said John Spencer, manufacturing integration manager for Corvette. "Cosmetically, the carbon fiber running boards are shattered, there's some minor paint damage, and a small crack in the windshield. Mechanically, the worst damage is a split in the oil-supply line for the 6.2L LS9 V-8. If you fixed that, you could drive the ZR-1 back to Detroit." The remaining models will be recovered in the next two months, starting with a 1962 Corvette and the 1993 40th Anniversary Corvette.

Source:CarBuzz.com