A symbol of independence, exuberance and driving pleasure, the uniquely American Corvette
symbolizes the passion Americans have for the automobile. It's Bowling Green, KY, paint shop and
assembly plant are class acts, too.
The parking lot in front of the GM Bowling Green plant’s main entrance in western Kentucky, which produces one
of America’s greatest automobiles—the Corvette—is restricted: Corvettes only. That’s the first indication of how
seriously folks in the Bluegrass State (famous for another mode of fast transportation—the Thoroughbred) take
manufacturing the Corvette, which turns 50 this summer, and how seriously owners take owning them. Inside the
paint shop, a unique method of painting and the latest in technology, reinforce the point.
“This is the only vehicle where all of the exterior panels are painted before installation on the car,” says John
Durney, Bowling Green’s launch manager for paint. “The Corvette’s special construction lets us take several steps
to deliver a higher-quality paint job that simply isn’t possible on conventional metal-bodied automobiles.”