National Corvette Museum Receives Two Corvettes as Donation Gift

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National Corvette Museum Receives Two Corvettes as Donation Gift


The kindness and generosity of Corvette owners is no secret.

Just look at what William (Bill) Engle Jr. – also known as “Sweat Hog” of Albany, N.Y., Ridgewood, N.J., and now Summit, N.Y. – has just done for the National Corvette Museum.

Joining the growing list of enthusiasts who have bequeathed their prized possessions to the Museum, Engle decided to donate his 1967 and 1987 Corvettes to the NCM.

Sadly, he’s battling inoperable liver cancer right now after being diagnosed with the disease in December.

“I had been a member of the Museum for a while and had been reading articles in the magazine about recent car donations,” Engle said. “Donating my 1967 and 1987 was a good way to ensure the cars would be cared for.”

He bought his first Corvette in 1971 – a 1967 that remains in good shape and about 85 percent original some 44 years later.

Way back when, Bill first had to do some work to get the car going, relating that when he bought the Sting Ray, its engine was taken apart and a swallowed valve had put a hole in the #7 cylinder. “I rebuilt the engine and put a sleeve in the #7 cylinder,” he says.

He used that car while racing on closed course tracks and in road rallies as a member of the Tri Vettes Ltd. Corvette Club of East Greenbush, N.Y. In fact, he played a key role in winning the North East NCCC Championships in 1974.

His second Corvette came along in 1986 when he bought a 1987 coupe from McGuire Chevrolet in North Bergen, N.J., on New Year’s Eve. He definitely knows how to rock in the New Year, huh? That car proved to be his daily driver for 10 years.

His third Corvette is a 2007 Atomic Orange Corvette that he picked up at Hawthorne Chevrolet in New Jersey after having the last one of its color shipped from a dealer in Illinois.

The Museum appreciates the willingness of Corvette owners to share their cars with them.

“Thanks to Bill for his generosity and passion,” a spokesman said, “ensuring the history of Corvette is passed down to future generations and enthusiasts to come!”

On behalf of Corvette enthusiasts around the world, we at CorvetteBlogger also extend our thanks to Mr. Engle and wish him the best in his battle with liver cancer.


Source:
National Corvette Museum

Related:
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Ivan and Mary Schrodt Donate Five Corvettes to the National Corvette Museum
2007 Corvette Z06 Donated to the National Corvette Museum

 



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