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National Corvette Museum Update: Could Be Weeks Before More Cars Come Out

It has been more than a week since we posted an update on the National Corvette Museum sinkhole repair program and that is because no more cars have been removed since last week – but there has been plenty of progress in the effort to remove the final three buried Corvettes from the massive pile of rubble.
1993 Corvette ZR1 Spyder Concept Buried

When the excavation process in the National Corvette Museum sinkhole, the early progress moved along much more quickly than originally expected with a whopping five Corvettes being lifted out of the hole in the first week. Before the process began, the company had hoped to get the first three out within the first week before planning the removal of the rest. Fortunately, once those first three were up out of the hole, the team discovered that two more cars were easily accessible so they went ahead and pulled them out as well. At that point, the construction crew reminded everyone that it could still be a long and slow process to get the final three cars out in the best condition possible while also making sure that the workers in the hole are 100% safe.

Once those first five cars were up and out of the hole, the team examined the 1993 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder Concept which was partially visible as the corner of the rear end was poking up through the debris. That led many Corvette fans to think that the crew would just be able to dust it off and lift it out as well, but that turned out not to be the case. The team working to remove the cars believes that there are enough large pieces of concrete/rock around the ZR-1 Spyder Concept that moving the car could cause a dangerous shift in the pile of debris. Should the pile shift, it could cause the walls of the hole to crumble in and that could bury the other cars even more severely or worse – it could injure the workers in the hole.

To ensure that the 1993 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder Concept can be removed safely, the team first covered the car with a thick tarp and then a layer of sand (as shown above courtesy of the National Corvette Museum Facebook page). This allows the workers to move around the car safely and without damaging the car as they reinforce the walls while also removing stray pieces of concrete that served as the floor of the Skydome. Once the team has finished the intricate system of reinforcing the walls, they will be able to begin unburying the 1993 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder Concept – which I would guess is badly damaged considering that it is a convertible buried upside down in rock, dirt and sand.

Once the 1993 ZR-1 Spyder Concept is out of the hole, the team will hopefully be able to see at least some part of the 2001 Mallet Hammer Edition Corvette Z06 and the 1.5 millionth Corvette built. If those cars are not visible after the ’93 Spyder Concept is out of the sinkhole, I would imagine that they could x-ray the floor of the hole to locate the final two cars. Once they know where to dig, they can begin the delicate process of removing all of the debris burying the last two ill fated Corvettes. In any case, the team warns us that it could be several weeks before any more cars are lifted from the hole.

Should any news surface on the National Corvette Museum, you can be sure to read it here on TorqueNews.com.

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