If you’ve been looking for an affordable – yet collectible – C5, then this might be the car for you.
A Spring, Texas dealership named Uptown Imports is offering a 2004 Le Mans Commemorative Edition coupe for only $17,000 in an ad on Houston’s Craigslist, and best of all, it’s a six-speed manual!
Out of the 34,064 Corvettes built in 2004, only 6,928 included the manual transmission, a $915 option. Narrowing that down a little, just 2,215 Commemorative Edition coupes were built. While exact figures aren’t available, if you figure the same 20 percent take rate for the CEs as for the entire production run, that would mean between only 400 to 500 of the CEs were manuals.
This example, at least in photos, looks to be in nice cosmetic condition with less than 81,000 miles and “runs and drives amazing” and has “cold dual A/C,” according to the listing.
The Commemorative Edition was Chevy’s way of celebrating the final year of production of the fifth-generation Corvette that had begun in ’97.
The 2004 CEs were offered in all three models: the coupe, the convertible, and the Z06. All versions included the brilliant Le Mans Blue exterior with special stripes on the hood, along with special 24:00 Heures Du Mans 2 GTS Wins badges honoring the Corvette Racing team and the accomplishments of the Corvette C5-R at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
At the time, Corvette Marketing Director Rick Baldick said: “At Chevrolet and especially with the Corvette, racing is part of our DNA. The 2004 Commemorative Edition provides us the opportunity to connect our customers even more closely with this unprecedent era of Corvette Racing.”
Like the others, this coupe features a special Shale interior and polished aluminum wheels with Commemorative Edition center caps. The C5 Corvette logo is embroidered on the headrests, while the word “Commemorative” is imprinted on the seatbacks.
Priced at an additional $3,700, the CE package was ordered with the 1SC equipment group and included Head-Up Display, power-telescopic steering column, auto-dimming mirrors, memory package, and twilight sentinel.
Perhaps the Commemorative Edition package inspired the Corvette Racing team as it finished 1-2 in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the summer of 2004. The team had three wins at Le Mans in its first five years.
Source:
craigslist.org
Related:
Corvettes For Sale: You Can Bid to Win this 2019 Corvette ZR1 #004 Through 427 Day!
Corvettes for Sale: New 2024 Corvette E-Ray Offered for Sale at Cars and Bids
Corvette Auction Preview: Carlisle Auctions’ Spring Sale is April 18th and 19th
Subscribe Now:
-
