Slowly but surely General Motors->ke1024 and the National Corvette Museum are dusting off after the unfortunate sinkhole incident back in February when the ground opened up and swallowed eight priceless Corvettes->ke1280 sitting on display. Among them is the 1 millionth Corvette ever made, a 1992 C4 convertible. Restoration of the `Vette is now underway at a special GM facility in Warren, Michigan. The C4 will be the most challenging car to restore of the bunch. Its windshield is caved completely in, its front bumper is shattered, and nearly every other body part is mangled in some way. Replacement parts will likely come from aftermarket suppliers, though engineers will work hard to keep the car as original as possible.

Unfortunately, only three of the eight cars can even be restored. Five of the bunch are simply too far gone. They will remain on display at the Corvette Museum in their mangled conditions.

General Motors has already completed one restoration and by far the easiest. The 2009 Corvette ZR1 affectionately known as the “Blue Devil” was only slightly bruised during its fall into the pit. The ZR1 has even made its first public appearance, showing off at the recent 2014 SEMA show.->ke216 The third and final car restored will be the black 1962 Corvette C2 Coupe. It’s said GM will outsource the C2’s restoration to a more qualified vintage Corvette facility.

Click past the jump to read more about the Corvettes wrecked in sinkhole museum.

Why it matters

General Motors is working to preserve the history of the Corvette lineup by restoring these cars to their former glory. The 1 millionth Corvette is especially important to this effort. It will be exciting to see the Vette brought back to life, perhaps even sparking interest in Corvette C4 restoration – a generation that’s in the latter stages of the “used car” phase of collectability.

First "Sinkhole" Corvette Restored in Time for SEMA

The 2009 Corvette C6 ZR1 was the first car restored from the sinkhole. It was only slightly damaged during its fall and parts are still readily available, so work went quickly. The car made its first like-new appearance at the recent 2014 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Powered by a 6.2-liter, supercharged V-8 making 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, the ZR1 was the baddest Corvette around until the 2015 Corvette Stingray Z06 debuted.