1969 was the golden age of exploration. Moon landings were no longer the stuff of sci-fi stories. Space explorers had become real life superheroes. Besides taking a trip to the moon, astronauts also had one particular job perk to look forward to - driving a ‘69 Corvette. Thanks to former Indy 500 winner, Jim Rathmann, astronauts in training were given the use of new Chevy cars every year for the whopping sum of $1. Apollo 12’s all-Navy crew picked the Riverside Gold Corvette Sport Coupes. All three were identical save one “touch of uniqueness” - a small rectangular plaque on the car’s fender. Each driver’s role on the spacecraft was engraved in the color assigned to them for their mission: red, white and blue.
The AstroVettes - as they were called, came with the thunderous roar of a 427 Turbo-Jet V-8 engine, four-speed wide-range transmission and 390 horsepower. The gold body donned black-painted “wings” designed by iconic stylist Alex Tremulis, evoking the colors of the Apollo 12 module. This AFX car represents the Corvette used by Lunar Module Pilot, Alan Bean. To Alan, the fourth person to walk on the moon, said driving his AstroVette was the one thing that compared to the thrill of flying through space.
