When the Watkins were looking for their ’96 Grand Sport, they found some available at Roger’s Corvette Center in Orlando, Florida. Instead of making the trip to look at the car themselves, the Watkins used a third-party service to evaluate and test the 96 Grand Sport they were considering. Based on the report it appeared to be a great car, so Larry and Carol decided to go through with the transaction. This ’96 Corvette is very special as there are only five other cars like it. All six Corvettes were equipped with the same combination of Regular Production Options, making the Watkins’ Grand Sport coupe a true limited edition. Even though there weren’t as many customization options as there are today, there were still enough to make this Grand Sport extra unique.

One year, the Watkins took their ’96 Grand Sport to Corvettes at Carlisle, where a few young men thanked them for bringing the car to the show. That moment made Larry and Carol realize how much people would appreciate seeing their ’96 Grand Sport Corvette. The Watkins felt that donating their car to the Museum would allow more people to see it and admire its noteworthy place in Corvette history.

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If you ask Larry and Carol Watkins how many Corvettes they’ve owned, there would be a little confusion as to whether 6 or 7 is the correct answer because one Corvette in their collection they’ve owned twice!

“Growing up as a teen in the late 50s, I became aware of cars as more than just a piece of transportation,” said Larry. “There were not many Corvettes in our area at the time, but there was an instant attraction. I told myself ‘someday I’m going to have one of those.’”

Larry graduated college in 1968 and shortly thereafter, ordered a 1969 Stingray. Within two years he met his wife and they decided to get married.  At the time, the Corvette was his daily driver. “We decided it might be nice to have furniture, so we sold the Corvette and started a family.”

“After the kids were kind of grown, we started getting back into the Corvette hobby. My wife is a car person, too.” First it was a ’92, that was barely used, that the duo purchased. This was followed by an ’01 which they later sold to purchase a 2013 60^th Anniversary Grand Sport. The 2013 was later sold and a 2017 Grand Sport was purchased, a car they still have today.

The couple’s youngest daughter and her husband started to express interest in the ’69. “He’s a retired undercover cop, so they were able to track it down and we bought it back seven years ago. It’s no longer a daily driver!”

Though Larry loved the cars that had come and gone, he was on the hunt for a model that would be more collectible.

“In 2005 we were looking around and wanted to find something somewhat affordable. The 1996 Grand Sport always had some appeal. When we started checking in to it, we were introduced to John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson of the Grand Sport Registry.”

Hutch pointed them in the direction of Roger’s Corvette Center in Florida, who at the time, had 2-3 of the model they were interested in. “It was unusual that they had that many as only 1,000 were made. You just don’t see them on the road.”

The couple were prepared to fly to Florida to check out the car but learned of a service where a 3rd party will send a knowledgeable representative to inspect the car for them for a small fee. “It turned out the guy who did the inspection had been a show judge, and previously raced cars. He asked me if we were going to show the car, and I said ‘yeah – why?’ And he said that as a judge, he’d probably give the car a 97 or 98 out of 100.”

The deal was finalized, and the car shipped. Three years later, in 2008, the car attended Corvettes at Carlisle where it was selected as a celebrity choice car show award winner. “Two young guys came up and asked about the car. One of them was pretty knowledgeable. At the end of the conversation he said, ‘thank you for bringing the car out and sharing it with everyone.’ That left an impression on me. It is a unique car, but he wasn’t just asking about ours, he wanted to know more about Grand Sports. At the time the ’96 was the only year of the Grand Sport GM intended to make and the VINs were sequentially numbered. John Heinricy has 0001, ours is #931. As optioned, ours is one of six, so there are five others that look exactly like ours.”

That conversation at Carlisle planted a seed with Larry. “The thought of gifting it to the Museum probably began with that conversation. A number of years ago, we decided we were going to gift it but wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, we would put it in our will. A couple of years passed, and it was time to redo the documents. We realized then it probably made more sense to gift the car while we were still living for several reasons – one, having the knowledge that it’s there, and secondly, from a tax and financial standpoint it makes sense to do while alive rather than through our estate.”

The couple had originally planned to gift the Grand Sport in 2021, which would be the 25^th Anniversary of the car. But with a move to a retirement community planned in the coming months there wasn’t enough garage space for all the cars. “We didn’t want the cars to be sitting outside, so we decided to get the donation underway and gift the car now. We had talked to Connie Russell in 2016 and again a few months back who referred us to Betty Hardison. When the coronavirus hit, things were not clear about transporting, but it turns out the same man who delivered our R8C optioned 2017 from the Museum would transport our 1996.”

The Watkins’ are the second owners of the car, which features a red/black interior and Z51 performance handling package. The car has 5,400 miles on it. During its residency in Pennsylvania, and previously in St. Louis, it was housed in a climate-controlled garage. Though the couple were emotional to see the car loaded and off to Bowling Green, they’re looking forward to visiting in the fall to see it in its new home.

Thank you to Larry and Carol for their generous donation to the Museum’s collection!

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Slated for raffle on Thursday, February 20, 2020 is a 2019 Blade Silver Corvette Grand Sport Convertible. But what’s special about the car is that it was the LAST seventh generation Grand Sport Convertible built. The car was built on August 30, 2019 – just before the start of a more than 40-day strike by GM Bowling Green Assembly. The final date of production of the C7 was November 14, 2019.

The car features a 6.2 liter V8 460 HP engine with 8-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission. Other options include a power-folding black convertible top with remote control; magnetic selective ride control; multi-mode performance exhaust; Grand Sport black-painted aluminum wheels with red-painted calipers; 2LT equipment group with Adrenaline Red leather interior including head-up display, heated and ventilated seats, Bose 10-speaker audio system, universal home remote, and remote vehicle starter system; Carbon Flash painted ground effects package; performance data and video recorder with navigation; curb-view front cameras; Carbon Flash badge package; Carbon Flash hood stinger stripe; Carbon Flash painted outside mirrors; red seat belts; Chevrolet infotainment audio system; battery protection package; front license plate bracket.

The winner of the raffle will be afforded the opportunity to pickup the Corvette through the Museum Delivery program (option code ‘R8C’). The delivery program welcomes customers with signs and a VIP guided tour of the Museum where their car is displayed, followed by an orientation and presentation of their new vehicle.

Tickets for the raffle are $150 and is limited to 1,500 tickets – however the raffle will be held on February 20 regardless of number of tickets remaining unsold. Tickets can be purchased on-site at the Museum, located at I-65 Exit 28 in Bowling Green. Additionally, buyers can download a raffle ticket order form from raffle.corvettemuseum.org to purchase tickets via mail order. Those located in Kentucky are able to purchase tickets online with a credit card.

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A world-class lifestyle event aimed to engage, excite and entertain families, racers and automotive enthusiasts alike will make its debut in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. on October 11-13, 2019. The inaugural Chattanooga Motorcar Festival borrows the style of its European counterparts by incorporating unique classic car events tailored to the vintage/historic car collector and racer, and the welcoming hospitality that is the trademark of the American South. Each day will provide spectators different ways to enjoy the experience. It is hosted by the Westin Hotel and Chattanooga’s West Village.

Joining the Festival is a series of vintage and concept Corvettes, from the model’s outset to the latest mid-engine 2020 Stingray, on loan from the GM Heritage Center, National Corvette Museum and the Revs Institute. The display includes:

• 1953 Corvette, one of just 300 units that were hand-built that first year
• 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer Prototype
• 1963 Z06 Split-Window Race Car, one of only 6 built
• 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, number four of just five examples
• 1969 Chevrolet Manta Ray Concept Corvette
• 1972 Chevrolet Reynolds Aluminum Mid-Engine Corvette XP-895
• 2009 Centennial Concept Corvette (‘Sideswipe’ from Transformers II)
• 2020 Stingray Eighth Generation Corvette

In addition to the Corvette display, the National Corvette Museum and Corvette Store will be set up on-site, offering Corvette and car care merchandise for sale.

Three distinct components make up the three-day weekend of the Festival held on Chattanooga’s Riverfront, with all events scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Between the Bridges Time Trials: A competitive event each day for authentic vintage and historic cars. One car against the clock will compete on a 1.5-mile circuit on Riverside Drive. The event, dubbed “A Driver, A Vehicle, A Clock,” will be limited to 50 cars, divided into approximately 10 classes.

Rendezvous of the Greats: “A Juried Contest of Elegance.” This Concours d’Elegance will be held on Saturday only. It will include a display of significant vintage and historic cars following a review, acceptance and confirmation of the vehicles by Concours Chairman Ken Gross, an award-winning automotive journalist.

High Jinks Rallye: “A Driver, A Navigator, A Challenge.” Participants will rallye through parts of Chattanooga that are hidden from the bustling downtown and beyond. Each day will have a new challenge and route for the driver and navigator to face.

Other events throughout the weekend round out the dynamic schedule, including lifestyle classes, interactive experiences for children, collector vehicle corrals, antique and classic boat presentations, a fundraising Garden Party for Erlanger on Friday night, and many other family-friendly events. Tickets for the Friday night Garden Party may be purchased at www.chattanoogamotorcar.com/garden-party.

For more information, go to www.ChattanoogaMotorcar.com or contact the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival at info@ChattanoogaMotorcar.com.

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If you purchased a Drivers Series Package, you have a rare Corvette. Only 95 total were produced, 14 Antonio Garcia, 25 Jan Magnussen, 35 Oliver Gavin and 21 Tommy Milner.

Automatic transmissions were once again favored over manuals at 77.6% or 27,017 cars. Coupes out sold convertibles both overall (84.%) and within each model type.

The exterior color breakdown is as follows (sorted by volume):

Arctic White (6,789)
Black (6,164)
Torch Red (4,848)
Sebring Orange (2,980)
Dark Shadow Gray (2,519)
Long Beach Red (2,397)
Elkhart Lake Blue (2,166)
Blade Silver (1,844)
Ceramic Matrix Gray (1,581)
Watkins Glen Gray (1,415)
Corvette Racing Yellow (1,291)
Admiral Blue (828)

Check out the complete 2019 Corvette stats online here: https://www.corvettemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019-Corvette-Final-Year-End-Data-1.pdf

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The National Corvette Museum is celebrating their Silver Anniversary Labor Day weekend and will welcome over 10,000 Corvette enthusiasts August 28-31, 2019. The Museum is the final stop of the 6th National Corvette Caravan, an endeavor that only happens every five years to coincide with the Museum’s milestone anniversaries. Festivities are planned for three days at the Museum and NCM Motorsports Park, including a kickoff concert with headliner Jefferson Starship, demonstrations, vendors, laps at the track, seminars, and a large display featuring the new 2020 Stingray Corvette with six of the eighth generation Corvette to be on site and approximately 50 members of the General Motors team present to lead seminars, answer questions and network with event participants.

The Museum, a 501c3 non-profit foundation, will be raffling off three Corvettes during the event. While Friday’s raffle, the opportunity to “Build Your Own” 2020 Stingray Corvette, is sold out, two other raffles still have tickets remaining. On Saturday the Museum will draw a winner for VIN 25 of the 2020 Stingrays. The car, once built, will be a Torch Red Coupe with Z51 Performance Package, 3LT Equipment Group with GT2 Seats, Carbon Flash Badge Package, Body-Color Dual Roof Package and more. Tickets for the raffle are only $25 each.

The final raffle, to be drawn on Thursday, August 29, has been kept somewhat of a secret as to just how special it is.

“We have been working with GM on a few one-off features for this car for the past several months,” said Katie Ellison, Director of Marketing and Communications. “With it being our 25th Anniversary, we wanted to incorporate a few special ‘silver’ features on the car that are truly unique. Exterior Design Manager Kirk Bennion, and Senior Designer Dennis Finos really went above and beyond to create a classy look that celebrates the Museum’s milestone. We are excited for everyone to see the finished product and are appreciative for GM’s willingness to add the special touches!”

At first glance, the 2019 Shadow Gray Grand Sport Coupe may seem no different than others straight off the factory line. But anyone who knows the 2019 options by heart will first recognize that the Sterling Silver stripes and hash marks that emblazon this car were not a factory option color. Additionally, the Grand Sport vent badges are monochromatic. “The only other car to have the solid silver lettering is one of the experimental Grand Sports General Motors built that was the marketing car when the model was announced. It’s what you’ll see in any of the press photos, but has since been housed at the Museum for visitors to ‘try on for size’ and sit in,” added Ellison. The final special, one-off feature on the car are sill plates, again with only silver print. “These parts truly make this a one-of-a-kind Corvette,” said Finos.

The Corvette features an 8-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, Magnetic Selective Ride Control, multi-mode performance exhaust, Grand Sport chrome aluminum wheels with black painted calipers, 2LT equipment group with Jet Black leather interior including head-up display, heated and ventilated seats, Bose 10-speaker audio system, universal home remote and remote vehicle starter system, Carbon-Flash painted ground effects package, Chevrolet MyLink radio with navigation system, performance data and video recorder, curb-view front cameras, chrome badge package, battery protection package, front license plate bracket and Corvette Museum Delivery.

Tickets to win this one-off Grand Sport are $150 each, and the raffle is limited to 1,500 tickets. The drawing will be held on Thursday, August 29 at 2pm CT and will be broadcast live on the Museum’s Facebook page. More information and raffle ticket order forms are available online at raffle.corvettemuseum.org. Due to ticket order form transit and processing times, buyers are encouraged to place orders well in advance.

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