Kentucky is home to the highest mileage sports car in the world, it’s traveled the equivalent of 31 times around Earth
- The C5 Corvette boasts 777,338 miles on its odometer
- It was donated to the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky, US
- The reliable LS1 V8 engine had no major issues during its 18 years on the road
Published on Jul 18, 2024 at 12:12 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Aug 02, 2024 at 6:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Looking for a reliable ride? Head to Kentucky in the United States where a C5 Corvette – the sports car with the highest mileage in the world – resides.
The C5 Corvette has 777,338 miles (1,251,004km) on its odometer.
To celebrate its reliability, it was donated to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2017.
READ MORE! The world’s highest-mileage cars have gone even further than you could have ever imagined
The C5 Corvette
The base model, fifth-generation 2000 C5 Corvette has a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 engine beneath its hood.
The all-aluminum design packed 345hp, with a six-speed manual transmission.
250,000 were built from 1997 to 2004.
Its success was due, in part to its. stiffer and lighter design with improved weight distribution compared to its predecessors.
Unbelievably the owner of the sports car, Mark Blackwell, said it had no major issues over the 18 years it was driven.
He bought the C5 Corvette new in 1999, referring to it as his ‘mobile office’ when he handed the keys to the National Corvette Museum in 2017.
This could, in part, be put down to its simple design and performance, which also make it a classic collectible.
It was used by Blackwell to commute from his Jacksonville, Florida, home to his office in Georgia daily on the highway – that’s about 100 miles.
He covered 43,000 miles a year from 2000 until the end of 2017.
And with its eye-catching red finish – it still appears to be in great shape with no obvious modifications bar having its head gaskets replaced.
However, notably, its engine management light is now illuminated on the dash.
According to RepairPal. the most common issues associated with the sports car from 1999 are the EML (engine management light) coming on due to a faulty or worn gas cap, and a failure of the fuel level sensor.
A fault specific to the anti-theft system that throws up messages relating to the steering column lock was also reported.
Other cars with impressive mileage
Currently, Irving Gordon holds the Guinness World Record for the highest mileage on a personal car.
His 1966 Volvo 1800S had over 3,000,000 miles on its odometer when it took the record.
According to his estimations, Gordon drove over 100,000 miles per year, visiting many car shows.
He also took great care of the car, changing the oil every 3,000 – 3,500 miles and the transmission fluid every 25,000 miles.
When Gordon died in 2018, the car had done more than 3,200,000 miles.
Gregorios Sachinidis comes in at number two with over 2,850,000 miles on his 1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D.
However, this is a bit of a cheat as Sachinidis used the car as a taxi driver and for personal use.
When he hit the milestone in 2004, Mercedes-Benz awarded him a brand new C-Class.
In exchange, he had to give away his prized Mercedes-Benz 240D, which now resides in Mercedes-Benz’s personal museum as one of the highest mileage cars in the brand’s history.
They don’t make cars like these anymore, since even a Tesla with the world’s highest mileage needed significant repairs.
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London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
