Is This the World’s Most Expensive C5?

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2004 Chevrolet Corvette

The last C5 Corvette may be historically significant, but is it worth a million dollars?

C5 Corvettes are an absolute bargain right now, offering a level of performance more or less unheard of at its price point. While the Z06 and fixed-roof coupe variants are the most desirable, even the targa and convertible models are a great buy.

This particular C5 is anything but a bargain, though. Currently the most expensive Corvette on Hemmings, it’s listed at a jaw-dropping $1,000,000. That’s no typo, either.

2004 Chevrolet Corvette

At first glance, this LeMans Blue over grey 2004 Corvette coupe is attractive, but overall pretty unremarkable. It’s equipped with an automatic transmission, and wears the Commemorative Edition polished five-spoke wheels as part of the 1SC Preferred Equipment Group.

2004 Chevrolet Corvette

The original owner also opted for delivery at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In fact, that’s where it currently resides, on loan to the museum. It must not have traveled far, since the odometer wears a scant 29 miles. With the museum just a quarter of a mile away from the factory, it’s entirely possible that this Corvette has never left Bowling Green.

This Corvette lives a pampered life as a museum piece. That may sound like a waste of a perfectly good Corvette to some, but in fact, it’s not as sad a story as it sounds.

2004 Chevrolet Corvette $1,000,000

This otherwise average-appearing C5 has the distinction of being the very last one produced. Even more interestingly, it’s never been titled, and is still on MSO, the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin that becomes the title once the car is sold and registered.

That means that the next owner of this special C5 will effectively become the car’s first owner, should they choose to register it. That’s is an incredibly rare privilege for a C5 fanatic, but is it worth a million dollars? That’s a choice best left for the next owner.

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Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.


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