The city of Effingham, Illinois, endured a strong tornado on Wednesday night, which destroyed at least 30 homes and severely damaged 29 others, as well as several area businesses and farm structures. Among the destruction was Mid America Motorworks, a parts and accessories retailer for Chevrolet Corvettes and air-cooled Volkswagens. Unfortunately, the company’s MY Garage museum lay in the direct path of the tornado, causing severe damage to some of the historic Corvettes it had in its collection, but as one Reddit user reported earlier today, the recovery process has begun.
Pulling Relics From The Wreckage
Mid America Motorworks MY Garage Tornado Damage RecoveryZeldaTheOuchMouse / Reddit
Mid America Motorsports has an illustrious position within the automotive community, and its museum is the gathering place for a number of one-of-a-kind and prototype Corvettes. Among them is the final C4-generation example ever built, pictured above in white with red fender stripes, as well as several C5 prototypes and camouflaged test models. Photos shared by Reddit user u/ZeldaTheOuchMouse show a number of towing and recovery trucks pulling damaged Corvettes from the facility, and despite its near-total destruction in the tornado, the MY Garage museum’s contents look intact and restorable – an inspiring development following the catastrophic weather.
Mid America Motorworks MY Garage Tornado Damage RecoveryZeldaTheOuchMouse / Reddit
Of course, the process won’t be easy. Each vehicle seen in these photos has undertaken a significant beating from the tornado, ranging from blown-out hatch glass to severe frame and structural damage. In the case of the white C5 Corvette prototype, the side of the car visible in the photo looks pretty okay; even the camouflage over the tail panel looks intact. Ditto the oddball C3 Corvette trailer seen in the same image. However, one C4 convertible – which is actually a C5 mule known as CERV-IV-B – is much worse off, with the windshield header flattened and the doors and side sills bent in half.
Mid America Motorworks MY Garage Tornado Damage RecoveryZeldaTheOuchMouse / Reddit
It seems likely that the Corvettes with less damage, such as the camouflaged C5 and the final-build C4, will be restored to their original glory. But Mid America Motorsports hasn’t commented on if it will return the more severely damaged vehicles to pre-tornado condition. For what it’s worth, even the most profound wreckage pulled from the museum last week looks restorable given the right time, tools, and talent, and we suspect the company has lots of goodwill to draw from within the Corvette restoration community.
A Destructive – But Not Deadly – Tornado
Despite the severe structural losses, officials reported no deaths associated with the EF3 tornado. Although many rural inhabitants lost their homes in the storm, its 26-mile path across Effingham County avoided the more densely populated downtown area, which otherwise might have caused more severe injuries or fatalities. Furthermore, since the storm hit in the evening, many of the businesses impacted – including Mid America Motorsports – had already closed up shop for the day, again preventing loss of life amid the destruction.
Mid America Motorworks MY Garage Tornado Damage RecoveryZeldaTheOuchMouse / Reddit
Insofar as the Corvette retailer is concerned, fans from all over the country have lent messages of support on social media. Company scion Mike Yager, son of founder Michael Yager, posted several videos outlining the damage and asking customers for patience as Mid America Motorworks sorts out its computer system, inventory, and orders, with several comments from Corvette owners and other industry professionals sending well wishes.
Among them is Rick Schmidt, another second-generation classic car part retailer at National Parts Depot, who expressed sympathy given the two companies’ similar markets and corporate history. Likewise, NCM Collector Vehicle Insurance posted an encouraging comment that at the other side of this big pothole lies “smooth pavement, open roads, and a lot of great twisties.”
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
We at CarBuzz are grateful that no one was killed or gravely injured in the tornado and extend our own thoughts to the inhabitants of Effingham. The fact that so many fans and colleagues have come out to support the musuem (and the city it calls home) is a testament to the nature of real auto enthusiasts. Though we may not all be hardcore Corvette stans, we recognize the value of history and empathize with anyone with such curated taste suffering this sort of mechanical loss. At the same time, there’s hope in seeing MY Garage’s cars being pulled from the wreckage, even in their damaged condition, because that means they may soon be headed for restored glory.
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Source: Reddit via Road & Track
