GM 100th Anniversary Motorama II
September 8 to 16, 2008
In early 2008, the National Corvette Museum (NCM) asked for candidate cars to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of General Motors. They were looking for one Corvette from each year from 1953 to 2008 to caravan from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Detroit to pay tribute to the historic anniversary. I entered my one-owner ’92 medium metallic red Corvette to the selection process. Photographs and a description of the car were required, and were quickly supplied to the Museum. Then the wait began.
Months went by, no response, so I e-mailed the Museum and asked if the choices had been made. "No, the cars have not been selected" was the reply. Well, at least we are still in the running. Then in June, Dor called out the window and exclaimed that there was an e-mail from the Museum. "What does it say?" "You better come in and open it yourself." Anxious yes, the first words said it all, "Your 1992 has been selected ..." Can I truly believe it - you have been selected, one of 55 chosen. Excited - you bet - what an honor for my '92 that I have cared for since day one.
DAY ONE
Fran, my navigator, and I departed at 7:00am for Charleston, West Virginia - a 471 mile day – easy in the '92 Corvette. The "old gal" ran like a top getting over 28 MPG on the open road. My first inclination was to make the trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky in one day; however, we were asked to register by late Tuesday, so a Monday departure was deemed appropriate.
DAY TWO
We departed Charleston at 7:00am for Bowling Green. Although we encountered some heavy showers, the trip went well. Where did this rain come from, was it a harbinger of the future? Upon our arrival in Bowling Green, a lunch at Wendy’s was in order – frosty and fries are our traditional lunch upon arrival at the NCM.
Motorama II caravan registration was not scheduled until 4:00pm, so we deposited our luggage at the motel and immediately washed the car. It needed it after many miles in the rain. Hope that we do not have to do this too often! Registration was fun – our first opportunity to meet the other drivers, co-pilots and the 54 other Corvettes – one for every year. We received a tour of the new construction for the Museum expansion and were given our initial instructions for the caravan. Dinner was at the Santa Fe Cattle Company - buckets of peanuts and cold beer make a great appetizer. Then off to bed, tomorrow is an early departure.
DAY THREE
The day started with the group gathering in front of the Museum and each team had their information packet with the all important driving directions. The cars were lined up by year and group:
C-1’s and C-2’s, C-3’s, C-4’s and C-5’s and C-6’s. The groups departed with the C-5’s/C-6’s leading the way. The reasoning being to place the fastest cars up front and do not try to keep the caravan intact on the road. It will not work.
I was chosen to lead the C-4 group since I had a Garmin GPS unit, and everything went well for the first fifty miles until a cell phone call from a Museum coordinator put me on the wrong road. Luckily, only one car followed and after a detour of 12 miles, Garmin got me back on the chosen path, but behind schedule. As the trip progressed, I was so thankful that I had gotten a Garmin last year. Never leave home without it!
After a Big Mac at the lunch stop to save time, we headed down I-64 towards St. Louis, looking for the last rest stop on the Interstate before the city where all the caravan cars would regroup. All the cars made it and we waited. Roc, the NCM caravan leader, looked somber. Then the word came through, the photo shoot under the St. Louis Arch had been cancelled due to a foul-up by city management, and we would head directly to the night’s hotel. So be it, roll with the punches. At the hotel, the cars were lined up by year for a photo shoot. It is not the arch but it is St. Louis, guess that counts for a near miss. The St. Louis Corvette Club hosted us, wonderful time compliments of a fine club. Early to bed, another early start tomorrow.
DAY FOUR
This was the best day yet. The wheels rolled at 7:00am, destination, Indianapolis, Indiana. Our first stop was Griot’s Garage, the maker of high-end automotive detailing products. Since I use some of their products, this was an interesting stop for me. I showed one employee the finish on my '92 done just the week before the trip. He was impressed. Each of the Motorama cars was positioned in front of the Griot’s building for viewing just like a car show at home. Our visit was well publicized and hundreds of people showed up to see the Motorama cars. Griots gave us a demonstration of their car care products and a nice discount on purchases as well as a good lunch. I am starting to think that I will eat my way thru this caravan!
Following lunch, the caravan departed for the Ray Skillman’s Classic Car Museum, a private automobile collection. The collection is housed in a large, maybe I should say "huge", plain looking building. As you walk in the door, the scene is breathtaking. I’ve never seen so many classic muscle cars – Fords, General Motors, Chryslers and racecars all in one location – hundreds of cars. I was told that a staff of ten manages the collection, some of which are for sale.
Then we were off to Pedigo Chevrolet, one of the largest Chevy dealers in the Indianapolis area, where our Corvettes were staged for public viewing and we were hosted to a spaghetti and meatball dinner. We finished off the day with good camaraderie at the evening’s lodging. The evenings with the other caravan participants is getting to be a lot of fun.
DAY FIVE
Friday started in the rain, just a light but steady rain. The first leg was a visit to Tire Rack’s mid-Western Distribution Center. The group toured the Center and a couple of cars decided to get new tires, have wheels balanced and even a broken wheel stud repaired. Best of all, we were again hosted to a scrumptious lunch. Then we mounted up and were off to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana. The group was given a guided tour of the new $2 million Museum. Most of us would have liked to stay longer, but time was short. Next stop, Corvette Central near Three Oaks, Michigan - a modern office and manufacturing facility for Corvette replacement parts and accessories. They make approximately 4,000 Corvette parts on site and retail about 40,000 Corvette parts and accessories in total. They served us a wonderful dinner - my belt is getting tight. But there are still 100 plus miles to go to the motel and it was raining heavily. Let the wheels roll! Sure glad I had installed new Michelin Pilot Sport tires for the trip. With Garmin’s help, we made it in the pouring rain.
DAY SIX
Saturday can only be described by one word - RAIN. Thankfully, the distance to the next hotel in Troy, Michigan, was a relatively short 217 miles. The ride was "white knuckle" - a low-slung Corvette on freeways with many trucks. At times, it was impossible to see a truck only a hundred yards in front - could not even make out the red tail lights. We made it safely with Garmin’s help after missing a turn, and that is important. Some of the group are starting to call this Motorama the "Survivor’s Tour". Unfortunately, the tour of the Milford Proving Grounds was cancelled. Rainfall in the area measured about six inches according to the weather reports. Some of the older cars had almost that much water inside! Thankfully, the hotel produced a shop-vac to help dry the interiors and a lot of duct tape to seal the leaks.
DAY SEVEN
We woke up to cloudy weather, some drizzle, damp but it was not pouring. The Corvette caravan departed at 10:00am for the The Henry Ford located about 18 miles from the hotel. The Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village is a fantastic collection of historic buildings moved to this location, as well as everything else under the sun – machine tools, locomotives, airplanes, cars, motel rooms, furniture and so much more. One day is not adequate to see everything in this Museum but that is all the time we had. As we departed the The Henry Ford, the rain came down again as hard as ever. It was the last effects of Hurricane Ike passing right over us. Enough is enough!
DAY EIGHT
Monday was a big day even though the weather was cloudy, drizzling and cool. Our first stop was the GM: Powertrain: Performance Build Center located in Wixom, Michigan. This is where the 505 HP Z-06 and ZR-1 639 HP engines are hand assembled. Each engine is assembled by one person who, upon completion, places his name on the engine. We were allowed almost total access to the build process, spoke 'one on one' to the builders, and were able to photograph the engine assembly in process. This was surprising and a wonderful thing to witness. The employees showed a lot of pride in their work, and so would I if my name went on the finished product.
Our next stop was the Alfred P. Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. This Museum has an interesting display of Buick memorabilia, as well as displays concerning the history of the City of Flint. We departed the Museum after another good lunch and headed back to the hotel to wash the car. There was only an hour to spare before the evening’s agenda. After five days of rain, a good washing was in order. The '92 has to look good tomorrow.
Then it was off to the Heritage Center, which houses a significant collection of historic GM vehicles and is not open to the public. This was a special treat. We were given ample time to look at the GM collection, treated to a fine dinner and given detailed instruction for tomorrow, Tuesday, September 16, the official day for the celebration of GM’s 100th Anniversary. I guess the biggest surprise in the briefing was our departure time - 5:30am for the RenCen (Renaissance Center).
GM RenCen world headquarters, Detroit
GMNext Day, September 16, 2008
DAY NINE
We were up at 4:30am "bright eyed and bushy tailed" for our 5:15am gathering at the cars and ready to go. The 55 Corvettes were segregated into three groups – even years, odd years and the first and last of each generation. A GM host led each group, and the three sections moved out briskly at 5:30am for the 20-mile trip to the GM Renaissance Center. Everything moved like clockwork and we were staged in front of a beautiful plaza, adjacent to the Detroit River in front of the GM Renaissance Center. All in all, it was a beautiful setting. Best of all the weather was perfect: clear, cool, and not a cloud in the sky. This was the best weather day of the trip, thank goodness. This day just had to be perfect, and it was.
At 7:00am, the group was escorted into the GM building to the third floor level and hosted to a full-catered breakfast. Maybe five days of rain was worth the effort after all. At 8:30am, the 100th Anniversary live event started in the large atrium and I had secured a great viewing spot - second level looking directly down to the stage. On the big screen, one by one employees from all over the globe gave tribute to GM’s 100th Anniversary. I never realized how global GM is and that North America is just a small part of the corporation. The culmination of the celebration was a talk by Rick Wagoner (CEO) and the introduction of the new Chevy Volt by Bob Lutz (Vice Chairman of Global Product Development). Hundreds of press people, top management, and invited distinguished guests viewed the event, along with me right in the middle of it all - truly a once in a lifetime experience. It was up close and personal and exciting.
Then it was out to the '92 for a quick speed shine and a constant stream of admirers viewing all of the Corvettes. With all years represented from l953 to 2008, it was a treat for both the owners and the onlookers. All 55 Corvettes made it to the Renaissance Center and that is a testimony to the perseverance of several drivers who encountered problems along the way. I do not know the names of all those who passed my car, but one very distinguished gentleman who was the head of Global Purchasing for GM stopped to admire my ’92. We spoke briefly; he had had two Corvettes in his lifetime. For him to take time and stop and speak to us participants was thrilling to me as an owner.
Lunch, my belt is really tight by now, was provided by GM in the Renaissance Center and then it was out to the cars. Right on schedule at 2:00pm, the barricades came down and we were off. Garmin said the distance to home was 614 miles and we did it straight through in just over nine hours. Oh, to sleep in my own bed.
My 1992 Corvette ran like a dream and used just half a quart of Mobil 1 in 2,576 miles. Not bad for the "old gal". Actually we are quite fond of each other, the '92 and me, after almost seventeen years together. Events like this create a memory as if the '92 is a special friend. Actually, she is. We have a lot of stories over the years and she always got me home.
Jack DeLong, 1992 Corvette
NCM Founding Member and Lifetime Member, Duntov Society
September 23, 2008
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