Only Known Sunfire Yellow L88 Up for Auction
Someone’s going to spend a lot of money on this one, so we get to enjoy incredible pictures of an incredible car: win-win
One of our favorite things about fancy auctions is the high-quality pictures. You typically get really good pictures, lots of information, and you don’t even have to buy a magazine to look at it. Mecum usually has some good stuff, and this week we stumbled across this 1967 Corvette L88. The auction takes place May 15-19, for those who are both rich and interested. Apparently 1 of 20 in 1967, and the only L88 to come in Sunfire Yellow. We had a friend with a ‘63 split-window growing up. This shape is what we picture when someone says “classic Corvette”.
Just 216 examples of the L88 package were ordered back in the day: the best kept secret of the late 1960s is certainly one of the most well-known Corvettes today. Well, coveted at least. The L88 package was a high-performance package that enabled the 427-powered coupe to run in the 11 second range down the quarter mile. Though the brochure claimed 430 hp, it’s widely known today that the car made over 500 hp. Though a point of debate, numbers range from 540 to 580 hp. All we know is we’d be exceedingly careful probing those limits, especially in a car this rare.
The L88 went all out: eschewing air conditioning and a radio, while offering such niceties as a Positraction differential, performance suspension, and upgraded brakes. It made a pretty solid drag racing machine back in the day. That is what the original owner, Robert Baker, did with it according to the auction listing. He apparently got it down into the 11s before retiring it to his barn. Baker then bought another, likely less rare, 427 Stingray to race. That’s our kind of collector.
Then, as these kinds of Corvettes are wont to do, it went through a meticulous restoration. Then, it was off to a collection for the last 20 some odd years. Sadly, the car retains the original title from Baker, which is no doubt valuable to the right collector. That also means it hasn’t been driven on public roads, or likely race tracks, since the early 1970s, which is a shame. Though, we admit, you wouldn’t buy this one to go drag racing.
But if you want to go drag racing after you win this auction, call us!
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