National Corvette Museum Receives Donation of 10 Corvettes from Don Messner

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National Corvette Museum Receives Donation of 10 Corvettes from Don Messner

The National Corvette Museum has received its largest donation ever – a collection of 10 Corvettes in the Don Messner Collection.

Messner, who passed away in May from melanoma, wanted to inspire others to make similar donations in the future.

“He said he wanted to plant a seed,” Messner’s wife, Marlene, pointed out. “He wanted others in similar situations with rare Corvettes to see the Museum as a place for them. Most of all, he wanted to inspire future generations to work hard to buy their own Corvettes someday so that they, too, could enjoy the lifestyle that goes with owning them.”

Messner’s collection will be shown in a special display in the Museum Exhibit Hall from May 10-Sept. 12, 2014.

National Corvette Museum Receives Donation of 10 Corvettes from Don Messner

Messner, who lived in Montoursville, Pa., had a real zest for life, enjoying exciting things like scuba diving, horses, racing, power boating, radio control airplanes, fishing, hunting, and of course, Corvettes.

Through the years, he searched for low-mileage, rare Corvettes that were in excellent condition and even had a climate-controlled garage he kept them in, which he dubbed The Toy Box.

Among the Corvettes he donated to the Museum are:

  • 1965 grey coupe, custom race built Corvette
  • 1967 427 convertible Corvette
  • 1969 convertible/hard top Corvette
  • 1989 coupe Corvette
  • 1990 ZR-1 Corvette
  • 1996 Collector’s Edition Corvette
  • 1996 Grand Sport Corvette
  • 2000 convertible Corvette
  • 2008 Z06 Corvette
  • 2013 60th Anniversary Corvette with R8C Museum Delivery

Click here to see a larger version of Don Messner’s Corvette Collection.

Even after he was diagnosed with incurable melanoma in January 2012, he kept on going. He was able to attend the exclusive unveiling of the 2014 Corvette Stingray at the Chevrolet Media Event in Detroit and later enjoyed Museum delivery of his 2013 Corvette and a tour of the Assembly Plant. It was then that he decided the Museum was the best place for his Corvettes.

“When people see these cars,” Marlene says, “I want them to remember Don Messner and his legacy. He was an amazing and very generous man.”

National Corvette Museum Receives Donation of 10 Corvettes from Don Messner


Source:
National Corvette Museum

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