Think Corvette owner and images conjured up include drivers waxing their ‘Vettes on a Saturday afternoon, short trips to Cars and Coffee meets and maybe the annual Corvette meet in Las Vegas. But using one as a long-distance daily driver? Preposterous. But according to GM Authority on their report earlier today (Nov. 13, 2017) on this unique C5 Corvette, this owner managed to rack up an astounding 773,000 miles on its original engine and transmission. Check out a video from the National Corvette Museum where Mark donated his beloved C5 as a testament to the engineering brilliance of this American supercar.
According to Mark Blackwell in an earlier Youtube video from two years ago, this is his fifth Corvette previously owning a ’84, ’85, an ’88 and one other he doesn’t mention. His particular line of work requires him to travel frequently between Georgia and Southern Florida, a distance of at least 600 miles roundtrip. Even though that’s a lot of highway miles, it’s still an impressive feat for what’s, at the end of the day, a high-caliber sports car that’s more at home on the track or dragstrip than on an interstate.
In the video, Mark recalls a situation where a bumper fell off a truck and landed in his lane of traffic. Being late at night, he caught sight of the bumper at the last possible moment. Thanks to the C5’s inherent nimble handling, he was able to steer out of the way in the nick of time, blowing two tires out in the process.
Because of its high-mileage and the rich story behind this C5, the Corvette Museum was more than happy to accept it as a donation as a testament to GM engineering at the turn of the century and how devoted their customer base is. The engineering on this particular LS1 was so stout that it just recently replaced its OEM head gaskets.
From the factory, the LS1 under the hood was pumping out a generous 345 HP and 350 lb-ft. Paired to a 6-speed Borg Warner transmission, it’s long final gear enabled this Corvette to achieve 28 MPG, decent numbers for such a high-performing vehicle.
I love seeing a pristine sports car but what really catches my interest are the original ones, daily driven well past what’s normal mileage.
