Corvette Museum Delivery Program and Plant Tour

In an age when most vehicles have become commodities than can be ordered online like a pizza, it’s gratifying to know some car companies still roll out the red carpet for their customers with special delivery programs like the one for the venerable Chevrolet Corvette.

Few cars in U.S. history command as much unbridled enthusiasm from their owners as the Corvette. The day their car arrives is nearly as significant to some owners as the arrival of a newborn. Perhaps that’s why the delivery area at the National Corvette Museum (NCM) in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is called the nursery.

Realizing just how momentous the handing over of a new Corvette can be, the NCM coordinates with the Corvette assembly plant in implementing Option R8C. Available through any Chevrolet dealer for $500, this museum delivery program has to be requested when customers finalize their order. At that point, a special ship code number – 184590 — identifies a buyer’s Corvette for museum delivery.

While the Corvette plant and the nonprofit NCM are separate entities, they are located just a two-minute drive apart — less if you’re manning a ZR1 — and work hand in hand to give the keys to buyers of new Corvettes.

What’s included in the Museum Delivery Program? A customer can bring as many three guests. Upon their arrival, which usually takes a few weeks to schedule, they are greeted at the NCM by electronic welcoming signs displaying the buyer’s name. From there, they are chauffeured to the Corvette plant in a GM courtesy vehicle for a guided VIP tour of the production line.

Afterwards, guests are treated to a tour of the museum. Then a member of the NCM Delivery Team provides both a personalized orientation and a delivery presentation of the customer’s new Corvette. A unique gold decal is placed on the inside of the driver’s doorjamb to signify the importance of this occasion. The customer then receives an individual one-year NCM membership, which can be upgraded.

In view of the impending introduction of the new Corvette C7, the factory will be closed to tours for a few months, starting in the fall of 2012, in order to tool up the production line. For historical record, we scheduled a VIP tour and were given special permission to take some exclusive photography inside the factory. (We plan to return for a visit later on to compare and contrast the differences in manufacture of these two eras of modern Corvettes.)

Our tour was led by Denzel Williams, a retired 20-year veteran of the plant who seemed to know everyone in the place on a first-name basis. His hands-on experience was invaluable in providing an insider’s perspective. Seeing Corvettes built is worth the price of admission alone, as the production line is quite unlike most others. As NCM events manager Roc Linkov points out, “It’s the last hand-built production car in America.” That might sound a bit like an oxymoron (like “awfully good” or “job security”), but after seeing it firsthand, it all makes sense.

Before entering the assembly area, we had to don shields made of fabric to cover our rings and belt buckles, lest we get too close to a Corvette under construction and inadvertently scratch a fresh paint job or new piece of trim. As we snaked our way around the conveyor belt and various assembly areas, being careful to avoid getting whacked in the head by a robotic arm, we learned a few interesting facts. (See the sidebar for more.)

CORVETTE ASSEMBLY PLANT FACTS

The Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Ky., builds anywhere from 80 to 148 Corvettes per day, depending on the model and how long it’s been in production.

About 350 workers are on the production line, which consists of 7 miles of carriers located in one million square feet, or 22 acres. The workers are usually on four-day shifts with 163 different jobs performed.

The electric conveyor for the carriers moves through at .033 mph or 174.28 feet an hour, and 48 robots assist in assembly.

Corvette Z06 and ZR1 frames are made at a separate facility in Hopkinsville, Ky. They have an aluminum frame with a magnesium engine well, so they’re 150 pounds lighter than the standard C6 model. The ZR1 engines are built at the General Motor Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan.

Thanks to the Corvette Assembly Plant, the NCM has the build sheets for all Corvettes built at the Bowling Green factory since it opened in 1981. These build sheets and window stickers are available through the museum for a fee.