Flashback Friday: Restoring Chevrolet’s 1 Millionth Corvette

With hundreds of signatures found under the skin of the one-millionth Corvette, Chevrolet faced unique challenges in the restoration process.

When the National Corvette Museum suffered its sinkhole disaster years ago, the one-millionth Corvette was one of many cars that fell into the sinkhole. This C4 had extensive damage, but not to the point of being a complete write-off. Still, Chevrolet faced a few difficult obstacles during the restoration process that would never happen on any other Corvette.

In this 2015 video, we get a close up look at the damage, which on the surface doesn’t look like much. It is one of the cars that came out in just about one piece, compared to other Corvettes that suffered worse for wear. Front end damage and the windscreen are the most prominent areas of damage. But just about every panel has damage of some sort. Some minor undercarriage components have minor damage, too. As you can see on the Cars Garage YouTube video above, everything on the car needed attention.

During disassembly, we discover something unique about this Corvette. Being the one-millionth built, GM employees widely celebrated this particular C4. Hundreds of workers left their signature on vehicle components, including bumpers, fenders, wheel well liners, frame rails, interior components, and more. In these instances, Chevrolet couldn’t simply replace broken parts. They also found more damage during disassembly. And some components like the brake light lenses simply couldn’t benefit from a repair, and were replaced.

For this restoration, GM showcased their ingenuity in the paint booth. Overspray is usually found in most restorations to mimic the finish a car would have from the factory. In this instance, masking protects the inside of the fenders in order to save the signatures.

A new windshield frame, fresh paint on the body panels, and a clean interior readied the millionth Corvette for reassembly. Of course, after you complete a car like this, you should take it out for a drive. What better way to do it than with the top down?

If you’re ever in the Bowling Green, Kentucky area, be sure to see this exact car at the National Corvette Museum. And just remember what it looked like before you set your eyes on it.

Screengrabs: Cars Garage / YouTube