Final Car Show to Be Held on U.S.S. Lexington Aircraft Carrier
Support for the National Corvette Museum comes in many forms, and for one Corvette enthusiast that support was to provide event registration for the Museum to participate in America: The Car Show.
“We are honoring an individual who has been part of our shows for the 11 years that we have been hosting them,” said Island Tom, Director of American Road Crew. “He volunteered for the first show as leader of our snowball cruise and has been involved ever since. He was recently diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer so this year we wanted to honor him and his involvement, and he, in turn, wanted to involve the car he loves so much.”
A proud owner of a 2016 Z51 Stingray Corvette, Bill Thomas and his wife Sharon are members of the National Corvette Museum and recently participated in the National Corvette Caravan. In celebration of Bill’s life and passion for Corvette, he invited the Museum to participate in the show, covering the registration cost.
“Bill told me that the first thing they did after purchasing their Corvette was make a trip to Bowling Green to visit the Museum!” added Tom.
Saturday, October 5 through Sunday, October 6, 2019 the U.S.S. Lexington will play host to up to 350 collector cars on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier in Corpus Christi, Texas. A World War II vintage Essex Class aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington was commissioned in 1943 and served the United States longer and set more records than any other in the history of naval aviation. It was the oldest working carrier in the United States Navy when decommissioned in 1991.
America: The Car Show will be the final show of its kind on an aircraft carrier. The ‘stars and stripes spectacular’ welcomes all makes and models, including Camaros, GTOs, 442s, Chevelles, Mustangs, and Corvettes. This year’s show will welcome branded race cars, an official Batmobile and Jurassic Park Jeep #29, too.
“The first car onto the flight deck at 5am Saturday, after leading the last leg of the snowball cruise from San Antonio will be Bill and Sharon with their 2016,” added Tom. “He has also earned the honorary title of ‘Show Boss’ for this year’s event.”
At Bill’s invitation, the National Corvette Museum will display a 1962 Tuxedo Black Corvette, donated to the Museum by David Donoho. This particular Corvette was made famous on February 12, 2014 when it, along with seven other Corvettes, fell victim to a 30-foot-deep sinkhole inside the National Corvette Museum’s Skydome. The car underwent a one-year restoration and was revealed on the fourth anniversary of the sinkhole in 2018.
“This is an opportunity to not only share the sinkhole story outside of the Museum, but an opportunity to showcase and educate people on how the Museum is able to preserve and care for the collections of the Museum,” said Derek Moore, Director of Collections / Curator. “Participation in this final car show on the U.S.S. Lexington adds yet another piece of history to our 1962 Corvette.”
During load-in, the Museum’s Corvette entry will be honored as the final vehicle to drive aboard the U.S.S. Lexington for this final car show on her flight deck, a fitting honor – just like a fine tuxedo!
Event activities include the snowball run, aerial photos, including the full flight deck from all angles, Meet & Greet, an optional VIP Reception with live music, photos and videos of all vehicles for Amazon’s Book of Muscle Cars and more. Registration for vehicles is $199 ($150 of which is paid directly to the U.S.S. Lexington) and closes when full, or day of show if space allows. Admission for spectators is general admission to the carrier ($16.95 adults age 13 and up, $14.95 seniors and military, $11.95 children ages 4-12). Learn more and register at www.AmericaCarShow.us. For more information on the U.S.S. Lexington www.usslexington.com.
