Have you contacted Speedway (who posted it)? They are a big company. I've bought plenty of stuff from them. I'm sure someone knows where the car is, and how to take a close look at it.

 

Whenever I see the term “marching numbers” I think restamp. “Original” is the term I look for if I want the original motor.

 

You bring up a point that has often puzzled me. Yes, I'm aware that if a block is "decked", the original numbers are machined off. However, if those original numbers are "re-stamped" back into the block, and done in an honest fashion, is the block still "original", or does it become a "restamp", therefore considered potentially bogus??

Let's face it, 60 years ago, when those specialty Corvettes were brand new, many of them were "ridden hard and put away wet". After all, you didn't buy a big block car just to drive to work and/or the grocery store. Therefore, I'm pretty sure that some of these cars got "wounded in action", and in turn, were rebuilt. Decking and re-boring the block may have occurred, during a proper rebuild, which would have removed the original stamping. But does that change the facts, regarding the block's originality?

 

"Matching Numbers" means very little to me any more, it seems that the stamps are readily available and there are plenty of questionable folks who want to make their Corvette worth more money. The date codes is the right way to see what is left of your original car. I have been recording my date codes for comparison.

I have the parts from a wrecked 1968 L88 on my Corvette. I copied the engine design and then built my clone of an L88 from there. I have NEVER suggested that my C3 was ever a real L88, it started life with solid lifters and is currently built like an L88 engine would be. My car was video taped by SpeedVision back in the day at a Corvettes@Carlisle event and they were convinced it was a real L88 until I showed up and set them straight. It runs and sounds like an L88 and will take off like a scalded dog when asked to.

There is a picture of a Black on Black 1968 L88 in one of the Corvette Books and it is drop dead beautiful. Let me see if I can find the pictures...

 

John,

This might be the car. This is said to be a hard top only car, although it obviously has a soft top installed as well… VIN# 194678S419379



This is most likely the car. Documented with a vinyl covered hard top… VIN# 194678S428356



I have one other black 1968 L-88 convertible, but pretty sure it is a soft top only car and it has red line tires.



Regards,

Stan Falenski

 

Thank you Stan. The video I saw has the car with a vinyl hardtop.

That second one you show must be a really really late car right?

Do you have any knowledge about the originality of either of their drivetrains?

This is also just curiosity on my part. I could (likely) never afford one of these and wouldn’t not waste a sales reps time calling Speedway. I apologize in advance if I gave the impression I was looking to buy.

Thank you again.

 

You’re welcome John. I’ve edited my original post as I had mixed up the photos.

I believe it is last day of 1968 production. I’d check with Speedway Motors and see if they’ll confirm the VIN… I think that this is the car in the video.

The first car has a pretty ugly stamp, but I believe that it is original. It has a Bloomington Gold gold award (before the engine declaration era). The second one I can’t find the stamp photo for (I have it somewhere), but I remember it being a good one. Car has a little over 2,000 miles and has won all of the major awards (NCRS, Bloomington Gold, MCACN). The third car I don’t have a pad photo.

Not a problem John, I get curious about a lot of these cars too! For what it’s worth, I think that #28356 is the car in question.

Regards,

Stan Falenski

 

Again thank you. I looked up the birthday of 28356 and it comes back to August 16th 1968, which was a Friday, so that would make sense!

I would love to own a car built the day before!!!

 

Vin # 19379 is posted with photos in the C3 registry from Mecum 2013 / 26th annual spring classic.



Car Year: 1968 Car's approximate birthday: May 16, 1968

Owner: mwbardell@yahoo.com City: Indianapolis State: Indiana Country: United States
Purchase date: Undefined Status: Current Owner
Nickname: 194678S419379 State: Bloomington Gold
Exterior: 900 Tuxedo Black (2.48%) Interior: 402 Black (Leather) Softtop: White Wheels: Silver (100.00%)
Delivery Dealer Zone: Unknown Delivery Dealer Code: 014
Options: RPO Option Percentage
Sold [%] Sales Price
[$]
19467 Base Corvette Convertible (BB 430hp) 65.22% 4,320.00
A01 Soft Ray Tinted Glass, all windows 61.73% 15.80
F41 Special Front and Rear Suspension 6.15% 36.90
G81 Positraction Rear Axle, all ratios 94.55% 46.35
J50 Power Brakes 33.46% 42.15
J56 Special Heavy Duty Brakes 0.28% 384.45
K66 Transistor Ignition System 19.10% 73.75
L88 427ci, 430hp Engine 0.28% 947.90
M22 4-Speed Manual Transmission, close ratio, heavy duty 0.28% 263.30
N11 Off Road Exhaust System 16.44% 36.90
Total
0.000000000000002%
(1 Cars) 6,167.50
Factory job nr.: Unknown Export Car: Non Export Car
Car history: Added to Registry 06/25/2013

This 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 convertible is best known for its tire-melting
burnout photographed for the February 1986 cover of Road&Track magazine,
which dedicated eight and a half pages to a feature story comparing its considerable
charms to those of the then-new 1986 Corvette. And yet even without the benefit
of todays all-pervasive media, this milestone machine has become a perennial
star in the Corvette community, winning Bloomington Gold Certification and earning
a place in the famed L-88 Invasion. When it appeared in R&T, it was owned by
southern California collector Merle DuPrey and, at just short of 16,000 miles, was
described by the editors as being as authentic as its possible for a 1968 car to
be, which judgement certainly applies today. Later the subject of a frame-off
restoration by the Naber Brothers of Houston, it is finished as original in Tuxedo
Black with a White soft top and the original Custom Black leather interior. It retains
its original L-88 engine, transistorized ignition, 4-speed manual transmission, off-
road exhaust, Positraction rear end and tinted windows and is fully documented
with the original GM order form, Protect-O-Plate, two tank stickers, dealer invoice,
1968 title application, an issue of the Road&Track magazine and the original owners manual.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Bloomington Gold Certified and L-88 Invasion participant
- Frame-off restoration by the Naber Brothers of Houston
- Original 427/430 HP L-88 engine
- 4-speed manual transmission
- 16,000 original miles
- Factory Tuxedo Black with Black leather interior
- Documented with two tank stickers, the Protect-O-Plate, original GM order form,
dealer invoice and title application
- Off-road exhaust, tinted windows, transistorized ignition
- Graced the February 1986 cover of Road & Track magazine
- Inside the issue an 8 page article was devoted to comparing this L88 with a new
1986 Corvette
For Sale: No
Number of visits on this page by other users: 111























Not too far off from my mine 4/10/68 # 15918 & I also owned 4/12/68 # 16012

I'm looking at mirror positions mine is the farther back version, like this one pictured but in picture # 2 that rowdy posted it has the forward position, and the car with the redlines in the back position.

This car # 19379 was built( 5/16//68 ) & Also interesting is that built on the same day in the registry is ( 5/16/68 ) # 19418 is also an L88 Convertible in Silver

Also interesting in the registry 2 cars after # 28356 is another black one ???? vin # 194678S428358 Unknown Mecum Auto Auction 2020 Convertible BB430hp Tuxedo Black Black (Leather) Kissimmee Florida Bloomington Gold No photos

Something else pretty interesting is that all of the above have the "CORRECT" silver leading edge on the front grills hardly ever seen. Most 68's pictured are missing this fine detail. AvalonJohn, Ironcross, & 60/70vette & I have had a discussion over this 68 feature over the years several times, & learning what was originally thought to be another (68) only thing, the silver edge did extend & appear on some very early 69 cars as well.

 

L88 clones, even declared as clones, properly done, are well into 6 figures now.

Most don't use numbers matching anymore.. just provide a photo or not of the stamping pad.

A car could have its original engine even if engine pad is decked from a rebuild and is blank, and also even if restamped by a non factory stamper ( done so well that most judges cant tell) , or even if massively incorrectly restamped. all does not disqualify the engine from being the original.. exclusions to the general rules are out there.

many talk about proof? so many points of failure are possible that total proof does not exist for a 50 some odd year old car.

there are characteristics that will only increase or decrease FAITH that the car has original drivetrain. never absolute proof. CCAS is not proof, Top flight is not proof, bow tie is not proof, BG awards are not proof. tank sheets and protectoplates are not proof. all are merely increases of faith.

factory mis-stamps exist, factory grind-out and restamps exist....

 

The car is in my area, although I have not inspected it in person
The museum it is in will only open occasionally and it has not fit my schedule
The owner has some great cars, and some that I would call questionable
He can afford the real thing, I do not know if this is real or not
I will guarantee you it will not be for sale

bigredbrad