Staff report
After a 5-year hiatus, the public will soon have the chance to tour Bowling Green’s General Motors Assembly Plant where the iconic Corvette is assembled, according to a company announcement.
The National Corvette Museum and Assembly Plant announced that its popular tours will resume later this year.
Plant tours stopped in 2017 as the plant underwent major renovations. The COVID pandemic intervened after the renovations were complete and the public tours were delayed even longer.
It’s the right time to resume tours, said Kai Spande, plant director of the assembly plant and board chairman of the National Corvette Museum.
“We have been waiting for this day for what feels like an eternity,”
Spande said in a news release, “It’s a great point of pride for our workforce to be able to share what it takes to make America’s Sports Car. We cannot wait to start welcoming Corvette customers, enthusiasts and friends back for tours of our plant.”
According to the release, tours will go on sale to the public via the National Corvette Museum’s website Nov. 1.
National Corvette Museum members qualify for early booking access, beginning Oct. 25.
Tour scheduling will take place at the time of purchase with public tours expected to resume before the end of the year, according to the release. Advanced reservations are recommended. Some walk-up admissions may be available but are not guaranteed.
In 1981, General Motors moved production of the Chevrolet Corvette from St. Louis to the Bowling Green plant, which now employs more than 1,000 workers.
The Corvette is the world’s longest-running, continuously produced passenger car with more than 1.75 million produced. The GM site consists of 212 acres, and the plant has 1.7 million square feet — equivalent to 39 acres or 29.5 football fields, under roof, according to the release.