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Because when you have a car with 60 years of history you need to maintain a connection with the past. Whether it is the Stingray badge from Bill Mitchell's 1959 Stingray racer, the front fender shape from a Shark, or the most hallowed RPO in history.....keeping it old school is awesome.
L-88. Now you're talking What a great idea for a limited production, high horsepower C7. I trust that this time around they will come with heater/AC, a radio and won't overheat. I don't think a new L-88 will have any affect on the 67 to 69 versions. It may make them even more prominent. The new one will have to be very special to live up to the name.
I like keeping some of the heritage alive even when going with all new design. If they bring back the L-88, it does need to be a baaaad boy, tho.
No, I haven't done any research on it but my guess is that it's been decades. As for the L88s, there's exactly one COPO L88 known to exist. I'm curious what about it caused it to have to be ordered as a COPO. RPO L88 was, of course, available without having to go the COPO route. The only thing I can think of is if someone wanted an L88 without having to also order the other mandatory options, e.g. F41 suspension, G81 Positraction, J50/J56 heavy duty brakes, K66 transistor ignition.
I dunno about reusing L88. That designation is legendary and iconic with extremely limited production. Not sure what GM could do to warrant that. OTH, they've used ZR1 and also Grand Sport in mass production now - and there were only 5 original Grand Sports ever built. At least the dilution of the exclusivity of the designation is consistent.
Maybe a Zora edition is next............
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.