At the National Corvette Museum, the story of Corvette does not stop at the sheet metal. It lives in the details, the tools, the people, and the moments that shaped America’s Sports Car.
Now open inside the Museum’s Limited Engagement Gallery, Driven to Preserve invites guests to look beyond the cars and experience the artifacts that define Corvette history in a new way.
More Than Cars: The Full Story of America’s Sports Car
Corvette is performance. Corvette is design. Corvette is innovation. But at its core, Corvette is people. Driven to Preserve brings that idea to life through a carefully curated collection of non-vehicle artifacts that reveal how the legacy of America’s Sports Car has been built, experienced, and passed down across generations.
From racing suits to pedal cars, each object tells a story that connects the engineering excellence of Corvette to the human experience behind it. “Preservation is about more than vehicles,” said Robert Maxhimer, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Education.
“The artifacts in this exhibition carry the human side of the story of the owners, builders, racers, and moments that shaped what Corvette means. Keeping those objects accessible, stable, and historically accurate is just as much a part of our mission.”
Exhibit Highlights from Driven to Preserve
Dick Guldstrand’s Racing Suit: A racing suit worn by Corvette legend Dick Guldstrand offers a rare glimpse into early motorsports safety. Produced by Hinchman, a pioneer in race suit design, it predates modern fire-resistant materials and reflects an era when performance pushed boundaries at every level.
Ed Cole’s Desk: On loan from the Cole family, this desk connects directly to one of the most influential figures in Corvette history. Ed Cole, the force behind the small-block V8, helped transform Corvette into the performance icon enthusiasts know today.
UAW-GM Motorsports Jacket: Autographed by Corvette Racing legends Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Antonio Garcia, along with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, this jacket represents the intersection of racing, teamwork, and Corvette legacy.
GM Paint “Frogs”: These small design models reveal how Corvette finishes are evaluated before a vehicle ever reaches the road. Used to study how paint reacts under different lighting conditions, the “frogs” offer insight into the craftsmanship behind every Corvette.
Pedal Cars and Kiddie Corvettes: From a 1956 Corvette pedal car commissioned by GM to promote a major redesign to a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport pedal car signed by Chevrolet General Manager Jim Perkins, these artifacts show how passion for Corvette often begins early.
The Corvette Pinball Machine: Dating back to the Museum’s 1994 grand opening, this ZR-1-themed pinball machine captures a different side of Corvette culture. It ran 24 hours a day during opening weekend and reflects Corvette’s impact beyond the road.
Why Driven to Preserve Matters
Together, these artifacts do what the best Museum experiences are designed to do. They make the familiar feel new again. At the National Corvette Museum, preservation is not only about maintaining vehicles. It is about protecting the objects, stories, and experiences that deepen our understanding of Corvette’s place in American history and culture.
With more than 50,000 Corvette artifacts and a world-class collection, the Museum continues to advance its mission to educate worldwide audiences on the evolution of Corvette, America’s Sports Car, through collection, preservation, and celebration of its legacy.
