An American Love Aair: 70 Years of Corvee
Naonal Corvee Museum 70th Anniversary Presentaon
If you have been to the Naonal Corvee Museum in the past and do not believe it is worth going again, it is not the
same. Their investment in audio, video, new displays, and people are well worth a second visit. If you have never been,
thinking it is just an old car museum, it is worth the me to go – it will be me well spent and a memory that will last.
For the 70th anniversary of the Corvee, the Naonal Corvee Museum has invested heavily in technology and new
displays to provide a never before experienced exhibit. The event opened to the public on June 30th, the 70th anniversary
of the rst Corvee. The event was heavily aended by NCRS members such as Mark Tully and Mike Ingham with many
of the new cars being sourced by Vito Cimilluca.
The exhibit is all new with upgraded technology including an eight and a half feet tall LED display that covers the outer
perimeter of the Skydome where the cars are displayed and exceponal audio to provide the largest T V viewing
presentaon you will encounter short of a jumbotron at an NFL football game.
The presentaon was designed by the Naonal Corvee Museum team and takes you through the early creaon of the
Corvee but quickly brings back our memories of the 60s, 70 and 80s and America’s love aair with the Corvee and
notes that Barbie didn’t drive a Mustang. It shows the Corvee featured in various shows. songs and movies like Route
66 which take many of us back to a me when we were younger and could not wait to buy a Corvee or the pride of
owning one. It reminds us of our love aair – 70 years of the Corvee.
When you
enter the
Museum, you
rst
encounter
1953 Corvee
number 231
o the line
which has a
Duntov Award
from 2022.
For the purist,
it does have
lacquer paint.
But this ’53 car is only the start of the experience. Of more interest is the ‘Entombed 1954 Corvee’ that is an all-original
car with 2,000 miles on it. The owner’s wife hated the looks so much that her husband entombed the car with a brick
wall in one of the grocery stores he owned unl it was recovered.
But don’t stop there as the Museum has 53 special cars. Probably the most special is John Neas’ (NCRS #171 of the
Oklahoma Chapter) 1956 Corvee SR-2. Part of what is so special about the car is that Chevrolet designed it in-house
and built it in-house, which shows how important this was to them. They took their best people from improving cars like
the Belair with 1.5 million cars produced a year to work on this car. Ford, with say, their 1969 NASCAR 429 Mustang, sent
things out-house to Kar Cra. Ford kept their top people working on design and build improvements to their bread-and-
buer cars. Chevrolet put their best people, their in-house, on the project and with Shop Order 90179 by Bob Mclean,
head of experimental styling, and designed it in-house and with engineering #6911 built it in-house.
In addition to the cars, each year, a leader is inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame from one of three categories: GM-
Chevrolet, Racing and Enthusiast. The 2023 members-elect are:
GM – David Wichman
Racing – Dan Banks
Enthusiast – John Amgwert
Enthusiast – John Amgwert, Founding Member of National Corvette Restorers
Society
In 1974, John Amgwert became member #3 and co-founder of the National
Corvette Restorers Society. Amqwert’s passion for Corvette translated into a 25-
year stint as the editor-in-chief of The Corvette Restorer magazine – a go-to
resource for Corvette history. Amgwert’s efforts with the NCRS to form a
technical library ultimately resulted in what would become the National Corvette
Museum. Amgwert’s passion for and commitment to seeking out the truth about
key cars in Corvette history continues to this day.
These winners will be formally inducted into the Corvee Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
This will be extra special as Corey Peterson from the Utah Chapter is hoping to drive likely 1953 Corvee VIN 001 into the
museum in an unrestored condion to view the construcon of this early car. I hope Corey can ‘Get’er Done’ in me.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and every person we met was polite, knowledgeable, and helpful from the
rst person you met at admissions to sta in the halls who answer quesons on then on to the retail shop. It was a mark
of true southern hospitality. We even spoed the President and CEO, Sharon Brawner, who had me to stop and talk to
just two aendees. We found out she was a true car gal from the start with her dad owning, restoring and maintaining
’55-’57 Chevys.
We stopped at the Sngray Grill which is an incredibly upscale restaurant – no Steak and Shake. My wife had their 2nd
favorite meal, the Sngray Burger, which features Wagyu beef, Bison, Elk, and Boar. I had their most popular meal, the
Blackberry Grilled Cheese which is cheese, blackberry jam, bacon and jalapenos. It is not tradional, but it is incredible.
The heat of the jalapenos is oset by the sweet of the blackberry jam. You are not going to nd this high of quality food
and upscale menu at any chain restaurant.
The trip was well worth the me and a memory was created that will last a lifeme.
Bill Mulder St. Louis Chapter Member.
