Garaged Not Driven: These Low-Mileage Corvettes Ruled The Bring a Trailer Sub-900 Club

In the Corvette enthusiast community, you’ll often hear the sentiment that these beautiful creations were meant to be driven, not tucked away for the next owner or collector. For instance, one of our readers, Barry A., recently messaged us, musing on why garage queens were a good thing. He then went on to proudly proclaim (as he should) how many miles his 1967 427 classic accumulates in a year. And, we generally agree with this sentiment–drive them!

That being said, how cool is it to see a 47-year-old classic time capsule ‘Vette with under 700 clicks?!? We have one of those today! For this exclusive series, we search the popular online auction sites so you don’t have to! CorvSport will keep you abreast of the Corvette market and help you stay in touch with all the trends enthusiasts are talking about. Today, we visit one of the largest online sales platforms, Bring a Trailer, and find the Top 5 low-mileage gems that rocked and ruled. And after we do, we have our CorvSport Takeaway with a bonus dip into a sample of our original market features.

What you’ll discover today:

The C7 ZR1 market is still red hot–should we be surprised that the juiced-up version of the last front-engine Corvette is bringing big money?
How much will a time capsule 1978 Pace Car fetch?
Don’t sleep on the C4 ZR-1 we have for you today!
The paltry amount of miles on the rare C7 Z06 may have you scratching your head.

Enjoy an ad-free experience, get exclusive content, and support CorvSport for only $2.92/month!

The Top 5 Garage Queens That Ruled Bring a Trailer

#5 – 2019 Corvette ZR1 Coupe

897 Miles

Hammer Price: $160,000

What Sets This Corvette Apart

With the ability to dial up 755 ponies from its supercharged LT5 V8, the high-performance version of the last front-engined Corvette was destined to become a collectible classic. Add insanely low miles and pristine condition, and you can see why the sales price is strong for this C7 ZR1.

Engine: Supercharged 6.2-Liter LT5 V8
Transmission: Eight-Speed Automatic Gearbox
Drivetrain: Electronic Limited-Slip Differential
Suspension: Magnetic Ride Control
Brakes: Cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discs with orange-finished Brembo calipers at each corner
Wheels: Pearl Nickel-painted 19″ and 20″ 10-spoke wheels
Interior: Jet Black Leather
Finish: Sebring Orange Tintcoat
See the listing here for more details and photos

How It Ruled

Views: 13,222
Watchers: 1,132
Bids: 24
Community Comments: 71

#4 – 1978 Corvette L82 Pace Car Edition

672 Miles

Hammer Price: $56,500

What Sets This Corvette Apart

We’ve got a rarity theme brewing today, and this classic 1978 ‘Vette is one of 6,502 Pace Car Edition examples produced to commemorate the model’s use as the pace car for the 1978 running of the Indianapolis 500. To add to its collectibility, this example was awarded the Bloomington Gold, Gold Spinner, and NCRS Top Flight awards. With 220 horsepower on tap from the upgraded factory L82 and a 4-speed manual transmission, this Pace Car’s value has nowhere to go but up.

Engine: 350ci L82 V8
Transmission: Four-Speed Manual Transmission
Drivetrain: Positraction Differential
Brakes: Four-wheel power-assisted discs
Wheels: 15″ Eight-Slot Alloy Wheels
Interior: Silver Leather Upholstery
Awards: NCRS Top Flight, Bowtie, & Performance Verification Awards, Bloomington Gold, Triple Crown, & Gold Spinner Awards
Finish: Black & Silver Paint With Indy 500 Pace Car Livery
See the listing here for more details and photos

How It Ruled

Views: 8,703
Watchers: 747
Bids: 48
Community Comments: 48

#3 – 1995 Corvette ZR-1

548 Miles

Hammer Price: $76,000

What Sets This Corvette Apart

We’ve got another rare one for you, with only 448 ZR-1s produced in 1995, the final year for this beastly iteration of the iconic ZR1 nameplate. To add to the rarity, this is approximately one of 42 that were optioned in Torch Red over a matching red leather interior. What makes the ZR-1 even more special is that high-revving DOHC 405-horsepower LT5 masterpiece, designed by GM’s Lotus Group Division and built by Mercury Marine of Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Engine: 5.7-Liter LT5 V8
Transmission: ZF Six-Speed Manual Transmission
Suspension: Selective Ride & Handling Package, designed in consultation with Lotus and featuring Bilstein shock absorbers
Brakes: Anti-lock disc brakes at all four corners
Wheels: ZR-1 Specific 17″ Five-Spoke Alloy Wheels
Interior: Torch Red Leather Upholstery
Finish: Torch Red Paint
See the listing here for more details and photos

How It Ruled

Views: 11,652
Watchers: 959
Bids: 31
Community Comments: 50

#2 – 2019 Corvette ZR1 Coupe 3ZR ZTK

358 Miles

Hammer Price: $180,500

What Sets This Corvette Apart

The 3ZR Premium Equipment Group and ZTK track performance package are the coveted options for the C7 ZR1, though this example loses a few points for the automatic transmission. With only 2,953 examples rolling out of the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, the C7 ZR1 has already become desirable to collectors, and the price reflects it. And lest we forget, it doesn’t hurt to have 755 ponies roaring under the hood.

Engine: Supercharged 6.2-liter LT5 V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Electronic limited-slip differential
Brakes: Carbon-ceramic brakes
Wheels: Carbon Flash 19″ and 20″ 10-spoke wheels
Interior: Jet Black leather upholstery with heated and ventilated Competition Sport bucket seats
Additional Noteworthy Options: Sebring Orange Design Package, carbon-fiber interior trim
Finish: Sebring Orange Tintcoat
See the listing here for more details and photos

How It Ruled

Views: 7,120
Watchers: 817
Bids: 14
Community Comments: 61

#1 – 2018 Corvette Z06 Vert 3LZ Z07 Carbon 65 Edition

197 Miles

Hammer Price: $115,000

What Sets This Corvette Apart

This C7 Z06 Convertible is a rare find, with only 650 Carbon 65 Edition examples produced to commemorate the Corvette’s 65th anniversary, and was ordered from the factory with the 3LZ Premium Equipment Group and the Z07 Ultimate Performance Package. Better yet, you can tap into the 650 horses while using the third pedal and rowing through all seven gears!

Engine: Supercharged 6.2-Liter LT4 V8
Transmission: Seven-Speed Manual Gearbox
Drivetrain: Electronic Limited-Slip Differential
Suspension: Z07 Ultimate Performance Package
Brakes: Brembo Carbon-Ceramic Brakes
Wheels: Black 19″ & 20″ Z06 Aluminum Wheels
Interior: Jet Black Upholstery
Additional Noteworthy Options: Carbon 65 Edition, Carbon-Fiber Interior & Exterior Trim, 3LZ Premium Equipment Group
Finish: Ceramic Matrix Gray Metallic Paint
See the listing here for more details and photos

How It Ruled

Views: 6,780
Watchers: 758
Bids: 31
Community Comments: 19

The CorvSport Takeaway

It’s not surprising to see this many low-mileage C7 ZR1s, as it’s a trend we’ve been tracking in our exclusive Garage Queens For Sale series, which compiles eBay sales listings. We have a sample just below. As you can see from today’s list, whether it’s an old C3 classic or C7 Z06, rarity and low miles increase value and collectibility.

The debate on whether to drive these collectible Corvettes or not may never be fully settled, but one thing is guaranteed–the iconic Corvette never fails to deliver smiles, whether you are putting your foot in the pedal or enjoying her collecting dust in your garage.