Chevrolet made almost half a million C3s Corvettes. The cold, hard reality is they were mass produced cars and fairly common.

In the Corvette hobby, rare models have long been “exotic” prey for hardcore ‘Vette enthusiasts and when a rare 1968 L88 Coupe will crosses the Russo and Steel auction block soon, it should give us a good barometer of what price an elusive, big daddy L88 brings these days.

According to Russo and Steel, “This C3 is one of just 80 built in 1968, this L88 coupe has a matching-numbers engine and drivetrain and was expertly restored by Tim Thorpe in 1987, after which it earned Bloomington Gold and NCRS Top Flight certifications and was included in the 1988 Bloomington Gold Earthquake 88 Special Collection.

1968 was the second year of production for the L88 option package, but the engine itself famously made its debut in the Sunoco-sponsored Corvette Sting Ray coupe entered by Roger Penske in the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours.

The Penske/Sunoco car finished first in GT, validating Zora Arkus-Duntov’s insistence on the need for a racing-only version of the production Corvette for international competition. With GM in the midst of its ban on corporate participation in that arena, the L88 engine was only the latest of Duntov’s clandestine pursuits, but one that would have lasting influence on Corvette’s racing history.

Corvettes with L88 power raced with enormous success throughout 1966, and in 1967 the L88 was offered not as an individual option but as one part of a comprehensive package that gave racers all the elements Duntov conceived as fundamental to preparing a Corvette for victory.”

The L88 engine was a hell of an engine, running forged steel internals and 4-bolt main bearing caps, 12.5:1 compression, a high-lift solid-lifter cam and big-valve aluminium heads, the first in a production big-block ‘Vette motor. A special air cleaner stoked the intake system to a cowl-induction hood, feeding fresh air to a Holley 850, 4-barrel carburetor on an aluminium intake manifold also mounting a mechanical-advance distributor with adjustable points.

Russo and Steel continues, “At 430 HP with stock exhaust manifolds, the L88’s real output approached 560 HP. The L88 was available only with a Muncie M22 4-speed manual transmission, K66 transistorized ignition sans shielding, heavy-duty F41 Special Suspension, G81 Positraction rear end, J50 power brakes and J56 heavy-duty brake calipers with semi-metallic pads and adjustable proportioning valve.

Furthermore, it used an aluminium radiator minus a shroud for maximum cooling at race speeds, making the L88 poorly suited for low-speed road use. Skimpy sound insulation and required radio and heater delete were enforced to shed pounds and discourage the car’s use on the public roads.

This late-production 1968 L88 coupe was one of two L88 Corvettes sold new by Millisor Chevrolet of Russells Point, Ohio, to two brothers from nearby Bellefontaine. Interestingly, the two brothers waited patiently through production delays for the L88 engine and were likely the only two siblings to own brand-new L88 Corvettes. Ordered with the optional 4.56 rear end , N11 Off-Road Exhaust, Soft Ray-tinted glass, telescopic steering column and head restraints, it’s finished in Silverstone Silver with the original ebony interior. Its extensive documentation includes NCRS and Bloomington Gold judging sheets, copies of correspondences between the GM and the original owner, as well as the tank sticker, Protect-O-Plate and owner’s manual.”

This L88 ‘Vette will be offered for Auction sale January 19th – 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele’s 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Be sure and check out Russo and Steel’s website for all the details.