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US Army General Picks Up His New Corvette at Plant in Kentucky - VIDEO FEATURE


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U.S. Army General Richard Cody (ret.) inspects his new car as it comes off the line

BOWLING GREEN, KY - February 19, 2010: For over 25 years, Bowling Green, Kentucky has been the home of America's favorite sports car. In fact, every Corvette made in the world today is produced at the plant. Recently, a retired US four-star general toured the facilities while waiting for his new Grand Sport. The special guest watched the cars come down the assembly line and shook hands with many of the veterans working at the plant.

Former U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Richard Cody is now in possession of his 10th Chevy Corvette, but instead of driving the 2010 Torch Red Grand Sport Convertible off a dealership lot, he recently picked it up at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.


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The idea to watch his car being built came to Cody from GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who suggested that seeing the build process would enrich Cody’s ownership experience. Cody made it a family affair, bringing along his son, Major Clint Cody, just back from Iraq where he was an Army Apache helicopter pilot; and his brother, Bob Cody, a Chevrolet dealer in Montpelier, VT.

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NASCAR drivers Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon taking the tour at the Corvette factory

Annually, hundreds of Corvette customers get up close and personal with the build process, visiting the plant and museum to soak in the Corvette culture.

“It was more than I expected,” Richard Cody said. “I really came here thinking I would see how the Corvette was made. Certainly the experience of watching Corvettes come down the line, the complexity as well as the orchestration of that assembly line was very, very unique.

“But what really impressed me the most was the American worker, the GM worker in the plant taking great pride every day in putting out what I think is the best sports car in the world.”

The retired general made sure the workers knew how he felt, stopping along the assembly line to greet workers and thank them personally for helping bring his car to life before picking up his car at the museum located across Interstate 65 from the plant.

“All of our deliveries are special,” said Gary Cockriel, delivery manager for the museum, which has handed off nearly 7,500 Corvettes to their new owners since 1996. “To have the general here and him being a Corvette guy, to us Corvette owners is really special.”

The general said he bought his first Corvette, a 1973 model, when he graduated from West Point.