Preserving Corvette History

The 47th Bloomington Gold show certifies the provenance of historic Corvettes

- Walt Thurn

The first Corvette was completed at the Flint, Michigan, Assembly Plant on June 30, 1953. With the advent of the eighth generation, it’s easy to forget how Corvette development has evolved since 1953. As the brand matures it becomes more important to preserve its rich heritage. Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA was founded in 1973 for this purpose. Its focus was to certify how Corvettes appeared when they left GM’s assembly plant. Hours of research went into studying records, inspecting Corvettes, and writing preparing manuals to meet this goal.

In 1978, Bloomington introduced the Gold Certification based on this research. This certification confirms that a Corvette is close or the same as it was when it left the factory. In 1990, Bloomington added the Survivor Award, which requires a Corvette to be at least 50 percent unrestored. One year later, the Benchmark Award was introduced. To obtain the Benchmark, a Corvette must be unrestored and have Gold and Survivor certifications. Now in its 41st year, a Gold Certification is still coveted by Corvette owners. It is presented when a Corvette receives a minimum of 95 points (out of 100) when it is judged. In 2019, a total of 98 certifications were awarded. This included 16 Benchmark, 57 Gold Certified in two categories (52 Gold, 5 Silver) and 25 Survivor in three categories (15 Gold, 9 Silver, 1 Bronze).