By Stephanie Gallman
(CNN) — Eight Corvettes fell into a sinkhole that opened up beneath a section of the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky on Wednesday.
The sinkhole, about 40 feet wide and about 25 to 30 feet deep, appeared before dawn under the skydome section of the museum, said Executive Director Wendell Strode.
The yellow cone-shaped area houses Corvettes on loan from private owners and those “made famous by magazines and auto shows the world over,” according to the museum’s website.
It is home to more than 30 unique Corvettes, including prototypes and a 1983 model — the only one in existence.
Of the eight cars that fell, six were donated to the museum by Corvette enthusiasts, and two are owned by the car’s maker General Motors.
Among them were a 1962 Black Corvette, a 1984 PPG Pace Car, and a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder.
Strode could not say how much the total value of the damaged cars is, but added it was “substantial.”
Strode said a structural engineer was at the scene assessing the situation.
The museum in Bowling Green celebrates the American-made Chevrolet Corvette.
It’s located across the street from the GM Bowling Green Corvette assembly plant, where the cars are made.
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