One-Owner C2 Corvette Racks up an Astounding 582K Miles

Over the last 50+ years, this well-traveled C2 Corvette has remained the only constant in its owner’s life.

The Corvette, at its very core, is a sports car. A vehicle that most owners over the years have used as a fun, second vehicle, not necessarily a daily driver. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, you rarely see any Corvette of any vintage with a significant number of miles on the odometer. Certainly none with over a half-million clicks, which is how far this amazing C2 Corvette has traveled.

Any one-owner 1963 Corvette is worthy of a story, but this one is extra special, and thus scored a recent feature at Hot Rod. The one and only owner, Steve Stone of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, purchased the car new when he was a mere 18-years-old. Most of us would have wound up in a ditch somewhere in the first couple of days of ownership, but Stone just wanted to drive his fancy new ride as much as possible.

And that’s precisely what he did from the very start. Stone used up his car’s 24,000-mile warranty in just eight months on his way to recording 33,575 miles in his first year of ownership. He then proceeded to rack up another 30k the second year. But in May of 1965, he was drafted, which almost ended this relationship prematurely. Thankfully, however, Stone didn’t get sent to Vietnam. And though he had put his car up for sale, it didn’t sell.

Decades went by, and the miles just kept piling on. Like most, Stone got married, had kids, got divorced, got married again, and worked a career. The one and only constant in his life has been this C2 Corvette. He’s taken it on road trips up the coast, drag raced and autocrossed it, attended shows like Corvettes at Carlisle, and even recorded a few laps at the Indy 500.

To date, this C2 Corvette has traveled an astounding 582,000 miles. Which is far enough to drive around the entire circumference of the earth over 23 times. It isn’t every day you see a car with over a half-million miles on it. No matter the make or model. But ’60s Corvette? Virtually never.

This car is quite literally the antithesis of those ultra low-mile, concours-quality Corvettes that get all the attention. And we admit, we love to see preserved pieces of history like those. But at the same time, cars are built to be driven. And this amazing ’63 drop top Corvette is proof that they’re more than capable of holding up to that sort of thing.

Photos:Hot Rod

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