BOWLING, Ky. — The National Corvette Museum has opened Driven to Preserve, a new exhibition that puts the behind-the-scenes work of collection care on full display.
Visitors step into the routines that protect a collection of more than 120 rare Corvettes and 50,000 Corvette artifacts, seeing how the Museum keeps America’s Sports Car ready to teach, inspire and endure. From documentation and cataloging to environmental monitoring and interpretive planning, the exhibition shows how preservation happens one decision at a time.
Driven to Preserve also expands the view beyond the showroom floor. Alongside Corvettes, guests will find artifacts and archival materials that carry the human side of the story: the owners, builders, racers and moments that shaped the legacy. The exhibition explains what happens when a donation arrives, how an object is cleaned, recorded, and prepared for long-term care and why restoration and preservation require different choices.
“This new exhibition helps visitors see what it takes to keep Corvette history accurate, accessible, and ready to teach,” said Robert Maxhimer, director of curatorial affairs and education. “From cataloging artifacts and monitoring conditions to the hands-on care of vehicles like the 1962 Corvette rescued from the Sinkhole or engineering development cars, this exhibition shows that stewardship is active work. It is how the Museum protects America’s Sports Car and the stories that come with it for research, interpretation, and the next generation.”
Vehicles Featured in Driven to Preserve
- 1979 Engineering Development Corvette: Built with an experimental chassis and parts to test changes for the 1980 and 1981 model years, this unique Corvette was used to validate the Bowling Green Assembly Plant line and train new hires.
- 1958 Corvette Chassis: Illustrating the structure that supports the car and the work that takes place during a frame-off preservation project, visitors will see what a Corvette looks like after separation of the body and frame.
- 1967 Corvette Sting Ray: Nicknamed the “Sweat Hog,” this second-generation Corvette highlights how racing history becomes part of preservation. The car earned success on New York roads and circuits, including winning the 1974 Northeast NCCC championship. After multiple racing incidents, the car remains about 85% original today.
- 1989 Corvette Snake Skinner II: A prototype Corvette ZR-1 built to explore weight reduction and performance testing in response to the Dodge Viper. One of 84 pre-production ZR-1s used for testing and media previews, it later ran the quarter-mile in 11.88 seconds.
- 1962 Tuxedo Black Corvette: One of eight cars damaged in the Museum’s 2014 sinkhole collapse, it was recovered three weeks later and first shown in its damaged state. It was restored in 2017 with a focus on preserving original fiberglass and straightening the frame.
Taking up residence in the Museum’s Limited Engagement Gallery, the exhibition opens as work continues on the new National Corvette Museum Collections Facility. The 66,000-square-foot facility is under construction on the Museum campus and will support long-term storage, vehicle preservation and artifact conservation. Once complete, the Museum plans guided tours beginning in Spring 2027, offering guests the rare chance to see the National Corvette Museum collection. The exhibition also supports current collection work, since select vehicles will move to the new building, and the Limited Engagement Gallery provides space for staging and access.
Plan Your Visit
Conveniently located off Interstate 65 in Bowling Green, KY, just an hour north of Nashville, the National Corvette Museum offers something for everyone. Whether you’re a lifelong Corvette enthusiast or a first-time visitor, the National Corvette Museum is about making memories, preserving Corvette history and building for the future. For more details, visit www.corvettemuseum.org.
