1993 Corvette set for restoration by Kansas City’s next generation of automotive engineers
Photo Courtesy of Pendulum
Donated by the Kansas City Automotive Museum, a 1993 red Corvette C4 will enter the hands of Kansas City Public School’s Manuel Career and Technical center students. This extended-term project will push students to assess, design, and execute a full restoration project, outfitting the car with equipment fit for the auction floor in April of 2027.
The Art Car Project will begin on October 17th at 10 a.m., when the Corvette will be rolled off a trailer at the doorstep of awaiting students. The drop-off event is free to attend and will have up to 36 juried show cars to see, accompanying the 1993 project.
Supporting the drop-off event is Black House Coffee, serving a special Art Car-themed cold brew.
“The Kansas City Automotive Museum’s High School Student Art Car Program turns an automobile into a classroom, a canvas, and an opportunity. The finished car is exciting, but the real accomplishment is what happens to the students who build it,” said Jeff Wagoner, founder of the Kansas City Automotive Museum.
For the fourth year running, Jonathan O’Neil Cole, the Museum board-appointed leader of the project, has overseen the process. From procuring the car—either from the Museum’s own collection or by purchasing the car from a private party—to landing sponsors for high-quality restoration parts.
“The kids are getting hands-on training, with a step-by-step process,” Cole explains in an interview with The Pitch. “Each and every session will have sponsors that will provide training on the products we will be using for the car itself.”
Over 18 local sponsors have committed resources to the restoration of the Corvette, with the goal of educating young students on actualizing a full automotive design.
“We want students to focus on how we design for the end user and treat the auction like a client. What’s cool to me might not be cool to the person buying it. It helps students keep a finger on the pulse.”
Cole felt the Corvette going to Kansas City Public School’s Manuel Career and Technical center was a “natural fit.”
“They have a strong vocational automotive program; we felt it was a no-brainer.”
When the car is unveiled in April of 2027, a fleet of cars from the tuner, lowrider, hot rod, and Corvette community in Kansas City will sit alongside the finished Art Car in an auction. The sale of the restored Corvette will be donated directly to the Kansas City Automotive Museum to continue the Art Car project for many years to come.
Come get a glimpse of the “before” as a car enters the hands of Kansas City’s next automotive engineers.
The drop-off event will be held on October 17th at 10am, at the Manual Career & Technical Center, 1215 E Truman Rd, Kansas City, MO 64106 and is free to attend.
