1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 at Barrett-Jackson Auction

Silver Bullet with a Golden Lining

This 1969 Cortez Silver L88 Chevrolet Corvette sold for $330,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. It features a turbo-jet L88 427ci V8 engine mated to a M22 Rock Crusher 4-speed manual transmission.

The Corvette’s L88 option lasted only three model years, which spanned the two body styles from 1967 to 1969 and was designed to be the fastest production sports car in the world. It was said you could drive one of these beasts from the showroom straight to the drag strip and make an 11-second pass.

One L88 took the GT class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968, reaching speeds of 194 miles per hour; another took the A/Production win the following year. In 1972, the North American Racing Team dominated its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Restored by Tim Thorpe, an L88 specialist and respected Bloomington Gold judge, this L88 Corvette comes loaded with a special-purpose transistor ignition, side exhausts, heavy-duty red stripe tires, headrests, factory leather, rear window defrosters, tilt telescoping steering wheel, power brakes, posi-traction 3:36 ratio and an alarm system. It even has its factory Tank Sticker, owner’s manual, factory warranty book, Protect-O-Plate and copy of Window Sticker.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction just wrapped up and makes its next stop in West Palm Beach, Florida, from April 16-18.

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