Many of us are lucky to see a car crack 100,000 miles if we’re in it for the long haul, heck, even 200,000 miles isn’t terribly uncommon. 773,000 miles? That’s significant, but Mark Blackwell of Jacksonville, Florida, achieved the figure in his 2000 C5 Corvette.
The car’s 773,338-mile run came to an end after Blackwell donated the car to the National Corvette Museum. The owner drove the car since it was brand new on his daily commute from Florida to Georgio for work. Even more impressive? It retains the original 5.7-liter V8 engine. The most notable piece of work required to the engine was a headgasket replacement around 750,000 miles. Now that’s quality.
Blackwell officially handed the car over to the NCM earlier this month and said the Corvette has been “a fabulous car, no complaints here.” We wonder if another Corvette is in his future and if it will make similarly long journies.
Comments
That is great; if you maintain your car over the years, it will ‘pay you back’.
My 1992 Cacillac Allante, that I have owned for 25 years: 110,139 miles on the odometer—still going strong.
I laugh every morning at the cars I see in the parking lot at work. I am a government worker, yet I see 80% foreign in the lot, minus government vehicles. In the spring of 1987, my Dad bought a 1987 Chevrolet Silverado 10, short-bed with the 350 short block. He gave it to me in 2000 because I was pretty much bankrupt. Six years later I was still driving the truck and saved enough to put 20% down on a decent suburban house. I retired it in November of 2007 with 219,986 miles. And yes it still ran. During the last 500 miles I had it up to nearly 100 MPH. On an earlier occasion I drove it to work 16 miles with no antifreeze. GM makes the best cars and trucks in the world and the GM short block V8 is the best engine bar none!
Would love to see the maintenance history on that car. My hat is off the the owner.