FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky can now add one more item to its list of state symbols - the Corvette.  Governor Steve Beshear signed an act designating the Corvette as the official state sports car of Kentucky yesterday.

“Since 1953, the Corvette has been considered America’s sports car," Beshear said.  "As home to the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentuckians have long considered the Corvette to be Kentucky’s sports car and a great symbol of Kentucky pride and craftsmanship. House Bill 104, which was passed during the 2010 General Assembly, now makes that designation official. It was with great pleasure that I signed HB 104 into law."

State Senator Mike Reynolds, D-Bowling Green, introduced a companion bill in the Senate in January.  

“Bowling Green is becoming more of a tourist destination," Reynolds said. "The National Corvette Museum is a major part of that and is a definite drawing card for the traveling public.  Drawing attention to our community and the Corvette’s unique role in our American heritage can only boost economic development for our area."

Representative Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, is the primary sponsor of house bill. 

“I am pleased that we were able to move this legislation during the late hours of the session,” Reynolds said.  “I want to commend my colleague, Rep. Jody Richards, for his hard work on pushing this bill in the House.”

Bowling Green, Kentucky is home to both the General Motors Corvette Assembly Plant - the only place in the world Corvettes have been manufactured since 1981 - and the National Corvette Museum, a non-profit foundation with a mission of celebrating the invention of the Corvette and preserving its past, present and future since 1994.

"With the Chevrolet Corvette being one of the most recognizable symbols of Kentucky, it only makes sense for the car to be designated as the state's official sports car," said GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant Manager Bob Parcell. "Many people who think of Kentucky, think of Corvette.  Our workforce is proud to have been building the Corvette in Bowling Green for almost 29 years."

For more information on the National Corvette Museum, please visit www.corvettemuseum.org.