Mercedes Benz has just opened their Heritage Centre in Irvine. They have one in Germany, too.

The idea is simple, MB parts, some made as needed, some mass produced, full restoration and support.

Why can't GM help us this way?

I mean... Pontiac has their history database, which helps potential Pontiac owners from getting ripped off at auctions.... But the Museum can't get the funds together to build the same database.

Delorian and Wangers realized back in the day that they needed to log every car, and record it for the future. They felt anything this popular (GTO) would be worth recording, cause folks would either keep them, or want them again.

GM has all the data on build sheets, and I have even offered to write the source to manage it... but they can't seem to get motivated to do anything about it. To say the least, it bothers me.

Some where, someone is buying a car, they think is "X" and it's "X-5" cause it isn't original in some way (think BB in a SB car).... or "original" AC when it isn't.

A good database would solve this problem.

It tells me what GM truely thinks of the Corvette and it's history... let Ecklers build the replacement parts...

Does GM really have all the build sheets? I've heard that most, if not all, of the early ones (C1 - C3) were trashed some time ago.

If they do have them all (or most of them) maybe we can start a collection to fund a data base project through NCM.

I get the feeling from Buzz (the museum president) that the build sheets exist.

It will cost a lot to do the database... and no one has designed it yet!!!

I have a design in my head, but that's it.

Ecklers can make the parts, as long as im not waiting on their customer service to get the parts i need!!

I have since learned that if you go to GM parts counters and give them the VIN, they can spit out a crude build sheet.

This means the data exists SOMEWHERE.