Restored “Blue Devil” ZR1 from Corvette Museum Sink Hole Bows at SEMA

One of the rare Chevrolet Corvettes swallowed up by the sinkhole that opened up at the National Corvette Museum earlier this year has been restored. The 2009 Corvette ZR1, nicknamed “Blue Devil,” has been made good as new, and the coupe made a pit stop in Las Vegas for the 2014 SEMA Show before heading back to its home at the Kentucky museum.

The ZR1 is the first ‘Vette from the sinkhole to be restored, having received damage that included cracked carbon-fiber ground effects, a broken side rocker panel, cracks in the doors and windshield, a damaged front fender, bent rear control arms, and cracked oil lines. While all that sounds like a lot of damage, the ZR1 was in relatively good shape compared to the others since it was the last to fall into the sinkhole. Because it sat on top of the pile, it was the first to be lifted out, and even though it fell nearly 30 feet, it held up pretty well, considering it was able to start and be driven out of the museum.

Chevrolet previously announced that just three of the eight affected Corvettes would be restored. The other two — a 1962 model and a 1992 C4 (the millionth Corvette ever built) — are scheduled to be restored next year, while the other five will remain in their as-recovered state, featured as a part of a future museum display. Those five models include a 1984 Corvette pace car, 1993 Corvette 40th Anniversary Edition, 2001 Corvette Z06, 2009 C6, and a 1993 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder.

Check out the newly restored Blue Devil in the gallery below.

Source: National Corvette Museum

Motor Trend Magazine | Karla Sanchez November 5, 2014

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