Those of you on the Gulf Coast who are in the path of this Hurricane have most likely been through a similar experience before so hopefully you have put your emergency plan into action. That plan should also include what to do about your Corvettes or other collector vehicles. To that end, the NCM Insurance Agency offers relocation reimbursement that provides 50% of the relocation costs, up to $200 per collector car.

Last year during Hurricane Irma, many customers moved their collector cars to a multi-story concrete public parking facility that would protect the cars from wind damage and the risk of being caught in a flood. If you can get into a garage and park several floors up in the interior, you should move your cars today or first thing in the morning at the very latest.

For NCM Insurance customers who are in the path of this storm, our carrier has made available a relocation expense reimbursement that provides reimbursement for 50% of the temporary relocation costs when moving NCM Insurance protected collector cars to a safer location, subject to a maximum of $200 per collector car and $2,500 per policy. Claims regarding reimbursement should call (800) 543-2644 or can submit their claim online at https://www.amig.com/customer/file-a-claim/. Please retain all invoices, receipts and incurred costs with regards to any damage.

If you are unable to relocate your vehicle(s), please take the following steps to insure the vehicle is as prepared as possible:

• Take before photos of your vehicle to show the condition before a disaster strikes.
• Store copies of the registration and insurance documentation in a safe place.
• Place your vehicle(s) on jack stands as high as possible to raise it off of the ground.

Our top priority is offering personal attention to the needs of our customers – in all situations – good and bad. Please let us know if you are affected by the storms and are in harms’ way – and please stay safe.

Important Contact Information:

• Agency Phone #: 877.678.7626
• Claim Phone #: 800.543.2644
• Claim Website: Click Here

Good luck and stay safe!

The post NCM Insurance Offering Hurricane Michael Relocation Reimbursement appeared first on National Corvette Museum.

Will Szymanski Sr.’s 1973 Corvette

Will Szymanski, Sr. was an all-around car guy, but there was something about Chevrolets – specifically Corvettes – that always stood the model above the rest. His son, Will Szymanski, Jr., naturally being brought up by a Corvette admirer, instantly fell in love with America’s Sports Car at a young age. Now 29-years-old, the Corvette gives Will Jr. great memories of his late father and reminds him of all the wonderful times he had with his dad.

Will Sr. tragically passed away in 2008 in what his son calls a “freak accident.” According to Will Jr., his father fell off a ladder and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was in shock trauma for two weeks before gaining his wings. Just being 20 at the time, Will Jr. said it was hard to lose not only his best friend, but his Corvette buddy.

“My father and I were best friends – we were inseparable,” Szymanski, Jr. said. “He always had a passion for classic cars of all kinds, but Corvettes always had his heart.”

Back when Will Jr. was in the eighth grade, his father brought home something that he wasn’t expecting. When Will Sr. pulled into the Szymanski driveway with a 1973 Corvette Stingray, Will Jr. says “it was game over for me.” From that point forward, he and his dad’s friendship would grow into a bond that every father and son hope to share.

Still to this day, Will Jr. can describe that very Vette his dad came home with – its specs, engine and all.

“I remember my father’s Corvette very clearly,” Szymanski Jr. stated. “It was a 1973 Stingray with a three-speed automatic 350. It was blue with dark blue interior. The car looked good when he purchased it, however in the long run we ended up doing a full restoration on it, along with upgrading the motor to a 350/385 horsepower ‘fast burn’ crate motor from Jegs, a larger cowl hood and Crager SD wheels.”

“We went to cruise nights every weekend and always took the car out for rides. We attended ‘Cruisin’ Week’ in Ocean City every May and, of course, Corvettes at Carlisle every August. The first time I ever drove the car was on my learner’s permit to Corvettes at Carlisle. That was my ‘first car.’ We picked out every part that went onto the car and always did everything together when it came to the car.”

Will Jr. said that after his father passed, for the first year he would sit in the garage at night and stare at the Vette, “remembering the good times.” He drove it only twice after losing Will Sr. and, besides that two times he took it out, it sat on a lift in the garage at his mother’s until she sold it in 2012.

Ever since Will Jr.’s mother let the beloved Vette go, he’s wanted it back in the Szymanski family. He says his mother never wanted him to have it when he was younger because she said it was “too fast,” but the real reason is because the “family didn’t take Will Sr.’s death easy,” as Will Jr. states.

Will Szymanski Jr.’s 2004 Corvette

Although he owns a 2004 Corvette, in which he bought in Dec. 2010, from 2015 to now, Will Jr. has been searching desperately for the ‘73 Stingray he and his father made many memories together in.

“After returning to Carlisle with my Corvette in 2015, I decided when I got back home I was determined to find the car,” stated Szymanski, Jr. “I couldn’t find the VIN at first, and after almost a year, I finally obtained the VIN. Our insurance agent who handled my family’s auto policy actually found it because they wrote a policy for it about a month before he switched to another carrier.

After realizing the Vette was registered in Australia, Will Jr. says he went onto Craigslist and posted advertisements in all major cities of Australia and searched the VIN online, but hasn’t had any luck. “I could easily find one and make it the same and probably even do it for less cost, but I want the exact one back,” said Will Jr. “It has sentimental value to me that cannot be replaced – so the search will continue.”

Despite struggling to discover the Corvette he and his father once shared, Will Jr. honored his father in March when he made his first ever trip to the National Corvette Museum – a place he and his dad always wanted to visit together but never got the chance to. Instead of moping around this year on the anniversary of Will Sr.’s passing, Will Jr. decided to do things differently and do something his father would have loved to have done.

Thanks to the NCM Insurance team, Will Jr.’s inaugural trip to Bowling Green is one he’ll never forget.

“We booked the trip in December to head out in March,” Szymanski, Jr. noted. “I happened to call the week before we went to get a quote on my car and met Bobbie Jo (Lee). She mentioned becoming a NCM member and also asked if I was just coming for the heck of it or if there was a reason behind it. I explained my story to her and she said to come see her personally when I arrived.

“She introduced me to Adam (Boca) and the team and we talked for a while. Adam met us right before the sinkhole exhibit and took us in the back and gave us a tour we would never forget. He went above and beyond to make this experience once in a lifetime and I couldn’t thank him enough. I loved every minute of it – and so did my girlfriend.”

As soon as Will Jr. and his girlfriend entered the Museum, he says he turned the corner and witnessed the C3 exhibit, which features the 1973 – the same year Vette that he and his dad had. The son says he will never forget that moment and it’ll always be special to him because it added happy memories of he and Will Sr.

“It was a spitting image of my father’s … I almost cried,” he added. “We loved every minute of it and cannot thank everyone involved enough for making it such an amazing experience. I will absolutely be back!”

by Tyler Mansfield

The post Memories of Dad appeared first on National Corvette Museum.

Thanks to the many collector car owners who entrust their vehicles’ insurance coverage to us we have now opened new offices for the NCM Insurance Agency in the lobby of the National Corvette Museum. The agency was founded in 2009 and today has four staff members to serve your collector car insurance needs.

Joining Adam Boca and Bobbie Jo Lee in the agency this summer are Insurance Agent Jeff Forsythe and Customer Service Rep Sharon Smith.

Originally from a small farming community in Moulton, Iowa, Jeff joined the Air Force after graduating from high school. He spent six years in the Air Force, the first three as an Imagery Production Specialist developing and interpreting satellite film, and the last three as an avionics technician on B-1B bombers. He served in Desert Storm, and after leaving the Air Force received his Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. Jeff was a police officer for the Sheridan Police Department in Sheridan, Wyoming from May 1997 until his recent retirement in June 2016 when he relocated to Bowling Green with his fiance Katrina and daughters Tanikka and Taylinn. Jeff is an avid car enthusiast having owned a 1970 Chevelle, 1971 Camaro, 1969 Camaro, 1971 Chevrolet K-10 truck and a 2010 Camaro SS. Next on his list is a C6 Corvette.

Sharon Smith

Sharon is a native of Bowling Green and has lived here most of her life. While attending Morehead State University she competed in bowling, moving on to the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour. She still bowls in a league and competes in a few tournaments each year. Sharon has worked in customer service for about 20 years, primarily in the medical and banking fields. She and her husband, Chris, have been car enthusiasts for many years, owning a 1965 Corvette for four years and have completed a major restoration on it.

The new NCM Insurance Agency office is located in the Museum lobby, directly across from the Admissions desk. Previously the space was home to upcoming raffle Corvettes. The idea behind relocating the Agency to a public space is an effort to create more awareness of the service offered through the Museum. “We are fortunate to have a lot of automotive events in Bowling Green, as well as events like the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, so we get a large number of collector car owners of all makes and models through our doors,” said Adam Boca, Insurance Agent. “We hope that those folks walking through the Museum doors see our Agency and give us the opportunity to earn their business.”

NCM Insurance Agency one of the fastest growing collector car insurance agencies, focuses largely on providing collector car insurance for your Corvette or any other collector car. As part of the National Corvette Museum, its business is Corvettes but the NCM Insurance Agency insures any make or model that is considered a collector car. The National Corvette Museum is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) foundation, located in Bowling Green, KY. For a free online quote visit www.ncminsurance.com.

The post NCM Insurance Agency Expands appeared first on National Corvette Museum.