A classic 1978 Chevrolet Corvette, recently purchased at auction, has found a new purpose. This purpose is to provide students with hands-on restoration experience at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN).

Ken Goodrich, chairman of Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing, donated the vintage sports car. This donation was made to CSN’s Department of Applied Technologies, subsequently giving students a unique opportunity. They will now be able to hone their automotive skills through this donation.

Unloading of the 1978 Chevrolet Corvette.

The 1978 Corvette, acquired by Goodrich at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, was delivered last week. It arrived at the CSN North Las Vegas campus, ready for its upcoming transformation. The vehicle will serve as a real-world project for the students at CSN. Consequently, this project will allow students to apply their classroom knowledge to a tangible restoration effort.

“I’ve always been a champion for the trades,” Goodrich said in a recent statement to the press. He emphasized his strong commitment to supporting higher education initiatives. Furthermore, he also stressed his commitment to developing skilled workers in the trades.

Students and faculty members gather as they take a good, first look at this vintage car.

The project offers students invaluable experience in automotive technology and restoration. This experience covers various aspects of restoration work, from mechanical repairs. In addition, it also covers bodywork and potentially even interior refurbishment of the classic vehicle.

Once the restoration process is fully complete, the 1978 Corvette will make a return appearance. It will reappear at a future Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas. However, this time, the sale will serve a significantly different purpose. Specifically, the sale will focus on generating much-needed funds for CSN’s various programs. All of the proceeds from the sale will directly benefit the college itself. Thus, this will further support its important mission of providing accessible, high-quality education.

The project has already generated considerable excitement across the entire CSN campus. As a result, students are eager and ready to begin working on the iconic car. The Corvette’s interesting journey from the auction block to the classroom represents a full circle with a purpose.

By restoring this classic vehicle, students are not only actively learning valuable technical skills. Moreover, they are also directly contributing to the preservation of important automotive history. CSN will regularly share updates on the restoration progress as the project actively develops. A local TV station also aired this story. For additional details, you can watch the video by clicking here.