Marcus Palmer
An immaculate triple-black 2002 Corvette convertible has come up for sale with only 320 miles on the clock
While the C4 Corvette generation was a huge leap in technology over the C3 Corvette, the C5 Corvette generation was light years ahead of the C4 in terms of technology and performance.
While the design of the C5 was an evolutionary change from the C4 Corvette, what really highlights the glory of this generation is what’s beneath the skin.
Remember those God-awful high door sills on the C4 Corvette?
The door sills on the C5 Corvette are lower due to a special perimeter frame that was built using hydroformed steel tubing. These single piece side rails were much stiffer than the 14-piece rails that were used in the C4 Corvette. The floorpan consists of a lightweight composite sandwich that uses a balsa wood core that aids in additional chassis rigidty.
As a result of all of this, the entire C5 Corvette’s chassis structure was 4.5 times stiffer than the chassis structure of the C4 Corvette.
While the C4 Corvette’s body was sharp and creased, the C5 Corvette’s body was much more smooth and utilized all new sheet-molded composite (SMC) body panels instead of the previous generation’s fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) body panels.
With a lighter body and 1500 fewer parts than the C4 Corvette, the C5 weighed in at 69 pounds less than the outgoing 1996 Corvette at the time and the performance numbers jumped over the previous generation.
All of this is just one of the many reasons why this 2002 Corvette convertible is so cool!
With only 320 miles on the odometer, this beauty is an exquisite example of the C5 Corvette generation.
Dressed in Black over black leather interior and a black soft-top, this 2002 Corvette was originally sold by Vanderbilt Chevrolet in Arlington, Texas to the original owner in Oregon who only put 183 miles on the clock over 18 years!
Well optioned, the car comes with the Preferred Equipment Group 2, head-up display, fog lights, Performance Handling Package, polished wheels, and a 12-disc CD changer. Last but not least, our favorite option: a 6-speed manual transmission. God save the manuals!
This pristine Corvette is currently up for auction on the Bring a Trailer website where the bid has quickly jumped from $11,000 to $20,000 in just under 12 hours.
With summer coming, this would be the perfect Corvette to drive and enjoy all that the C5 generation has to offer!
Source: Bring a Trailer
Additional Resources:
- 2002 Corvette Tech Center
- C5 Frame Structure
- Not a Lightweight at All: New Composite from GM is Stiff Enough for Structure, Resistant to Heat
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