1971 Corvette AstroVette to Receive Restoration With Help of Former Owner’s Son

One of six and just three finished with custom paint, this 1971 Corvette AstroVette is being preserved for future generations.

Most Corvette fans are well aware of the connection between space and their beloved sports cars, as the tale of the “AstroVette” has been told over and over again over the past several decades. Essentially, GM offered astronauts the ability to lease a new Corvette for a mere one dollar, an offer that precisely none of us would refuse. Back in that era, astronauts were akin to rock stars, and seeing them drive around in a Corvette was great PR for GM as well. Now, this particular 1971 Corvette AstroVette is set to receive a restoration to return it to the condition it was in during those glory days, as Collect Space recently reported.

This 1971 Corvette AstroVette was one of three identical models leased to NASA’s Apollo 15 crew – the first to drive on the moon – and it was owned by command module pilot Al Worden. Apollo 15 was the the fourth mission to land astronauts on the moon, as well as the first to utilize a lunar roving vehicle and the first deep-space EVA (spacewalk), which was performed by Worden himself. Now, this cool piece of space and automotive history is undergoing a restoration courtesy of a joint effort between Worden’s grandson – William Worden-Penczak – and Luna Replicas, a space collectibles company.

“It’s a unique preservation of what we deem as a very important part of American history,” Worden-Penczak said “It is a symbol for a very important chapter in aerospace history, as well as my family’s history.”

This particular AstroVette had been sitting in a field for years before it was discovered by a collector, who wound up selling it to Worden-Penczak and Luna Replicas founder Max Kaiserman five years later. It’s one of just six AstroVettes that were customized and one of two with a custom paint job, in this case white with red and blue stripes. Today, only three are known to still exist, each of them discovered by the same collector. Now, it’s being preserved for future generations to enjoy, rather than getting stuffed in someone’s private collection.

“Our goal is to make this accessible,” Kaiserman said. “A YouTube channel is being planned and possibly a documentary. Will is is working with some creative folks who really want to make a video out of this, following our progress and telling the history. We want as many people to be able to see the car as possible and be inspired by it. I mean, if that means even charging to sit in the driver’s seat and take a picture, we are going to do that.”

Photos:Collect Space

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