One of 378: Fairway Green 1998 Chevrolet Corvette

In the world of muscle and sports car owners, one group stands apart for calling out small details that supposedly make their car rarer or more special than another. Yes, I’m looking at you, Corvette guys, who can seemingly justify calling a car rare because it was manufactured on a Tuesday in July when Hank was running the paint booth and the moon was in waning crescent phase. Regardless, the Fairway Green Corvette is a genuinely rare car, with only 378 C5 models painted this color in 1997 and 1998. Find this 1998 coupe listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $15,900.

Green is a color that has become surprisingly limited. Personally, I remember when the Eddie Bauer Ford products became a big deal, and suddenly green was associated with everything high-end and luxurious. Then, green was everywhere. We were legitimately sick of seeing green on everything from sports cars to sedans. And in the late 90s and early 2000s, it disappeared. We, as a society, were done with green. Ironically, our phases of green infatuation are sort of like the phases of the moon, as many muscle cars in the 60s and 70s wore green paint before going out of style as 80s style took over.

When Fairway Green was offered, it was not exclusive to the Corvette. You might think it was a special order color for the top-trim models, or limited production offerings, but no – it was sitting there, ready for any Corvette shopper to order when the C5 was in showrooms. Other models of trucks and SUVs could be spec’d with it as well. Surprisingly, no one really did. I’m not sure if GM didn’t push it as a color, or if there was hesitation to do so knowing green ran out of public favor pretty abruptly. Regardless, it’s now highly sought after by Corvette enthusiasts, and unlike the way rarity is sometimes defined, this C5 is legitimately hard to come by.

The C5 is a terrific entry point to muscle or sports car ownership, as it excelled in both categories. Handling was excellent right out of the box, and straight-line speed was more than enough for most of us. The 5.7L LS1 V8 is a terrific engine, churning out 345 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque in stock form. This Fairway Green Corvette would be even more desirable if equipped with the elusive 6-speed, but even with the automatic, it would be an excellent cruiser with a stunning factory paint job. Mileage sits at just under 73,000, so it should be fairly cheap to live with for years to come.