RAMPBOSS-USA Takes Center Stage at National Corvette Museum

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— A sapphire black Corvette ZR-1 Spyder, which made its debut during the 1991 North American International Auto Show, rests atop the first RAMPBOSS Vehicle Display System ever sold in North America, inside the cylindrical yellow dome of the National Corvette Museum here, the first museum dedicated to America’s favorite sports car.

This twist of firsts have come to rest atop the world’s most stylish and versatile vehicle display system first sold in 2005 to Les Stanford Chevrolet in Dearborn, Mich., one of the nation’s leading Corvette retailers. Mr. Stanford agreed to donate his RAMPBOSS to the museum last month.

“Nearly 32 months after I delivered it, the first RAMPBOSS display received a thorough makeover that included all the updates we’ve made to our product since then,” said RAMPBOSS President G. Todd Stoney. “A few weeks later and display ramp No. 1 is again a platform worthy of one of the classiest ’Vettes ever built. Having our first sold unit sitting center stage at the National Corvette Museum is one of my proudest professional moments since launching RAMPBOSS nearly three years ago, and we’ve had plenty of proud moments along the way.”

RAMPBOSS display systems are now in use at dealerships across North America and western Australia. Both V1 and V2 models have been used at Detroit’s famed AutoRama, Ford World Headquarters under the new Shelby GT500, Super Bowl XL in Detroit and Super Bowl XLI in Miami, among others. Many RAMPBOSS clients have immediately realized the portable display can pay for itself IF customers agree to rent the display and provide set-up/knock-down services to various automotive event organizers and party planners who are very enthusiastic about what the RAMPBOSS system brings to the party.

Other high-profile situations where the RAMPBOSS may have been spotted last year were held at the Nokia Theater in Fort Worth, Texas, where two Dale Earnhardt Jr. commemorative NASCAR’s were unveiled on the stage before 2,000 invited guests, two SEMA shows bolstering new product launches, and most recently played a major supporting role on center stage at the Detroit Opera House. The next scheduled “performance” for RAMPBOSS will be on the front porch of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art on June 20, where it will again proudly elevate the new Lexus IS-F high-performance sedan.

Bob Hellmann, manager of Displays and Facilities for the Corvette Museum, called about 60 days ago to express interest in acquiring a new RAMPBOSS V1 for the museum. Hellmann, along with museum colleagues and resident Corvette enthusiasts, chose the ZR-1 Spyder from more than 65 other classic Corvettes — in the museum’s version of American Idol.

Les Stanford Chevrolet General Sales Manger Scott Montgomery said, “Mr. Stanford jumped at the chance to help the museum, and we all feel their like-new V1 will be a great asset, and very useful display tool for the museum.”

Stoney said he is humbled and flattered to have played a role in what amounts to another historic first in a long tradition of firsts for the Corvette brand. “I smile every time I think about the hundreds of thousands of museum visitors over the coming years who will not only see the ZR-1 Spyder, but any other uniquely special Corvettes to eventually be featured atop our state-of-the-art display platform,” Stoney said.

National Corvette Museum Facts:

The National Corvette Museum, a non-profit foundation, receives approximately 130,000 visitors per year and it cooperates with more than 29,000 Corvette Association members. The museum hosts nine on-site events each year and will celebrate its 15^th Anniversary in August 2009. There are plans to utilize the RAMPBOSS display inside an expansion project underway that will add approximately 47,000 square feet and will include a Corvette Café, library and archive, additional display space, conference rooms, and much more.

ZR-1 Spyder Facts:

The ZR-1 Spyder convertible was a joint project between GM Advanced Engineering Staff and American Sunroof Corp. The vehicle was produced at the C-P-C Bowling Green Plant. It boasts autographs of those involved in the building the concept car under the hood and rear deck lid. The Spyder featured many of the styling appointments Corvette mavens will quickly recognize like hood and front quarter panel vents to aid in engine cooling, a tonneau cover that flows from the rear deck lid into the passenger compartment, reflective of Vettes from the late ’50 s and ’60 s : individual aero bars integrated into the bodywork behind the seat; 18-inch billet wheels; torch red interior; accented exhaust tips and brake calipers; four-point racing harness; and a lowered windshield and side glass accents known as a “Slingshot” design treatment.