(Lead photo: General Motors) One of the best ways to kill time when you are visiting Bowling Green, Kentucky is to stop in and take a tour of GM’s Bowling Green Assembly plant, better known as the birthplace of Corvettes. Bowling Green has been cranking out Corvettes since 1981, when production was moved from St. Louis, Missouri, and you had better believe that the city, the workforce, and the locals are damn proud of the fiberglass wondercars that leave by the truckloads each and every day. If you get the chance, sign up for a factory tour…it really is cool to see how the teams of workers turn a pile of parts into America’s sports car in short order. But, if you haven’t seen this for yourself, you have only a couple of weeks left until the factory shuts the doors to visitors for eighteen months. June 16th is the date that the welcome mat is pulled inside.
If you are a visitor, this sucks and on behalf of GM and the city, we’re sorry, but Bowling Green Assembly only puts out the “Do Not Disturb” sign for one reason and one reason only: retooling. Changes are going on inside of the plant, but to what extent we aren’t sure of yet. There are two cars in the rumor mill that could potentially be the reason:
- The winged, radical C7 ZR-1. This one is coming no matter what…spy photographers have had a field day tracking down the monster C7, the one that will relegate the already unhinged Z06 to middle-child status. Blue brake calipers hint that Chevrolet is sticking with the “Blue Devil” theme that came out with the 2009 ZR-1 mule that took a quick dip in the infamous sinkhole a few years back. Many are calling it the C7’s farewell, because…
- There is the myth, the unicorn, the halo that everybody is waiting on pins and needles for: the mid-engined, rumored Zora. Nobody is completely sure what GM and the Corvette Team are up to here…but there have been mule and prototype shots for months that range from a hacked-up Holden ute to super-camoflauged early bodies testing with a fleet of mid-engined supercars. Nobody is for sure whether or not this is the upcoming C8 generation or a halo model meant to stand apart on the Corvette brand. Either way, after dorking around with the idea of a mid-engined Vette for nearly the lifespan of the car (the 1959 CERV prototype being the first example), it appears that Chevy is finally biting the bullet and going all in.
Hopefully we have answers before January 2019, when the doors will once again be opened to the public.
I took the tour years ago when I was a kid, on a family vacation. It was awesome
To me, it seemed the latest Z28 Camaro was the best indication that something awesome was coming – because the General would only let that happen if something major was coming. It’s a good time to be alive (unless you’re a Euro-hyper-car-maker)
I\’m surprised the plant has not been closed already.
GM has a 170 day inventory supply to sell off before the 2018\’s start to roll into dealer\’s hands.
Does anybody see any incentives on the horizon yet?
Can’t sit here…. seats taken.
There is the myth, the unicorn, the crown that everybody is tending to pins and needles for: the mid engined, presumed Zora. Nobody is absolutely sure what GM and the Corvette Team are up to here