“In the factory we have some build restrictions. A few examples – we cannot make 100% coupes or 100% convertibles at any given time. The way we source our parts we try to predict what the fraction might be, and the different cars have different work content. The convertible top takes more time to install than the coupe. The workload in those specific stations are exaggerated a little bit. It’s not a problem if you do one. You end up slowing everything down if you do two, three, four in a row. When we schedule building of cars we typically never schedule convertibles back to back for that reason.”

Kai shared another restriction is colors. “We don’t build in batches. We do single piece flow in the order we need.” Kai elaborated that if there we an issue with the paint then they’d have many in a row that would have to be remediated, so it’s best to not have them in batches.

Other restrictions include various options. One option Kai shared was ‘E60’ or the front lift option. “It takes more energy or specific work content to install all those systems. It also takes parts. We don’t source every car to have every option. If you order a car with E60, which many more people did than we though, it can take longer to source that part.”

Kai also shared that supplier capacity can affect production. “We’ve had that situation with the current car – the high wing – we have a limited supply and many people want that. We have to match the supply base and sometimes we don’t predict what customers want in its entirety.”

Kai then explained the various event codes and what they mean.

“What we’re going to talk about is what happens in the factory from the time people order cars to the time they’re delivered,” shared Kai.

“When the plant builds cars, they’re all pre-determined what they will be and that cannot be changed due to the fact we have so many very expensive components we can’t keep an inventory. We could not have a warehouse full. We don’t want to be stuck with inventory that’s obsolete. We basically have our suppliers hold inventory and deliver it to the line in the order we need it.”

My car has been built… when do I get it? Elaborating on the Quality hold

“The first thing that happens is alignment. The car is driven over an alignment pit with operators under the car doing the work with about 30 individual checks. The next step is Dynamic Vehicle Test (‘DVT’). Over 8,000 checks are done in DVT. The car will check a lot of things itself. In here we communicate with the vehicle and are looking to find things like are the antennas working properly for OnStar.”

After the DVT is what’s known as Launch Water Test, a water test that is much longer than the standard water test (more than 250% longer), a supplemental water test to the standard test, was proposed by the plant and is not performed elsewhere. “When we bring a new vehicle to production, trying to seal a car up is more difficult than you might think. For all intents and purposes this test really submerges the car so we can find leaks.” Kai also shared that this particular test they can earn their way out of by making sure they don’t have leaks and reduce it to an audit.

Corvette CARE consists of a closer look with 32 individual checks. “Some of these things are done in the process and are an added check, not a replacement. Other things we do here are 100% functionality checks. We might cycle the seats back and forth. We don’t just install the seat and hope it’s ok.”

The normal process is known as CARE (Customer Acceptance, Review and Evaluation), which is done on all cars and consists of 270 individual checks. “It’s a moving conveyor and on here we have a number of people looking at many aspects of the car, some of them predetermined, and some we elect to include.”

Following CARE is the normal water test with 110 different checks, and then the ‘Squeak & Rattle Test’. “At this point the car goes outside and goes down a track. As you enter the track you go through small bumps that jar the car back and forth. You go over ropes and rumble strips, cobble roads. We’re looking to see if the car is making any funny noises that we can pick-up. The individuals are very acute in their auditory skills so they can find things. 100% of the cars go through this.”

“Remember at this point we are still at a 3800. All the dealer knows is that the car has been built. All these processes that are going on we don’t change the status of the car from what the dealer can see.”

The next process is ‘Batch and Hold’ consisting of 57 individual checks. “This is a process that will eventually go away. The operator is taking a look to make sure buttons work, cycling things, open and close doors, looking at how the frunk closes, making sure we have good flushness, walking around the car and checking for functionality and appearance items. Some people may wonder why you’d put your hands on the car like that but it’s amazing what your fingers can pickup and many times you’ll see our operators use the back of their hand to pickup any discrepancies between two panels.”

“Once we get to the point we don’t have issues we start eliminating these one by one because we’ve proven they aren’t an issue and we simply audit them. Some people say trust then verify. You go verify and when you verify enough then you can start trusting. That’s how manufacturing is.”

Adding all the checks up it is more than 8,500 checks.

“Depending on where you are in the country – if you’re out west they sometimes are shipped by rail. So they go to Toledo, Ohio and get on a rail, they go out west and they’re dispatched to dealers. By far, the majority of cars leave on these trucks and they go in batches geographically. We don’t ship in VIN sequence. We wait until we have cars that are grouped in a geographic area and we move them.”

Kai’s seminar concluded with a Q&A session composed of on-site event participants and virtual viewers. The seminars are available for viewing in their entirety online with purchase of ‘Virtual Anniversary’ registration. The fee is $20 and includes the Plant seminar, Corvette seminar, Hall of Fame Roundtable, Corvette Power with Paul Koerner seminar, Mobil 1 Tech Talk and Michelin Tire Design & Transformation seminar. Kai’s seminar is also available on the Museum’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

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During the Corvette presentation on Friday, Harlan Charles described the Silver Flare as having a ‘lot of travel’ and looking very different as you walk around the car. The Red Mist was described as a ‘firey red, brighter than some of the ones we’ve previously done.’

Harlan and Tadge indicated that the very first 2021 validation cars are in the process of being built with Silver Mist being the first, and Red Mist being the fourth – so the opportunity to ‘see’ a full car in the color is forthcoming. Those cars are pre-production and gives the team a few months to check them out before building customer cars.

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When ordering a new Corvette, customers may select option “R8C,” designating their car for Museum pickup. The ‘red-carpet’ VIP experience includes signage welcoming the customers to the Museum, a guided tour of the Museum where their Corvette is on display (and plant tour when available), a quality and detailed orientation on the car followed by celebratory drive out of the Museum for photos. Delivery customers are provided with the opportunity to take an NCM Motorsports Park-owned Corvette for touring laps around the road course to round out their day.

VIN 29, a Torch Red Stingray Coupe, arrived on Friday, March 6 along with ten other R8C optioned cars and one car for the NCM Motorsports Park. This was the first R8C Delivery for the Johnsons, and the sixth Corvette they have owned. Glenn joined the Museum’s board of directors in 2015 and currently serves as chair.

“Being involved with the Museum, I felt that not only does their Delivery program do such a good job, but it is also another way we can support the mission of the Museum,” shared Glenn.

The Johnsons first purchased a 1982 Corvette, which they kept for several years. In 2005 he and wife, Andrea, had retired and shortly thereafter purchased a 2007 Convertible. It was a car that they traveled very little in at the time. While googling Corvette, Glenn came across the website for the National Corvette Museum and decided to join as a member. They’d visited Bowling Green in 1989, touring the Corvette Plant, but had not returned since.

“I got online and saw where the Museum was having an annual celebration, and asked Andrea if she’d like to go to Bowling Green. She said, ‘you’re actually going to take your car?’ It’s a day and a half drive for us. But we got in the car and came!”

Glenn recalls being warmly greeted and thoroughly impressed with the facility. The Museum was under construction with a new addition. That evening at the hotel he met other Corvette owners and became fast friends. “They saw us in our Corvette shirts, and we started talking about Corvette and the Museum. We learned they were very involved and big supporters of the Museum, involved with their clubs back home, and they drove their cars. If they got a rock chip, it was a badge of honor.”

By the time the Johnsons left Bowling Green, they were Lifetime Members. Since that time the couple have joined various Museum giving groups including the Spire Society, NCM Circle of Friends, and annual Winner’s Circle. Andrea joined Elfi’s Silver Pearl Sisterhood as well.

“I always encourage other Corvette enthusiasts to get involved with the Museum at whatever level they feel comfortable, to get involved with their local Corvette club, and to DRIVE their Corvette and enjoy it,” added Glenn.

“We thank the Johnsons not only for taking delivery with us today, but also for their thirteen years of supporting this nonprofit foundation,” shared Dr. Sean Preston, President and CEO of the National Corvette Museum. “People like Glenn and Andrea are the lifeblood of this organization and we love being able to celebrate such a fun and exciting day like this with them.”

The Museum will deliver nearly 600, 2020 model year, Corvettes over the next several months. This year marks the 25^th Anniversary of the Museum Delivery Program, with over 12,000 Corvettes having been delivered at the Museum since the program’s inception.

Commemorative items that are incorporated into the Delivery Program include the option to place a unique decal on the inside of the drivers’ door jamb to signify that the car was picked up at the Museum. Customers are presented with an individual one-year NCM membership, special lapel pin and a recognition plaque. R8C delivered Corvettes also feature a special license plate frame, and an interior nameplate with the customer’s name, date of delivery and VIN inside the car. Exclusive NCM Delivery merchandise may be ordered by participants. Customers who are bringing children along for the experience can notify the Museum to receive special perks through the Glazer Family Delivery Program.

Deliveries can be viewed world-wide on the Museum’s webcams at corvettemuseum.org. New Corvette buyers can add option code R8C to their order through any dealer. The program is an additional $995. Additional details on R8C and other unique programs is available on the Museum’s website.

The Museum is in Bowling Green, Kentucky at I-65 exit 28, on the same street at the world’s only Corvette assembly plant. Open daily, 8am-5pm CT, the Museum offers guided and self-guided tours, a Café, Corvette Store, racing simulator, seasonal Corvette rides, KidZone, meeting space, collector car insurance through NCM Insurance Agency and more. Across I-65 is the NCM Motorsports Park, offering hot lap Corvette rides, touring laps putting you behind the wheel of a Corvette, high speed go-karts, high performance driving events, short- and long-term garage rentals, meeting space and more.

The post Museum Delivers First R8C Optioned 2020 Corvette appeared first on National Corvette Museum.

The Next Generation Membership is for children ages birth to 18.  The goal is to foster childrens’ interest in Corvette and the Corvette Museum, and to keep the hobby thriving through the Next Generation of members/supporters.  Revenue from these memberships go directly to develop and enhance our educational programs at the National Corvette Museum.

Benefits:

• Free admission
• 10% discount in Store
• Free cookie in café when visiting the NCM (limit 6 per year)
• Discounts on NCM sponsored children’s programs
• Membership packet including toy Corvette when joining
• Quarterly emailed newsletter
• Birthday gift each year

Cost: The donation is a one-time amount that covers the Next Generation member until they reach the age of 18.  There are two price brackets, based on the joining age of the child.

• Children ages 0-9 $400
• Children ages 10-18 $200

To purchase a membership, please call Member Relations Supervisor Bobbie Jo Lee at 270-467-8833.

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Check out the footage from both Corvette Drive, and the Museum’s parking lot security cams and see what you think of the latest shade!

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Open-air driving has always been a part of the Chevrolet Corvette’s heritage. In fact, when the Corvette debuted in 1953, it was available only as a convertible. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible builds off that heritage as the first hardtop and mid-engine convertible in Corvette history.

“We put the world on notice when we introduced the first mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette a few months ago, and now we’re raising the bar with the first-ever hardtop Corvette convertible,” said Brian Sweeney, Chevrolet U.S. vice president. “And the convertible will be priced only $7,500 more than entry 1LT Stingray coupe.”

First and foremost, a convertible

The mid-engine 2020 Corvette Stingray was engineered first and foremost as a convertible. The convertible maintains the tunnel-dominant structure and use of high-integrity die-cast parts found in the Stingray coupe.

The team engineered the hardtop to stow seamlessly into the body, maintaining the Stingray’s impressive ability to store two sets of golf clubs in the trunk even with the top down. The convertible also keeps the coupe’s front storage compartment, which can fit an airline-spec carry-on and a laptop bag.

The hardtop provides a quieter cabin, increased security and a cleaner look compared to the previous softtop designs.

“Our goal from the beginning was to make sure customers didn’t have to sacrifice any functionality, performance or comfort when choosing the hardtop convertible,” said Josh Holder, Corvette program engineering manager. “We managed to keep the same design theme as the coupe, as well as the exceptional storage capacity and track capability.”

Inspired by jets

Like the coupe, the Stingray convertible’s design was inspired by fighter jets. The tonneau cover features aerodynamically shaped nacelles influenced by the housing used for jet engines. The nacelles, which were also used as inspiration on the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) I and II, as well as the Corvette SS and SR2 concepts, help reduce air recirculation into the cabin and provide a remarkably exotic profile with the top up or down. The tonneau also provides a rear power-adjustable window and a vent for mid-engine cooling.

The two-piece top can be activated at speeds up to 30 mph and retract in as few as 16 seconds. It is powered by six electric motors — a Corvette first — and uses encoders for precise control. Switching to electric motors from hydraulic systems helps increase reliability. A body-colored roof is standard, while Carbon Flash metallic-painted nacelles and roof are optional.

Careful attention was paid to make sure the engine could breathe when stored underneath the tonneau cover. The sheet-molded composite top stows in a compartment made from lightweight composite panels and heat shields to manage heat from the engine.

A divider glass window in the middle of the vehicle can be power adjusted with the top up or down. The glass has been optimized to reduce air recirculation and wind noise in the cabin for improved quietness. The roof system design, combined with the same rear spoiler used on the Stingray coupe’s Z51 Performance Package, results in identical drag between the coupe and convertible with the top up.

Engineers tweaked the chassis for the convertible, with springs and dampers tuned specifically to provide nearly the same performance as the coupe.

No compromise performance

Like the Stingray coupe, the convertible is powered by the next-generation 6.2L Small Block V-8 LT2 engine, the only naturally aspirated V-8 in the segment. It will produce 495 horsepower (369 kW) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque when equipped with performance exhaust — the most horsepower and torque for any entry Corvette.

The LT2 is paired with Chevrolet’s first eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which provides lightning-fast shifts and excellent power transfer. This transmission is uniquely designed to provide the best of both worlds: the spirited, directly connected feeling of a manual and the premium driving comfort of an automatic. The double-paddle de-clutch feature even allows the driver to disconnect the clutch by holding both paddles for more manual control.

When combined, the advanced propulsion system, revised chassis tuning and retractable hardtop make the 2020 Stingray the most no-compromise Corvette convertible in history.

Build and price tool now available

Interested Stingray shoppers can now build and price their own Corvette coupe or convertible on the 2020 Corvette visualizer at Chevrolet.com.

A dedicated Chevrolet Corvette Concierge team will provide 2020 Corvette customers with answers about the vehicle discovery, buying and ownership process. The team can be reached by calling 866-424-3892. Customers can also live chat with a Corvette Concierge by visiting Chevrolet.com. The team is available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Mondays through Fridays.

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe goes into production at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly in late 2019, with the convertible following in late first-quarter 2020. A right-hand drive version of the convertible will be available in select international markets at a later date.

The post Chevrolet Introduces First Hardtop Corvette Convertible appeared first on National Corvette Museum.

Built in 2018, the Corvette powertrain development vehicle is a mid-engine Corvette used to test new powertrain, primarily at Milford Proving Ground in Milford, MI.

The 6.2-liter LT2 engine vehicle is outfitted with test equipment to record data during testing on track at the proving grounds, with a unique exhaust system that allowed Corvette engineers to run various tests on the engine. During its test runs at the proving grounds the car was vinyl wrapped with the now famous 8th Generation camouflage. After the reveal of the new mid-engine Corvette in California, the camouflage was stripped from the development vehicles, revealing this multi-colored, Next Generation Corvette.

The new mid-engine Corvette is the culmination of years of developments in engineering and styling. Since the late 1950s, Zora Arkus-Duntov had pushed for Corvette to become a mid-engine sports car to rival the likes of mid-engine European sports cars and race cars. For over 60 years Chevrolet has experimented with mid-engine vehicles including CERV I, CERV II, Aerovette, Astro II, Corvette INDY, and CERV III, just name a few. It is with the 2020 production mid-engine Corvette that Zora’s dream is realized and this development vehicle played a major role in making it happen.

The car is on permanent display in the Museum’s Skydome.

Also joining the Museum’s exhibits to help tell the story of the development of the next generation Corvette is an eighth generation, 2020 Corvette Stingray clay model.

Constructed in 2014, this was the first 40% scale clay model produced of what would become the Next Generation Corvette. The model was used for theme evaluation and aerodynamic testing. The model was used for theme evaluation and aerodynamic testing. The black ink streaks that you see running across it started out as drops placed in key positions before the wind tunnel was powered up, thus showing the effect of air flow over the vehicle.While clay modeling has been used since the early 1900s, today’s models incorporate “rapid prototyped” components printed in plastic. This allows for more accurate testing of the model while also providing a three-dimensional example of how the look of the car is coming together. After testing was successfully completed, a full-sized clay model was created for more extensive testing.

The clay model is on display in the Museum’s Design & Engineering exhibit.

Sincere and special thanks to General Motors for their generous loan of these two important artifacts!

The post Museum Displays Next Generation Powertrain Development Corvette and Clay Model appeared first on National Corvette Museum.

The official ‘C8’ reveal will be held on the evening of Thursday, July 18 in Orange County, CA. The following day, GM will host a reveal ‘expo’, giving participants the chance to see the car up close, network and talk to key people on their team, browse additional displays and more.

The Museum’s eBay auction is for two (2) tickets (two people) to the event and includes overnight accommodations for July 18 & 19, access to both days of reveal festivities, a group lunch and tour of an area auto museum on the morning of Friday, July 19, bus transportation to and from both days of activities, and as a special gift from the Museum, an event polo only available to those on this trip.

Transportation to Orange County, CA is ON YOUR OWN and not included in this package.

Proceeds benefit the National Corvette Museum, a 501c3 nonprofit foundation and a portion of this auction will be recognized as a tax deductible donation to the museum. (Amount to be determined based on final amount of the auction).

The auction ends on Thursday, June 27 at 10:27am CT. Bidding is available online at: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153536423309.

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