Apollo 12 Corvette's

[Kevin Whiteley]

I was looking through Bizzoco's 1969 Stingray Guidebook and came across the picture of the Apollo 12 astronauts with some 69 Corvettes. I also heard that the Mercury 7 astronauts had Corvettes. Does anybody know what happened to them (the cars) and where are they today? If they are missing, what are the VIN's?

[Clem Z.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

they had some astronauts corvettes at the NCM a couple of years ago. i do not remember whos it was.

[Reba Whittington]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvettes

One of them went through the NCRS judging system in 2001. I believe it received a Duntov Mark-of-Excellence at Galveston. It was displayed at Waco last fall.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvettes

I think that car is in the system to be judged at Hershey. I belive the owner said he knew the other serial numbers but was not telling and I understand why.

[Dennis C.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvettes

I don't...

[Bill W.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

I remember seeing a 63 to 67 at the Copper Mtn. national in the 80s. Im not sure what year it was or whos car.seems like it was a 64 . Bill

[Kevin Whiteley]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvettes

I agree with Dennis. If we know what car we're looking for, we can restore or maintain it for the future. Isn't that the point.

[Mike Yager]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

It seems to me I remember seeing an article in Vette magazine within the last couple of years about these cars. At least one of the cars as it exists today was shown in the article.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvettes

You need to ask the owner of the one Apollo 12 that has been judged ncrs and see what he says.

[Floyd Dossey]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

The Apollo 12 astronauts were Pete Conrad, Al Bean and Dick Gorden. Jim Rathman in Melbourne, Florida gave all of the Apollo astronauts corvettes to use until sometime after their space flight, then corvettes were returned to the Rathman Chevrolet dealership. After that I don't know what happened to them. I imagine the astronauts had an option to purchase them.

I was working at KSC during the Apollo Program and the Apollo 12 astronauts reserved parking spaces were right in front of my office window, so I saw them everyday that they were at the space center, sometimes they would come into the office and chat for a while.

As a note, I saw the picture of the corvette that was featured in one of the vette magizines awhile back, I think that was Al Beans vette. I did notice one discrepency on the vette in the magazine, the LMP ( Lunar Module Pilot) that was painted on the side of the vette, the letters were block letters and the original letters were script. Each Apollo 12 crew member had his position painted on the side of his vette. ie. CDR (Commander), CMP (Command Module Pilot) and LMP (Lunar Module Pilot)

Sorry for the long thread,
Regards,
Floyd
65 Fuelie

[Chuck L.]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

Kevin,the article Mike Yager is referring to was in the November 2001 issue of Vette magazine. It goes into the complete history of the astronaut-owned corvettes. The article says the 1969 Alan Bean car is owned by a Danny Reed of Austin, Texas and received a Top Flight at Galveston in 2001, as noted by a previous poster here. My issue says back issues are available from McMullen Argus Publishing, Inc., Back Issues Dept., 2100 E. Howell Ave., Suite 209, Anaheim CA 92806 or phone 866-601-5599. They also list a website: backissues-mailorder@mcmullenargus.com. This info may be way out of date by now, so if you want me to copy the article and mail to you I'll be glad to. Chuck

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

Not Apollo 12, but Mercury program: Alan Sheppard (sp) owned a '61 Fuelie. There was a feature on him, with a photo of him next to the car (hood open), in an issue of Life Magazine that year. I have the feature somewhere in my collection, but forget the issue date. I remember the article saying he had put "racing tires" on it.
Verne

[Floyd Dossey]

Re: Apollo 12 Corvette's

Verne,
I remember seeing one of Alan Sheppard's corvettes at KSC many many years ago, I can't remember what year the vette was (memory is one of the first things to go when you get old), it had the most gosh aweful rear wheel flares, they looked like wings they were so large and didn't have wide enough tires and wheels to fill them out, so it really looked strange going down the road.

Floyd
65 Fuelie