2003 Chevrolet Corvette 50th Anniversary

This 50th Anniversary Corvette Convertible has a 346 cu-in (5.7-litre) V8 motor delivering 350 bhp and upwards of 360 lb.ft of torque through a Borg-Warner 6-speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential.

It was first registered in March 2004 in the small lakeside town of Skaneateles in upstate New York, USA. Two years later its second owner took it further north to Fairport on the southern shores of Lake Ontario. This owner kept the car for 12 years before it was acquired by the third owner, also in New York state but further east in Delanson near Albany.

It was only a few months before owner number four took possession. They lived on Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. A year later, it moved south again to Greensboro in North Carolina.

In August 2020, less than a year on from its move to NC, it was sold through a car dealer in Charlotte to its current owner, our vendor. He imported the car to the UK, paying customs duty and VAT and then had the car’s lights converted to meet UK regulations.

In all that time the car had been driven fewer than 6,000 miles - and even now it’s only just over that figure. An astonishingly low mileage that is validated by a Carfax report from the USA.

The Corvette is finished in the specially developed Anniversary Red - a lustrous burgundy colour with aluminium-oxide flakes under a tinted clear-coat. As you can tell if you watch the accompanying video, this coating really shows off the curves and lines of the car as it catches the light, and it positively glows, even in the half-light of a late winter’s afternoon.

The condition of the paint and bodywork is very, very good and only if we were being extremely picky, with magnifying glass in hand, would we say that it has a few light marks that you’d expect on a performance car, even on a very low mileage one. In addition to the Anniversary pack it also has the optional body-coloured side mouldings.

The standard crossed-flags motifs on the nose and boot are augmented by a 50 Anniversary script on the roundel, as well as logos featuring a more obvious 50 are added to the front fenders. There’s also a 50 logo on a chromed plate between the two halves of the quad tailpipe. In fact if you add in all the interior 50 markings you’ll wonder if all the extra $6k on the purchase price went on special badges.

Slightly aft and either side of the bonnet badge are the iconic pop-up headlamps. The C5 was the last Corvette and one of the last two mainstream cars to feature pop-ups - the other being our very own Lotus Esprit.

As a convertible, the Corvette C5 loses nothing of its style - in fact to some eyes it looks better than the coupé, even with the hood up. The manually-latched but power-folding roof is cloaked in a shale-coloured fabric - a kind of creamy-grey that is also one of the interior colours. The roof looks great and functions exactly as it should.

The C5 sits on its original five-spoke alloy wheels finished in the anniversary-special Warm Nickel metallic; 17-inch at the front and 18-inch on the driven rear axle. All are in excellent condition new and are fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, which we understand from the Vendor are the correct OEM specification for the car and were replaced in 2021.

On a convertible, the interior finish of a car is just as important as the outside, and the Anniversary C5’s two-tone shale leather upholstery doesn’t disappoint. The lighter shale is a creamy-grey like the roof and covers the seats - with perforated leather facings - and lower half of the interior. The darker shale tone is more of a mushroom colour and covers the dash, centre console and upper doors. Between and behind the seats, a body-coloured stanchion sports a large Corvette crossed flags badge.

Again like the exterior finish, the condition of the upholstery is very, very good - although there are inevitably more signs of use, whether it be a light creasing on the driver’s seat or slight soiling on the floor mat.

The 50+flags logo is much in evidence again inside - picked out in embroidery on the seat headrests and on the floor mats, and also printed on the main instrument faces.

It is a well-appointed cabin, with dual zone climate control, head up display and a CD Radio playing through Bose speakers.

The Corvette’s engine starts well, running smoothly and powerfully with a pleasant but neighbour-friendly growl coming out of the quad tailpipes. It reportedly drives as well as it sounds too, although we suspect that its six owners, five Stateside and one in the UK, have treated it extremely well and have driven it respectfully.

Open the front-hinged bonnet and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re looking at a showroom car, such is the cleanliness of the engine bay, with all the components still shiny-looking as if fresh from the factory.

Even the undersides of this car tell a story of limited use - and likely only in good weather too. Aside from a little surface rust on the track-rods, everything else looks clean and almost like new, with only a light smattering of road dirt.

Inside the rear boot, quite a shallow affair due to the design of the tail, there is a second set of unused interior floor mats bearing embroidered 50 Anniversary logos, as well as the boot carpet itself sporting the 50 and flags motif. There is also a lightweight cargo net to stop small items of shopping or luggage from rolling around on the move. Everything presents in excellent condition. The car also comes with a soft indoor cover.

The Corvette has a current MoT valid until December 2023, which it passed first time with no advisories or minor defects - as it did on the previous MoT in 2021, which was its first in the UK.

There is a small file of documentation, which includes the original specification and pricing window sticker, an unopened 50th Anniversary CD and owner’s pack, copies of the North Carolina title, the shipping bill from Savannah, Georgia to Southampton, the customs duty and VAT form, the NOVA clearance and an invoice for the work to convert the lighting to UK specification.

In terms of logged maintenance history, the US Carfax report lists the following mileages against servicing or inspection:

• Mar 2004 - 86 miles - servicing
• Feb 2006 - 744
• Apr 2010 - 1,729
• Jun 2011 - 2,104
• May 2013 - 2,537
• Jun 2014 - 2,776
• Sep 2015 - 2,997
• Jun 2017 - 3,248
• Jun 2018 - 3,606 - servicing
• Apr 2019 - 3,806 - servicing
• May 2019 - 4,102
• Aug 2020 - 5,710 prior to export
• And in the UK:
• Oct 2021 - 5,908 - American Vehicle Services (convert lights)
• Dec 2022 - 6,023 - American Vehicle Services (MoT and service)

All of which validate the current low mileage on the car.

Widely referred to as “America’s Sports Car” the Corvette has a faithful following here in the UK too, with a dedicated club, whose strength approaches 1,000 members. The Classic Corvette Club UK (CCCUK) also hosts an online forum where members can seek technical or other help from fellow members.

One of only around 3,000 50th Anniversary editions built with the manual gearbox, we think this superb condition and rare convertible C5 will sell for between £27,000 and £32,000.

We’ve only seen a few other 50th Anniversary Corvettes for sale in the UK in recent years, and all had mileages a long way north of the 6,000 plus miles on this example. We are confident you won’t find a better one this side of the pond.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.