THE LEGENDARY L88: A fire-breathing Corvette destined for the racetrack

January 4, 2018
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Tom Jensen

One of just 80 built in 1988, this stunning L88 Corvette (Lot #1418) is certain to attract a lot of attention when it goes up for auction on Saturday, January 20, at the Scottsdale Auction.

The mid-to-late 1960s were among the most turbulent times in American history, an era punctuated by sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, the youth movement, the Vietnam War, protests and all manner of social upheaval.

In and around Detroit, where the Big Three U.S. automakers were based, there was a war of another sorts raging: An all-out, no-holds-barred, go-for-the-throat horsepower war, with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors each trying to outdo each other with ever more powerful engines – and each wanting to claim the bragging rights that went along with winning the horsepower war.

All of which makes what Chevrolet did from 1967-69 seem all the more bizarre. During that period, Chevrolet built 216 Corvettes that at the time were the most powerful ever made and maybe the most powerful engines of any U.S. automaker then.

There was just one problem: Chevrolet didn’t want civilians – anyone who wasn’t a professional racer – to buy these Corvettes, and so they did everything possible to make them unattractive to purchase, including ludicrously understating the horsepower they produced and pricing the cars astronomically high.

In the process, despite their best efforts, Chevrolet created a legend that half a century later has grown ever larger.

We are talking, of course, about the L88 Corvette, a genuine, fire-breathing supercar with a tricked-up 427ci engine under the hood. Chevy built just 20 L88s in 1967, 80 more in ’68 and 116 in ’69, before pulling the plug for good.

Here’s the deal: The L88 was the product of the fertile imagination of Chevrolet’s Zora Arkus-Duntov, aka “The Father of the Corvette,” who wanted a Corvette to use for road racing at places like Sebring and Daytona.

But Duntov didn’t want customers buying the L88, so it wasn’t advertised and its horsepower rating was a ludicrously low 430, below even the 435 horses available on the much tamer L71 engine.

In reality, the L88 motor produced somewhere between 500 and 600 real-world horsepower, with many experts suggesting it made 550-575 horses. Whatever the actual number truly was, it was big. Of that, there is no debate.

[](Lot 1418 - 1988 Chevrolet Corvette L88%5FEngine)The L88 package included a lightweight aluminum radiator, 850 CFM carburetor, 12.5:1 compression ratio, solid lifters pushing oversized valves, a transistor ignition, off-road exhaust, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, a special hood and an M22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed manual transmission.

Ordering an L88 meant you couldn’t have a radio, heater, power steering, air conditioning or a fan shroud. These were meant to be serious race cars, driven only by professional racers on the track.

At the Barrett-Jackson 2018 Scottsdale Auction on Saturday, January 20, a truly amazing L88 will hit the auction block. Lot #1418 is a stunning 1968 L88, one of just 80 built that year. Obviously, given that the L88s were designed to go racing, not all 80 survived at all, and some of those that did were heavily modified in the process, making Lot #1418 all that more rare and desirable to own.

And it really is something special, trimmed in Le Mans Blue over a blue interior. This car comes with the original Build Sheet, National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) Shipping Data Report and full owner history back to the original selling dealer in Chicago.

This L88 had a high-quality, no-expense-spared restoration, which the previous owner commissioned. The car has achieved many awards, including the prestigious NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence Award; NCRS Performance Verification Award; national, regional and chapter Top Flight awards; the coveted Bloomington Gold and the MCACN Triple Diamond Award. The original VIN and Trim Tags are present on the vehicle as well.

In short, this L88 is the best of the best, a no-excuses, no-questions-asked example of one of the greatest supercars ever produced in the 1960s. The myriad awards this L88 has gathered attest to the meticulous quality of the restoration.

And savvy collectors know that, over the long run, you want to own the best example of a specific model you can find. Well, folks, this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 just might be it. And it will be up for auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale on Super Saturday. Don’t miss out on your chance to own a legend.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.