First Look at Classic Corvettes Damaged in Houston Blast

Houston Corvette Services had 17 Corvettes damaged in the accident, but they vow to fix and restore each one. 

Recently, Houston experienced a massive and deadly workplace explosion at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing plant. The force was so powerful that it spread damage and debris extensively throughout the area. One local business that was greatly effected was Houston Corvette Services. At the time of the blast, the company had housed 17 classic Corvettes valued at about $1 million.

Located directly across the street from the plant, Houston Corvette Services was basically leveled by the impact. And the valued ‘Vettes were stuck inside. For safety reasons, owner Gordon Andrus was unable to gain access to the scene. This week, Andrus was allowed inside to see the aftermath firsthand.

While going through the wreckage, Andrus and his team were able to retrieve a few cars and take them to a temporary garage. Local news KTRK joined him to see the scene up close for the first time. Andrus, above all else, is humbled and extremely grateful that no one from his company was injured.

“My poor wife of 47 years started crying when she saw it,” he recalls. “But we’ve recovered and we’re moving on.” As part of their goal, the Houston Corvette Services team will remove each corvette, one by one.

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But it hard to keep a good man down, as Andrus is already talking about rebuilding. No small feat, considering the sheer volume and size of his business and the damage.

“We’re digging out the cars, the equipment, the material, and the parts out of there and relocating to our new location,” he said.

It is rough to see some of these classic ‘Vettes so beat up.

‘This was a 1972 Corvette, it was literally finished” he says. “Just waiting for the owner to pick it up.”

Thankfully, he feels many of the cars, including the orange ’72 are in better shape than expected. “It’s a little dirty, it’s a little dusty,” he says. “But nothing here is catastrophic.”

Remarkably, some Corvettes survived the explosion without extensive damage. And as for those that are wrecked, repairs look to run around $300-400K, conservatively. But Andrus feels confident that they can be repaired.

“The cars are all here,” he says. “They’re all damaged, but they’re all salvageable, they’re repairable. That’s what we do.”

We wish the team at Houston Corvette Services the best of luck as they move forward.

Screengrabs: KTRK / YouTube

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