Rotting shells of 8 sports cars worth £785k crushed to pulp by 30ft-deep SINKHOLE in world’s creepiest motor museum
A SINKHOLE 30ft-deep swallowed eight valuable vintage cars at the world’s creepiest motor museum.
The National Corvette Museum in Kentucky made headlines on February 12, 2014, when a sinkhole collapsed in the early hours of the morning.
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.
Alarms went off in the “Skydome” area and museum security officers who rushed to the scene discovered the sinkhole, 25 to 30 feet deep.
The Bowling Green Fire Department estimated its width at 40 feet.
Security camera footage posted on the museum’s website showed two cars falling in as the hole opened up.
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.
The eight cars carried a total value believed to exceed $1million.
“How do you even begin to place a value on the 1 Millionth Corvette built?” Sam Murtaugh said in an e-mail. “It’s irreplaceable.”
It seems almost Biblical in a way, to have the ground open up and swallow the cream of the collection of the museum.
Jerry Burton
That region of south central Kentucky contains many caves and sinkholes.
Mammoth Cave National Park is about 20 miles from Bowling Green.
“It’s not uncommon for us to see sinkhole collapses,” said city spokeswoman Kim Lancaster.
“Most are significantly smaller than the one we have today.”
Bowling Green city hydrologist Tim Slattery said when the museum was constructed, builders “did do their due diligence” on the area’s geography.
But sinkholes can develop over time, as water goes underground and carries soil with it, he said.
GM builds Corvettes at a plant near the museum, which opened in 1994.
“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?”
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.
Dave Chrisley, president and co-founder of the Bowling Green Assembly Corvette Club, which was started by plant workers, said he believes the cars on loan from GM were the most valuable – especially the Spyder.
“You’d have to auction it to even put a price on it,” said Chrisley. “I couldn’t even give you a ballpark. It was a concept car.”
The museum’s Facebook page was filled with comments from devastated auto fans, including one suggesting that flags be lowered to half-staff “to honor the fallen vettes.”
Museum visitation skyrocketed that same year as people from around the world were drawn to witness for themselves the destruction.
Though the sinkhole has since been filled, it continues to draw attention.
A new exhibit opened on February 12, 2016, to tell the story of what happened that day.
Seven of the eight cars are on display in about the same spot where the sinkhole emerged.
The gift shop even sells jars of sinkhole dirt and rocks for $10 apiece.
