BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Brevard County man is focusing on preserving the 1967 Corvette of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
Joe Crosby told Local 6 that he has been trying to buy the Corvette from its second owner in the late 70s and had been making offers on it yearly ever since. In February, Crosby finally drove off in Armstrong's old ride.
"Until I left there, I kept thinking he's going to change his mind," Crosby told Local 6. "But he didn't."
A team is working on the project by photographing every detail in a forensic manner to record a documentary about the process.
Preservationist Eric Gill said the big difference between preservation and renovation is that preservation takes a minimalist approach. Before replacing post-Armstrong flairs, the team will vacuum the carpet and hermetically seal the bag.
"Whatever is in there could, without exaggeration, be Armstrong's DNA," Gill said.
Crosby said having moved to the Brevard County in the 60s, he witnessed firsthand the love affair of astronauts and their Corvettes.
"They lived a good life and they took a chance," Crosby said. "You can't go from doing what they did to driving a a Volkswagen, it's a lifestyle."
Crosby said the Corvette won't be driven, just displayed at car shows.
The preservation could take a matter of years. To follow the progress, click here.