Should Emelia Hartford Have Kept Her C8 Corvette, or Sold It?

Not too long ago, Emelia Hartford received an offer for her C8 Corvette. She turned it down. What would you have done?

Right now, there’s a legendary C8 Corvette owned by Emelia Hartford. It’s set and broken its own world record twice, thanks to a pair of twin turbos attached to the LT2. However, there was a chance Hartford would no longer have this special ride, as a big offer dropped on her table. One to the tune of $180,000.

That offer alone could get her two C8 Corvettes to build (or one to build, the other to drive when the other is in the shop). However, as Corvette Blogger notes, Hartford decided to turn down the offer, as she wasn’t “tired of building this car yet.”

Was she right or wrong to do so, though?

“I decided I wasn’t ready to sell Phoenix,” said Hartford. “At least not yet.”

As she said in the video before this announcement, she loves driving, racing, and learning from her C8 Corvette. Of course, there’s also the fact that no one’s been able to crack the ECU. Keeping her ‘Vette around could provide an opportunity to work with someone to finally break into the magic within, and make those turbos really sing.

Not only that, but it’s safe to say obtaining a new Corvette would prove difficult. Supply issues have hobbled 2021 production (and not just at Bowling Green), causing new and used car prices to soar like never before. Plus, it’s hard to let go of something as much a part of her life as this white ‘Vette with orange stripes. Especially when she’s dropped $150,000 on making it what it is.

However, perhaps she should have taken the cash. After all, as demonstrated just 30 seconds into the video, Hartford’s C8 Corvette is temperamental. With $180,000 in her pocket, she could either buy a new Corvette at the lot, or pursue one on the auction block. Either way, she’d have a clean slate to build a new “Phoenix.” She knows more about what to do and what not to do now in her twin-turbo pursuits, leading to success.

As it turns out, though, she did sell another car of hers, this one a Lamborghini Super Trofeo. More money to invest into building the ultimate C8 Corvette, right? Or, maybe, buy a new one? We’ll see.

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