This year’s NCM Bash will offer Corvette enthusiasts a special excuse to head to Bowling Green for the annual event that traditionally offers the first in-person look at the new models.

So if you’re tired of just drooling over photos of the C7 on the Internet, here’s your first chance to get up close to real 2014 Corvette Stingray coupes and convertibles – plus have a chance to hear many members of the Chevrolet team who were behind this marvel of design and engineering.

The Bash, set for April 25-27, will help the museum kick off the 2013 event season.

Seminars and walk-arounds with GM engineers and designers from Warren Tech Center, Milford Proving Ground, and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant are slated to give a very personal look at the seventh generation car. Attendees will be able to ask questions of the folks who actually had a hand in creating their dream car.

Members of the Corvette Racing team?including Program Manager Doug Fehan, Crew Chief Dan Binks, and driver Tommy Milner?will be there, too, sharing stories from the 2012 championship season and looking ahead to this season. A live auction will give attendees the chance to bid on unique and special items donated by Fehan and Corvette Racing.

A couple of Celebrity Choice Car Shows are on tap, with VIPs judging the Corvettes and handing out plaques to the winners.

Several activities for the ladies are also slated, including a shopping excursion to Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Ladies? Garage Seminar with GM’s female engineers explaining how their cars work and how to get them fixed, and a Ladies? Oasis offering a variety of goods and services.

Events are also planned for all kinds of Corvette drivers, with an autocross for the racing enthusiasts and free guided road tours for those who like scenic drives.

You can see the complete event agenda and sign up at www.corvettemuseum.org.