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Sinkhole swallows iconic cars at Corvette museum
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A 12-meter sinkhole opening up under the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky has swallowed eight collector cars, including the historic one millionth Corvette built in 1992.
No injuries were reported, but a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder and a 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” on loan from General Motors Co were among the iconic cars piled up in the gaping pit on Wednesday.
“It seems almost Biblical in a way, to have the ground open up and swallow the cream of the collection of the museum,” said Corvette historian Jerry Burton. “What are the odds?”
Alarms went off early Wednesday morning in the “Skydome” area and museum security officers who rushed to the scene discovered the sinkhole, 7.6 meters to 9 meters deep.
The Bowling Green Fire Department estimated its width at 12 meters. Security camera footage posted on the museum’s website shows two cars falling in as the hole opens up.
Museum spokeswoman Laura Johnson said other cars near the sinkhole were safely removed, and the museum was now trying to find a way to pull up the damaged Corvettes.
In addition to the White 1 Millionth Corvette, a 1962 Black Corvette, a 1984 PPG Pace Car, a 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette, a 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette and a 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette were among the damaged cars owned by the museum.
Burton said the millionth Corvette, which was never sold, was likely the most valuable car and could fetch “several million dollars” from the right buyer.
The facility was closed on Wednesday, while a structural engineer assesses the damage. It reopened yesterday, but the Skydome area was blocked off.
That region of south central Kentucky contains many caves and sinkholes, known as “karst” topography. Mammoth Cave National Park is about 32 kilometers from Bowling Green.
“It’s not uncommon for us to see sinkhole collapses,” city spokeswoman Kim Lancaster said on Wednesday. “Most are significantly smaller than the one we have today.”
GM builds Corvettes at a plant near the museum.
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