TACOMA, Wash. — There is beauty within the beast. For 70 years the Chevrolet Corvette has been the quintessential American sports car. At LeMay-America's Car Museum, the milestone is celebrated in a new exhibit, “Corvette Creativity – An Automotive Canvas.”
"From an American design standpoint, the Corvette is leading edge," Museum executive director Gary Yamamoto said.
Sales were slipping for Chevy when the first Corvette was introduced in 1953.
"One of the principles decided he wanted to develop a sports car," Yamamoto said. "People loved the look but didn't like the performance because it had a V6 engine it, so in '57 they put in a V8 and then interest skyrocketed."
Across eight design generations the 'Vette has continued to evolve, without ever losing its cool factor. It's always looked fast and has always been fast.
"You don't have to be a car enthusiast to appreciate a Corvette," Yamamoto said.
This exhibit is made up of cars owned by Northwest collectors and pays special attention to the way they have modified their Corvettes.
"It can be something as basic as a really beautiful color," Yamamoto said.
Or it can be something like the recently installed titanium exhaust on a bespoke Corvette owned by team behind Seattle vloggers Supercar Driven. This has to be heard to be believed.
There are also rare, one of a kind Corvettes including a racecar that once belonged to "Home Improvement's" Tim Allen. There's also one called the Black Rose.
"In some lights you look at it and it's deep burgundy and then you shift the corner and it turns black," Yamamoto said.
There's just something about a Corvette that inspires excitement
"It really has that elegant look but also sparks sports car growl," Yamamoto said.
And don't forget horsepower
"The new E Corvette can go zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds so that's fast," Yamamoto said.
“Corvette Creativity– An Automotive Canvas " runs through March 2024 at LeMay-America's Car Museum, which is located on East D Street in Tacoma. The museum is open every day but Tuesday and Wednesday.