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Tired of NCM but Not of Chevy's Corvette? Then Visit Gilmore's Special Exhibit

The National Corvette Museum, located just a quarter-mile (it’s all about drag racing, always) from GM’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where “America’s Sports Car” has been in production since 1981, is a Mecca for any aficionado. But it’s certainly not the only option.
Gilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special Exhibit 7 photos
Photo: Gilmore Car Museum/YouTube
Gilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special ExhibitGilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special ExhibitGilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special ExhibitGilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special ExhibitGilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special ExhibitGilmore Car Museum Greatest Generation: Corvette Special Exhibit
One may be entirely oblivious to the existence of the Gilmore Car Museum located on Hickory Road in Hickory Corners, Michigan, but the owners make everything in their power to change that. Aside from labeling their location as “North America’s Largest Auto Museum,” they’ve also just opened a new special exhibition.

It’s called “Greatest Generation: Corvette,” which is apparently short for “The Greatest Generation – a dramatic presentation of Chevrolet Corvettes from each generation of GM’s legendary American sports car.” Talk about drama in a paragraph.

That name is certainly a mouthful, but what matters is there’s now a section of the main gallery dedicated to the passage of time and how that fiber-bodied roadster with a 150-horsepower inline-six cylinder has morphed over the decades into a mid-engined 495-horsepower supercar that’s nimble and fun to drive in just about every situation.

We suspect they’re also very thorough because they have on display examples from every generation, including the number 26 Corvette produced way back in 1953. It’s no wonder since the special exhibit has been curated by seasoned ‘Vette restorer Werner Meier, owner of Masterworks Automotive Services (Madison Heights, Michigan), NCM enthusiast hall of famer since 2013, and a Bloomington Gold inductee.

As far as other special ‘Vettes are concerned, Gilmore also proudly displays the 1954 GM Motorama Nomad Station Wagon and Corvair concepts, an ultra-rare 1969 Corvette L-88 Stingray Coupe equipped with the high-performance 427ci (7.0L) V8, an “airborne” Joie Chitwood Auto Thrill Show 1958 Corvette, or the Alpha Build C5 Corvette test car, among others.

Best of all, paying the $16 admission fee ($11 youth, free for children under 10 and active military with ID) will grant access to all shows and meetings, as well as the rest of the museum’s buildings and exhibits, while there’s also on-site free parking.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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