National Corvette Museum skydome reopens

The sinkhole collapse, on February 12, 2014, saw eight Corvettes fall into a hole up to 9.1 metres deep and 12.2 metres wide.

 

The reopening ceremony, on 3 September, was attended by enthusiasts, as well as GM staff and representatives of the team who filled the sinkhole and rebuilt the Skydome floor. For the re-opening, all eight Corvettes were placed in the approximate positions they were in before the sinkhole opened up.

 

The rebuilt Skydome floor now features an outline of where the sinkhole was, and where the cave underneath is. There is also a 1.2 metre manhole leading into one side of the cave with a viewing window.

 

While some of the Corvettes, including the ZR1 'Blue Devil' prototype, have been repaired, five cars will be left in as-recovered condition. This is primarily as a reminder of the impact of the event, but more for the fact it wasn't practical or economical to repair them.

 

General Motors, who restored the 1-millionth Corvette, unveiled the restored convertible as part of the 3 September event, with John Cafaro (Chief Designer of the Gen 5 Corvette) and Dave Bolognino (Director of GM Design Fabrication) performing the honours.