The $3.2 million Corvette

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SR99

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1967 L88 convertible Corvette, NHRA champion in its day, sells for a record $3.2 million yesterday at the Mecum Dallas auction.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fK8mYq1Y54&list=TLzoCeQKbdtXI]1967 L88 Corvette Convertible Sells for Record $3.2 Million at Mecum Dallas. - YouTube[/video]
 
The whole Buddy Herin Collection was amazing! Love the red on red ZL1 also. :xyxthumbs:
 
All the promos said, "the $3 million Corvette." Guess they weren't kidding!
 
As I understand it, being a corvette man myself, there were only 16 L-88 corvettes built.

That of the 16 built, only a "true 3" remained. The other 13 ran into guard rails, totaled out, or went to la la land.

As you 63-67 purists know, the hardtop was always the most desireable.
 
Zackb911 said:
To think of all the other things $3.2 Million would buy...
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Yeah, a Pro Touring midyear built to my specs, a 57', a 62' and a 70' LT1....and money left over, a lot of it, maybe buy a new one, well if they change the rear end and its cheap a$$ lookin' diffusor that goes up to half the bumper!

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MarkD51 said:
As I understand it, being a corvette man myself, there were only 16 L-88 corvettes built.

That of the 16 built, only a "true 3" remained. The other 13 ran into guard rails, totaled out, or went to la la land.

As you 63-67 purists know, the hardtop was always the most desireable.
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There were 20 convertibles produced during the 67-69 run of L88's. Maybe that's what you're recalling. I think I've seen at least a dozen L88's just in 2013 auctions. There was another L88 (a 1969) in this auction, about a dozen cars after the one above. It didn;t meet reserve, and the highest bidder was $430k if I recall.

It would be interesting to know how many were totaled, though I'm not sure they could be licensed or made "street legal" (what ever happened to that term, anyway?) so maybe not that many were wrapped around trees.

Here are the L88 production numbers (thanks to Google): 216 total over the 3 years, 20 in '67, 80 in '68, and 116 in '69).

I think the highest $ L88 before this one was $1.25 million (or around that) for 1967 serial number 1, back at a 2010 Mecum auction. The other L88 that was up for auction yesterday was the last one built in 1969.
 
Here is part of the description of the L88 that sold for $3.2M yesterday (I thought the part I put in bold was funny):

DESCRIPTION

Purchased new at Lyman Slack Chevrolet by Jim Elmer of Portland, OR, this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 convertible is one of twenty L88 Corvettes produced in 1967. Elmer bought the car to race; he made his first pass with the new car fresh out of the box at Puyallup Dragway in Puyallup, WA, running a scorching 11.47 with the sole additions of exhaust headers and 7-inch slicks. That set the tone for the car’s extensive drag racing career, which first made headlines when it captured the A/Sports class win at the 1967 Indy Nationals. Elmer ultimately ran a best of 11.12 at 127.45 MPH, but soon after his Indy win he damaged both the transmission and the rear end, only to have his warranty claim rejected when he showed up at the dealership with the car in full competition trim, including sponsorship decals and elapsed time stickers on the windows! Unwilling to pay the costs of repair, Elmer sold the car to his friend and fellow racer Rob Robinson in February of 1968 for the princely sum of $5,000.
 
SR, great story and those times/mph are incredible! I'm sure the rearend was beefed up but I never understood how an IRS could handle the dragstrip....guess they really didn't.

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Zackb911 said:
To think of all the other things $3.2 Million would buy...
Click to expand...
Exactly what the previous owner is saying after looking at his/hers/theirs: Soon to be further-redacted check...
via the auctioneer...and the revenuers...that also get their token-amounts.




Bob
 
Klasse Act said:
SR, great story and those times/mph are incredible! I'm sure the rearend was beefed up but I never understood how an IRS could handle the dragstrip....guess they really didn't.

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Actually, I ran an 11.00@130 at Woodburn with that car in 69' Very quick for a single 4-barrel 3,000 lbs. car in that era. Klasse, actually the 3rd member was factory stock, it was the half shafts and the drive line u-joints that were the weak link. Blew several u-joints. The bottom end was also weak, it took our punishment for 2 seasons though! You have to remember, in that era we were on a 7" M + H cheater slick, the tires did spin on the launch; that entire rear setup wouldn't handle todays 10" tire at all.
 
Rob Robinson said:
Actually, I ran an 11.00@130 at Woodburn with that car in 69' Very quick for a single 4-barrel 3,000 lbs. car in that era. Klasse, actually the 3rd member was factory stock, it was the half shafts and the drive line u-joints that were the weak link. Blew several u-joints. The bottom end was also weak, it took our punishment for 2 seasons though! You have to remember, in that era we were on a 7" M + H cheater slick, the tires did spin on the launch; that entire rear setup wouldn't handle todays 10" tire at all.
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Rob, welcome to the forum. Very cool that you were the second owner of this $3.2 million beast. How long did you have the car for?
 
Very cool to have someone here that actually drove the car! What ratio was in the rearend? Yeah if that car had a set of today's tires the rearend setup wouldn't last too long but who knows, you might be .5 seconds faster though!!

Also, would you know the cam specs of that engine? It had a Holley 850, right, double pumper? 12:5:1 compression and it had aluminum heads too, what size valves and combustion chamber? Sure I could google it but maybe there were some "tweaks"?

Any pics you could share from back in the day?

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Klasse Act said:
Very cool to have someone here that actually drove the car! What ratio was in the rearend? Yeah if that car had a set of today's tires the rearend setup wouldn't last too long but who knows, you might be .5 seconds faster though!!

Also, would you know the cam specs of that engine? It had a Holley 850, right, double pumper? 12:5:1 compression and it had aluminum heads too, what size valves and combustion chamber? Sure I could google it but maybe there were some "tweaks"?

Any pics you could share from back in the day?

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SR99, 5 years. 2 racing and 3 as a very fair weather driver.

Klasse, 850 double pumper is correct, 3418 Holley, no choke on that carb. I believe that is a 67' only application. Alum heads yes, I wish I could remember the valve size and CC's in the head for you, too much water over the dam! I have a meeting I'm prepping for this evening, I'll try to dig out a photo or two to post tomorrow. Most of my photo's, time slips, and documentation I gave to the restorer when he purchased the car, super guy named Tim Thorpe, O'Fallon IL
 
Thanks Rob! My all-time favorite car is a Goodwood Green 67' coupe w/ white stinger and white interior (or green) w/ sidepipes but underneath would be all modern and have the 427 from the C6 Z06 and be wearing 17" Torque-Thrusts in the rear and 16's in the front.

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Klasse Act said:
Thanks Rob! My all-time favorite car is a Goodwood Green 67' coupe w/ white stinger and white interior (or green) w/ sidepipes but underneath would be all modern and have the 427 from the C6 Z06 and be wearing 17" Torque-Thrusts in the rear and 16's in the front.

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I had a Goodwood Green, white stinger, 435, w/black top and interior for a short time in the early 80's, nice car. The way you do one is fantastic, what a great driver that would be. Torque-Thrusts would be the perfect wheel on that rig. We all have different tastes, I'd probably go without the sidepipes, like the tunes coming out the exhaust thru the rear as opposed to the sounds of the sidepipes. Just a personal choice.
 
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I hear yah on the pipes, just like the looks of the sidepipes too, adds something to the car but can be dangerous if your not paying attention I bet. My Dad, rest his soul, bought a brand new 66' when he started at GM in Hamtramck (327-4spd-3.36) tripple black, added ET Torque Thrusts, 7.75's and removed the front bumper. He said when using Sunoco 260 it would turn his rear bumper blue and exhaust pipes white, LOL! I've never seen his combo at any show, ever or my Goodwood Green w/ Torque Thrusts either but when and if I do it will be a religious experience, I just think its the best lookin' car in the world done like that, IMHO....ofcoarse! Mid-year Corvettes will never be equaled IMO either, they were just so far ahead of anything out there, well other than a Gullwing or DB5.

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Klasse Act said:
I hear yah on the pipes, just like the looks of the sidepipes too, adds something to the car but can be dangerous if your not paying attention I bet. My Dad, rest his soul, bought a brand new 66' when he started at GM in Hamtramck (327-4spd-3.36) tripple black, added ET Torque Thrusts, 7.75's and removed the front bumper. He said when using Sunoco 260 it would turn his rear bumper blue and exhaust pipes white, LOL! I've never seen his combo at any show, ever or my Goodwood Green w/ Torque Thrusts either but when and if I do it will be a religious experience, I just think its the best lookin' car in the world done like that, IMHO....ofcoarse! Mid-year Corvettes will never be equaled IMO either, they were just so far ahead of anything out there, well other than a Gullwing or DB5.

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I would have liked your dad I'm sure. I love his styling for sure.
The covers on the sidepipes keep you from burning yourself, but it was such a different sound from out the back pipes. It was louder when driving, especially with the top down. But, it wasn't a pleasant loud.
In Oregon in the late 60's, "your" car was being drag raced. It was a Goodwood Green, White Stinger, 435HP, either torque Trusts or Americans on the front, steel wheels on the rear, in B/Sports. Owner was a guy named Jeff Bockmier. The car ran very well, right there with our L-88. He has a name on the car, "The Green Weenie". Your car for sure.......
Gullwing or DB5, for sure. The AC Bristol Cobra was also right there in the mix perhaps.
 
Is that check any good? LOL:bump2:
The written doesn't match the check amount.($3,200,00.00 is not a number)
Just Sayin' :confused:

Derrick

P.S Now I got it further-redacted check. Good one LOL

FUNX725 said:
Exactly what the previous owner is saying after looking at his/hers/theirs: Soon to be further-redacted check...
via the auctioneer...and the revenuers...that also get their token-amounts.




Bob
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