Located in Bowling Green Kentucky is the assembly plant where all the Corvettes in the world are produced. In essence the plant is responsible for the magic that has come to be known as the Corvette and has been the magic producing plant since 1981.
Almost 500 people are employed at the one million square foot factory and each and every year it is those employees who are responsible for every aspect of the Corvette. The plant is a place where raw materials get put together bit by bit and in the end you are left with a new Corvette bound for the lucky buyers across the country.
As is evident by the 1981 opening, the Corvette was not always birthed in Kentucky. In fact, the first ever run of the Corvette in 1953 took place in Flint Michigan. The first 300 were put together almost all by hand as the Corvette represented the first car for GM to be mass produced using fiberglass.
The next year in 1954 the Corvette’s production was moved to Saint Louis and that remained the home of the Corvette until June of 1981 when the move was made to Bowling Green. The plant was previously a Chrysler air conditioning unit factory and that meant that the building would have to undergo major renovations. When all the saw dust settled GM had created a state of the art plant that was almost twice the size of the original building and the production of the Corvette was now able to be accomplished using all the latest and greatest in gadgetry for the time period.
Over the years the Bowling Green plant would see many Corvette milestones. On July 2, 1992 the one millionth Corvette rolled off the assembly line with all the big brass at GM in attendance. That mark was truly amazing and represented the mainstay that the Corvette had become in America.
In 1996 after the completion of the 1996 model year the plant was completely remolded from the inside out to accommodate the next generation of the Corvette as in 1997 the C5 was born. Though the plant has undergone some upgrades along the way since, the 1996 remodeling was the biggest change to the plant to date.
On May 28, 2009 the 1.5 millionth Corvette was made and the numbers of the Corvette keep growing with every passing year. Because of the dedication and the devotion of those who work at the Bowling Green plant, in 2009 the Corvette was ranked top GM model and fifth in the industry overall from JD Power and Associates in the category of quality.
Today the plant is still rolling strong and is currently ramping up for the next model year Corvette. If you are a Corvette freak then a trip to the assembly plan should be added to your “have to-do” list. An estimated 50,000 tourists visit the famed plant each and every year and many are lucky enough to see the actual production taking place. GM even offers an opportunity for those who have ordered a Corvette to tour the facility and witness their own Corvette being born. So whether you have ordered a Corvette, already own a Corvette, or just love the American Icon, a trip to the place that creates all the Corvette Magic will surely leave you with a smile on your face and memories that will last a lifetime.