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The Black ’62 Corvette that fell into the sinkhole along with seven of its brethren was one of the first to be recovered, but its story goes on a little longer than the others. The National Corvette Museum had always reported that three of the cars were to be brought back to their original state prior to the sinkhole event that occurred on February 12th, 2014, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
David took great care of his Corvette, which makes it sad for it to wind up "under the car lift" in a different way down in the sinkhole.
This particular dual-carbureted 1962 Corvette was donated to the NCM in 2011 by David Donoho. Many Corvette enthusiasts can relate with David’s passion for this particular Corvette. Having saved up enough money to purchase the car brand-new while in high-school, he painstakingly cared for it for over 50 years before donating it to the NCM. During that time, David earned the nickname “The Weatherman” because of his interest in the weather any time he was out with his Corvette. David would immediately scuttle his ride home at the slightest chance of rain.
Just like all the other cars, removing the '62 from the sinkhole without inflicting more damage was paramount. It took the better part of all day on March 4th, 2014 to remove the car. It was gently lifted out with a crane and set back on all four wheels via a strap through the engine bay.
With such a commitment to caring for this fine example of Americana, seeing the car nestled among debris, dirt and other Corvettes undoubtedly tore at the heart strings of all car lovers and solid-axle enthusiasts alike. The curse of the catastrophe was lessened once the Corvette Museum mentioned that three of the cars were deemed rebuildable, and thankfully, this impeccably cared-for Tuxedo Black ’62 would be one of them.
Once on the surface again, everyone could see the extent of the damage. Thankfully, damage was limited and the decision was made to rebuild the car.
Rebuilding the Millionth Corvette and the Blue Devil were both dutifully handled by General Motors. The work was completed at the shops in Detroit and updates were sent out once the cars were completed. For the Black ’62, enthusiasts are in for a treat as they will be invited to view progress on the car’s restoration first-hand through the NCM’s website and Facebook page.
The National Corvette Museum will be handling the restoration project just yards from where the sinkhole damage was incurred and visitors of the NCM will be able to view progress of the car through the glass door that leads into the garage area where the work will be performed. Almost all the work will be performed in-house by Daniel Decker, the NCM’s Vehicle Maintenance and Preservation Coordinator.
The Black '62 bided its time dirty and with cracked body panels as part of the Sinkhole Experience exhibit. This time, it got the top bunk on the lift.
Daniel expects the task to take as long as a year to complete. “It’s a real big honor to be able to do the work, to bring it back to life from the sinkhole,” he said. The Corvette needs about $15,000 worth of new parts, including a complete front end assembly, hood panel and windshield, but overall the damage was minor compared to the other cars and, thanks to the generosity of General Motors, all $25,000 in restoration expenses have been covered.
The Black ’62 was pushed out of the Skydome and moved over to the garage area where it will begin its restoration. Visitors will be able to view the work through the glass garage door that opens into the bay where the work is to be completed.
While it may have taken a little longer for this ’62 Corvette to turn the page and close this chapter of its sinkhole experience, it is great to see that all of David’s care wasn’t totally erased when the Kentucky landscape came crashing down. One day soon, the car will shed all that dirt and cracks and put on again that fabulous Tuxedo Black paint. Enthusiasts will be able to see the work progress, and perhaps, bring him a Get-Well-Soon card in the process!
