L88 Corvettes Steal the Spotlight at Bloomington Gold

When the biggest, baddest, and most desirable big block Corvettes gather in one place, it’s an embarrassment of riches for Corvette lovers.

Bloomington Gold went down this summer, and the Corvette action was insane. In particular was one of the largest gatherings of L88 Corvettes we have ever seen. We’re glad that Corvette Blogger took the trouble to put up a nearly 40-minute walk-around video for us to peruse.

No matter what generation of Corvette you’re into, whether it’s the earliest C1s or the newest C7s, you’ve got to have some appreciation for the C2 Corvette Stingray. It brought a level of performance and sophistication to the breed that made it the envy of everyone from muscle car stoplight warriors to sports car track day aficionados.

The big daddy C2 Corvette was the L88 big-block Corvette. Immediately noticeable from its triple Holley carburetors, these were the among the most powerful machines money could buy, and easily the meanest Corvettes. The L88 generates a whopping 430 horsepower and 460 lb/ft of torque, and those numbers are frequently cited as being underrated. These Corvettes made a name for themselves in racing and on the street.

ALSO SEE: Video Tour of Corvettes at Carlisle 2018

All that power came with a price, and that high price meant that Chevrolet only built 20 L88 Corvettes in 1967. Amazingly, 12 of those cars were at Bloomington Gold 2018, but that’s not the whole story. That’s because the L88 stuck around for a little while longer.

In 1968, with the new C3 Corvette, the L88 option proved to be more popular, with 80 cars produced, keeping the big-block dream alive into 1969. In total, over 45 L88 Corvettes were on display at Bloomington Gold this year, possibly more than had ever been in one place before in their entire history.

Obviously, L88 cars have a mystique and a rarity that lends itself to becoming a popular subject for clones and tribute cars. Rest assured that each L88 Corvette on display at Bloomington Gold this year was a documented, factory-built L88 car.

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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