The CRAZIEST and RAREST Corvette Ever Made - The 1967 L88 Corvette

[@fitfogey]

My best friend’s dad had a black C3 with a 427. His dad took me for a ride in it and he started from a standstill. He brake locked it and floored it. It was brutal. I still remember the transmission upshifting. Each time it would slam you back in the seat. 35 years later no car has ever scared me except that one.

[@American.legends]

😵😵

[@AtropalArbaal-dk8jv]

Ford Cobra SC427 or Ford GT40, with the high rise 427 are even faster.

[@Clevelandsteamer324]

You mean power brake?

[@fitfogey]

@@Clevelandsteamer324 Yeah my bad.

[@Dogboy1960]

@@AtropalArbaal-dk8jv The GT40 was pure race car. Nobody was registering one the street. Meanwhile the little Cobra cars Carrol Shelby built for actual street use were mostly small block cars. He sold a few big block cars and I bet they were TERRIFYING little cars. Nothing makes a car drive like a twitchy, little go cart more so than something with a very short wheel base. Today you can buy a Cobra replica with modern suspension, brakes and most important modern performance tires. I can only begin to imagine the handful a BIg Block original must have been on bias ply tires. An appropriate option might have been a small tome stone in the trunk with the original buyers name pre-engraved.

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

My next door neighbor in Los Altos Ca always smoked cigars. He had a 1967 Corvette, L88 roadster, with side pipes and Walker Chamber Pipes, which were merely dimpled metal tubes. It was black on black. I was in high school and he would wake me up when he started it. He also had 2 1962 Vettes in Roman Red. And a 57 Bel Air black and silver, with 327/4sp and two small lawn chairs for back seats. And he had the 3rd 1953 Vette... in parts. And he had at least 3 fuel injection systems. And he had a 3 barrel 900cfm Holley DP carb on one car but he took it off 'cause they had issues. We became good friends, he was 10 yrs older than me, so 27 in 1967, . His sweetie went nuts-oo and they divorced. He had to sell everything. Except the house. Kept one 62' Vette. In 1999 I sold my 1959 Vette that I had boought from my dad in 1982. (Dad bought it in 1966). And he sold his 62 to the same person, a friend from highschool. My neighbor was a Systems Designer. had a dozen patents in microwave and infrared, designed and installed entire cockpit array's in U2's and B58's. and other such things. He died a couple of years ago. Anyhow, that car was very cool. As for octane, I recall being at Foot Hill Expressway and Grant Rd and Regular gas was 103 octane and about 33 cents.

[@JamesStover-gr3hw]

I bet u wish u had that guys car

[@slicksnewonenow]

SUNOCO 260 BLUE! I can remember EXACTLY how that fuel smelled.😂

[@user-Dr.]

Cool story.

[@ThomasELeClair]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Awesome history.................In 1970 ,,,at age 19 ; I heard of an L-88 eng for sale ; it was for 500. dollars ; so as I met the seller and we walked along the long backyard driveway ; all of a sudden his walking pace quickened ; as I looked ahead , I saw he was aiming directly at a garage with a lower missing panel.......I realised then that my dream engine was stolen from that garage.......Today , I'm lucky to own a 1996 Z/28 camaro droptop six speed stick..........anyway,,,,,chevy forever........even though I luv Ford and Mopar........

[@azarahwagner2749]

Still seeking approval from others … how sad

[@Drafted256]

Got to drive one when I was young. An experience I will never forget. L88 with unmuffled side pipes. Owner let me drive it like I stole it!

[@bobbyshizz2138]

My friends dad had a 67 with the big motor -- not the L88... We were teens in the 80's and would drool over it when he brought it out of the garage. Absolutely beautiful machine.

[@stevefowler2112]

i owned a '65 Roadster with the first BBC, the L87 396/425 HP engine...a baby L88 as it was. It was a super fun car and the girls loved it and it was pretty darn fast (I was a young Marine at the time in the early 70's but the car I owned as an 17/18 year old before I joined The Corps was a '70 Mach I with a Cleveland 351 4V engine that myself and my dad rebuilt/blueprinted and converted to a mech cam solid lifter car and pulled 480 HP on the dyno was actually faster). But the BBC vette with the offroad exhaust and the top off/down was an incredibly fun car, and though i have owned a 2018 Porsche GT2 RS and now drive a Ferrari F8 as my play car, the big block vert vette still holds a warm spot in my heart!

[@mattrohr1266]

Great story, those 396s always run really well. Everyone agree's I own a 66 425hp and a 67 435hp car now. But I have great memories of my 19 year old twin bro's first corvette, red on black 65 396, it ripped, back in 1979

[@darrellsomers5427]

You mean L78 ?

[@AtropalArbaal-dk8jv]

The 348/409 was the first big block.

[@cnftnf]

​@@darrellsomers5427he does

[@jamesbosworth4191]

FACT.

[@richkunkiewicz9070]

I had a 67 427 390hp coupe 3.73 sears trans m22 tranny and transistor ignition. It ran a consistent 13.2 at 107mph . Everything was stock. You could take hubcaps and air cleaner off. Lost my first race burning too much coming out of the hole. Changed air pressure and came out at lower rpm. Never lost again in 3 years. Lebanon valley dragway. Wish i still had it!

[@davidmacphee3549]

Yu beat the Kawasaki H1's ?

[@EJBert]

Friend had a L88 and took me for a ride, it was fast and boy did it have a rough firm ride.

[@Paul-zz8lu]

They were given to Apollo astronauts in the late 60s. Must have been a hell of a time to be alive! The most powerful rocket on earth, and the most powerful Corvette. I miss that America.

[@user-Dr.]

I lived those times; I had just turned 11 at the time of the fist moon landing, I was so proud of my country, now I am ashamed of our country and its pathetic, incompetent leadership.

[@Paul-zz8lu]

@@user-Dr. I was only 6 years old in 69, but I do remember watching the moon landing with my Pa, sitting on the couch together. There were tears coming out of his eyes, I asked him why, he said "son, you have to realize, all I knew when I was your age was a horse and buggy on our farm. We didn't buy a used model T truck until 1936." He was proud of where the country had gotten to with the space shots in the 60s. He was born in 23, grew up in northern Wisconsin during the worst of the depression, and was in Burma fighting the Japanese during WWII. He was a great guy, I miss him every day!

[@jerryp514]

Those weren’t L-88s. Alan Shepard had an L-71 and the others had L-36s from Jim Rathbun.

[@manoman0]

@@user-Dr. That america the whole world look up to is gone. It's gone. Now you have incompetent, seniles and DEI's and all sort of minorities and women running it into the ground. Sorry, man, need to get it off my chest. I never left America. America left me, us. I'm now divorced. My next car will be a chinese brand.

[@thud9797]

​@@jerryp514 Kudos ro Shepherd, I thought they were all 390 hp cars.

[@maureencora1]

The C2 Fishtail Hardtop are the Greatest Corvette Stingrays.

[@buzzwaldron6195]

Roadsters are greatest...

[@livewire2759]

Fishtail? You mean "boat tail"...?

[@maureencora1]

@@livewire2759 My Bad. Touche' (smile)

[@livewire2759]

@@maureencora1 ;)

[@jimmiematho8082]

The most expensive Corvette to come to auction today is a 1967 L 88 Corvette red four-speed, 4 million us

[@thud9797]

I saw that car at Bloomington in 1994 and after the show it sold for $400,000 and we thought that was outrageous. People sure have money out there these days but it sure was a beautiful car. Red with Red interior and the only L88 in 67 those colors. Story was the président of Pontiac ordered it for his 17-year old son, don't know if that was true or not but that was the story then.

[@jimmiematho8082]

@@thud9797 what moron would order that for their 17 year old son what do you want to kill him

[@allee190]

The 1969 Z-L1 Corvette is the most expensive Vette. There were only about 10 or 20 ZL-1 corvettes built between 1967 and 1969. Maybe less. I think only 2 or 3 per year the first couple years. It boasted 650 hp.

[@jimmiematho8082]

@allee190 no it's not🤣 I'm talking about facts here actual sales of Corvettes not wishing in one hand

[@jimmiematho8082]

@allee190 you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about do you? There's only 2 ZL1 Corvettes and they're both made in 1969. 🤣 You're thinking about L88 Corvettes. They made about 200. The model I'm talking about is a 1967 L88 Corvette ,the only made 35.

[@DARElove60]

Love the accuracy with the exception of the production number which was 20. Last heard only 5 exist. Coolest Corvette ever!

[@nomojoho2920]

Not true. The number is 16, maybe only 5 still have their born with blocks. These were race cars meant for the track. When ya beat the hell out of any motor, it will eventually fail.

[@DARElove60]

@@nomojoho2920 I'd seen the first article about it and first learned of it in early '80's. I was 20 years old. They all stated 20, even that channel here named "Musclecar of the week" even stated this. Do you have authentic factory printed documentation to back that up? That would dispel it beyond any reasonable doubt.

[@livewire2759]

@@DARElove60 I think he meant that 16 still exist... not that only 16 were built. Yes, there were originally 20 built in '67 (21 if you count the prototype which still exists) but in fact, there are 17 1967 Corvettes that are on the "official" list of L88 survivors, compiled by NRCS members. However, one of those cars' authenticity has been debated by some of the members, so "16" is the number most people quote when talking about surviving '67 L88s. 6 of those were modified for racing and have been restored in their racing form. The other 11 of the cars are still in stock form, most of which have been fully restored, though not all have their original engines. 8 of the cars on the list are proven to be 100% authentic, factory built L88s that still have their original numbers matching engines. The other 8 of the cars on the list have plenty of documentation (window stickers, tank stickers, etc...) that proves they were factory built L88s, but either don't have their numbers matching engines or I simply haven't been able to find information on them that confirms whether or not they have their num matching engines. Only one of the 20 is 100% confirmed to no longer exist (it was originally purchased by the king of Iraq and destroyed in a crash), and the other 2 are presumed to still exist somewhere, with several known cars being possibilities, but they haven't been authenticated yet or can't be authenticated.

[@DARElove60]

@@livewire2759 Thanks for the correction. Nice to know most are still around! A true factory race car.

[@bb62bb62]

@@nomojoho2920 No. 19 of the 20 are accounted for. And the 2 66 L88 prototypes are also accounted for. The only missing L88 once belonged to the former Prince of Jorden.

[@recoilrob324]

The factory rating was done with cast iron manifolds they came with....and 430 was about what they made being choked so badly. The other 427 options were 390, 425 and 435 all using the same manifolds so their power outputs were all similar. The L88 DID make mid to high 500's when you put tuned headers and the side exhausts....so Chevy was telling the truth and playing a bit of gamesmanship at the same time.

[@garybulwinkle82]

Probably backed off on the timing a bit too!

[@buzzwaldron6195]

The stock chambered side exhaust pipes didn't flow well...

[@mzaccagnini7179]

They rated the horse power lower for insurance reasons.

[@thud9797]

​@@mzaccagnini7179 Maybe for others but the L88 with the factory manifolds and exhaust system all it would make was 430hp at 5200 rpm, that's the result of restrictive exhaust and the long duration cam which absolutely needed open headers to run the big numbers. Check the magazine times for the L88, all in the 13's so there was no derated engine here, that's just all it made in stock form. In 69 it was even worse when all Corvettes had a 2-inch exhaust system, surprised the L88 would even run at all.

[@johnfriend862]

Actually it was done for a couple of reasons, and with a small trick so it was accurate also. First, GM had a ban on factory engines making more than 425 horsepower in anything other than a full size car or Corvette, so they had to get creative on ratings above 425 since these engines were going into Malibus, Novas and Camaros. GM fudged the numbers just a little to keep the numbers right there at 425 but just a hair over. They just needed people to understand that certain engines were hotter than other engines. The L72 was the original king, the L71 had to be rated higher, as did the L88 and the ZL1. However, if you look at the L71, L88 & ZL1 variations, they were rated at well under their true red line so yes, it did make the rated horsepower but at 5,000 to 5,800 RPM. They revved much higher than that. I had an L88 back in the 70's that pulled to about 7,000 no problem. I had a 1968 Z28, the 302 was rated at 290 HP but at 4,000 RPM. The engine revved well over 6,000 RPM before it ran out of power, but the 290 HP rating was accurate at the rated 4,000 RPM. The insurance issue didn't really become important until a few years later, closer to 1970.

[@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm]

HORSEPOWER DEPO = this channel does 9 second stock looking CORVETTE`s = love a super fast stock looking car ! thank you .

[@Vile-Flesh]

"love a super fast stock looking car" Same!

[@sidefx996]

20 mph faster than the Ferraris on the Mulsanne Straight

[@thud9797]

L88s were monsters. In 1973 John Greenwood would hit 215 mph on that same straightaway in his L88 Corvette.

[@doctorcountersteer6580]

Crazier than the horsepower numbers is the fact that according to The Hemmings Motor News, sometime prior to 1994, only about Twenty of these beasts were ever even built/sold

[@gtoron]

Later on in life I bought my first Corvette a '96 Collectors Edition which I loved to drive, after that I bought a brand new Magnetic Red 2004 with a 5 speed stick but soon afterwords my wife got t-boned by a guy that ran a red light and it got totaled, I replaced that with a used 2005 with the z-51 handling package and drove that for quite a while, after retireing, I decided it was time to go big, you only live once kinda thing so I upgraded to a new 2017 Z-06, and oh my god, this vette blows my mind evey time I drive it, I will never sell this vette. I can't believe this car is street legal but I am so glad GM let Chevy put the amount of time and money to make a car this awesome, the exhaust note is pure heaven.

[@robertdavis6708]

I had a factory black 427 C3. One of the prettiest cars ever built. Could not keep it from breaking valve springs. Afraid to take a trip in it. So I kept it local and married a lady who loved black corvettes. Thanks General Motors for taking a chance on fiberglass vehicles.

[@thomasarledge1933]

The L88 was rated at 430 HP at 5100 RPM for advertising purposes. Note the RPM, this was not false advertising.

[@nomojoho2920]

I have driven my friend's silver 1968 L88 convertible to a car show and his white 1967 L88 coupe (known as the Flying Dutchman) back from the car show. Although fun to drive, they will quickly overheat in traffic. My 1969 coupe with the hydraulic lifter 427 is much more enjoyable to drive. Besides, driving a $3+ million car in city traffic with all the idiots on the road today is not a good idea.

[@stevej.6792]

I COPO'ed a '66 L72, one of two built that year. Don Yenko bought the other one. Actually mine was 'one of one' as it was a coupe. The Yenco/Summers Vette was a roadster. There was a recall of all L72's which only amounted to removing the 450HP air cleaner decal and installing a 425HP decal. 1966 Vette L72/M22/K66/N14 side exhaust/N11/F41 susp./K66Ti transister ign./radio&heater delete/with 450hp decal on air cleaner/G81 4:11 posi/factory Isky gear drive cam.

[@bb62bb62]

It was not a recall. It was an engineering change made at management discretion and was implemented in July of 66 BEFORE production began, but the labels were late so some 450HP labels were released. But there was no recall.

[@ROGERHAY-x7d]

Timeless design GM Gulfstream also Timeless design ❤

[@USCG.Brennan]

I had a '68 427 4spd Roadster.....fun car and the body design was just SOOO cool!! And yes, all Corvettes are "Sports Cars" but the 427 (and later 454 versions) were ALSO "Muscle Cars!!

[@tommissouri4871]

Sorry, just because you have a large engine in a sports car doesn't make it a muscle car. Muscle cars by definition are intermediate bodies with either large engines or high horsepower. These are the GTO, Charger, Road Runner, Chevelle SS, 442, and such. Cars like Mustang, Camaro, Javelin, and Cuda were pony cars, small, sporty cars with long hoods and short rear decks. Sports cars were small, typically two-seaters, with very good handling, light weight, and high performance. This included everything from Triumph Spitfires to Corvettes and Cobras.

[@USCG.Brennan]

@@tommissouri4871 I was THERE and remember them all. I grew up in that era. These and many other American cars had MUSCLE installed into them by the factory and although they don't fit the most used title of "Muscle Car" today, they truly are factory "Muscle Cars". In HS I had a factory stock '62 Impala SS 409 hipo with dual 4s and close ratio 4spd with positraction. Although it doesn't fit the later title of "Muscle Car" it still was. FACT

[@michaelhockin1984]

My brother had a new '66 Vette hardtop convertible with all the performance options offered. The factory rated it at 435 hp but that was was less than what the reality was. My Dad was, at the time, the service manager for Complete Trucking Co.with over 300 trucks. They hauled Buicks out of Flint , Michigan, running Chevy 427's in their trucks. the tuned down 390 hp versions but , stiill , the same basic engines as the Vette had. One day, my Dad brought home a Chevrolet service pamphlet that showed the horsepower figures for the high end 427's like the one in my brother's car. It showed , and called out, the engine on a dyno putting out 565 hp. I believe it. I got to drive that car several times. It was a beast. With 3.33 gears in the rear end , the Michigan Sate Police got him on radar doing 164 mph. I myself drove it from Lansing to Flint averaging 135 mph in Fourth gear and it was just loafing at about 2/3 throttle.

[@chadhaire1711]

435 gross was the bare dyno number which is only 355 NET horsepower. GM did NOT under rated engines, it did NOt put out more than 435 gross

[@William-Bill-Munny]

LeMans😂😂 if you love cars the narrator made you crack up too.

[@kesslerrb]

Pretty sure it’s computer-generated audio

[@user-Dr.]

My memory must have failed me, I thought they put a few all aluminum 427's in the 67, but these 67 L88's are my favorite car of all time, I think one of the best cars ever produced.

[@alpalombo275]

No. No '67 Vettes with the ZL1.

[@user-Dr.]

@@alpalombo275 OK yeah, was that the all aluminum 427 I was thinking about, the ZL1?

[@alpalombo275]

@@user-Dr. Yes, the all aluminum 427 of the late 60s was called the ZL1. And It had the same internals as the L88, hence the same HP. Only considerably lighter. And much more expensive. I believe the ZL1 engine option was about $6,000.

[@alpalombo275]

And IIRC, only 1 Vette sold with the factory ZL1, and I believe it was in '69. A few Camaros sold with a factory ZL1. (also in '69 IIRC) Not sure about Chevelles.

[@alpalombo275]

But if you wanted a REALLY FAST factory drag car, you wanted a '68 Dodge LO23 HEMI Dart. Google it.. At the time, I owned a '69 Plymouth GTX w/ 440, 4-sp, Sure-Grip super track pack Dana 4.10 rear. Monster of a car, but paled to a HEMI Dart!

[@soldtobediers]

She's a poem written in the most beautiful body language.'' ~Saul Bellow

[@bartwalters6694]

My Dad and I did a lot of work on a 67 427/435 L89 convertible back in the 80’s. It had 3 dual barrels and aluminum heads. I think it was pretty rare.

[@alansmith9948]

That black L88 is the sexiest car I've ever seen!!

[@gtoron]

You and I grew up in the same area, I was a little younger than you, only 12 in '67 but damned if we didn't have very similar neighbors. I grew up in Mtn. View, I had a neighbor Dave Schwafel, he worked for United Airlines he had a dark blue 67 convertable with an L-88 that he raced, it had side pipes as well. One evening after taking one of our other neighbor girls for a test drive, she stepped out of the car and her bare leg toched the opening of the exaust as she was getting out and she started screaming in pain. It left a terrible round burn mark on her calf that scarred her for life. I used to race my first car, a 65 GTO up and down that stretch of Fremont Expressway in front of all us kids that gathered at McKenzie Park on Friday and Saturday night before we all headed out to what ever party was happening that night, I remember putting Texaco or Mobil 103 or maybe even 104 octane in my GTO, I remeber it seemed to like Mobil gas the best. Thanks for the memories.

[@scottprather5645]

Very interesting and informative thank you for this video. and exceptionally refreshing not to have distracting irritating sound effects and music in the background 👍👍

[@Bennromansince1955]

Average person has NO IDEA that when you say L88 they need to stoop and bow, haha. We were too ignorant back then to even know what it was but I guarantee you that many 70 year olds today wish we'd have known about L88s back in the day!!

[@Mike-vr4lw]

Great professional video. thanks 😊

[@American.legends]

You're very welcome!

[@gatormcklusky5850]

as a kid back in 1976 i played jr football, my friends mom used to drive him & i to practice in a 1966 427 vette, we'd pile in on the passenger side barely fitting. that car was so badass, along with that 4 speed it was so fcking cool. even as a kid who knew nothing, i knew it was something special.

[@johnandrews6872]

Back in 68 I worked on a 67 Camaro crew with a big block running in A stock (AHRA) or B MP. (IHRA), Rule book plays. the first motor was an Iron STD big block; the owner of the car was a GM executive and managed to get Tonawanda to ship us a crate L88 (numbered around #63) it was basket case with lots of bent valves and no end of heating problems (Crap GM Alu.. heads Finally got in touch with Bill Thomas (Road racer) That informed us our pistons needed more clearance even though in building and clay test showed the valves had enough clearance, and he was right, the car ran best 12.4 (wrong gears twisting it to high) trashed the L88 and went back to a 375 HP 396 and went 11.7. (our problem 5:88 gears 7" street slicks) live and learn

[@chadhaire1711]

375 gross is only 305 NET.....big deal. All car engines before 1972 were over rated using GROSS numbers

[@alweinman]

I got a 427/390 hp convertible during my last year at the Academy. We were allowed a car for our final year (1965-1966) and Daniels Chevrolet in Castle Rock, CO could get us one for, as I remember, $500.00 over book. I purchased andI drove my red convertible for the year following graduation while in pilot training. Unfortunately, when I was sent to Vietnam (in C-130 aircraft) I screwed up and sold the car to an incoming cadet at the Air Force Academy with plans to buy a new one upon my return to the U. S. The Chevrolet factory was on strike when I got back (for the better part of a year as I recall) and I needed wheels so I bought an older Thunderbird. Nice car but hardly my precious Corvette. However, in retrospect, had I kept that Thunderbird, it would actually be pretty valuable today also! But life, marriage and family subsequently intruded and I never did get a new Corvette. But did subsequently purchase a 1970 Datsun (Nissan) 240-Z which I am restoring right now. Which in cherry condition will also be fun to drive. Sure wish I had that Vette though!

[@Just_Pele]

My great uncle still has a `69 L88 vette, that he bought used back in `77 (he paid $6000), and he's always taken pretty good care of it and kept it running. One day though, it will be mine, and other than paint and a few relatively minor body and mechanical issues, I'll have it back on the road on a regular basis. 👍

[@elffirrdesign2063]

A friend of mine who was born on third base got a L88 for his 16th Birthday. Two months later they peeled him and his corvette off a center pillar of a 101 freeway overpass.

[@NoferTrunions]

You should have made a detailed comparison with the all-aluminum ZL-1 427. I think it may have been even more expensive, I seem to recall $9000 but don't quote me. BTW I just looked it up and new it was just over $10k and that 2.6 MM price you quoted appears to have been for a ZL-1 (which is basically the all-aluminum L88) However the ZL-1 was open chamber and the L88 could be either closed or open. Turns out the original closed chamber could be made to make more HP. Don't quote me on any of this, I'm a 71 year old street racing Studebaker Super Lark guy.

[@Sir.VicsMasher]

The 1969 Corvette ZL1 is the "Craziest and Rarest ever made." 🎓

[@zevgoldman6769]

The car is famous, not infamous. There is nothing infamous about it.

[@brucejohnson8521]

Hot Rod Magazine had one, auto, 3.55 rear and 11" slicks, ran an 11.5 1/4. Would like to see the article again. Pretty sure of the times.😊

[@chadhaire1711]

Slicks? LOL....in street tires never out of the mid 13's

[@Supermankev2001]

I have seen a few L88 vetts at car shows What a beast over 500 HP

[@chadhaire1711]

NO

[@kevinayres606]

I REALLY ENJOYED WATCHING THAT .IF I EVER HIT THE LOTTERY IM TALKING ONE OF THOSE BIG JACK POTS I WOULD HAVE A L-88 SITTING IN MY GARAGE.

[@MrTeff999]

Back when 0-60 in 5 seconds was insane.

[@napoliansolo7865]

As a kid I'd walk by the corvette and look in just to see the speedometer that said 160mph on it.

[@cag1763]

I could pin that 160 speedometer in my '76 460 Ford cop car....

[@jaydcs6298]

Best generation of Corvette.

[@jackempson3044]

They have a sound and feel like no other. I had the L-82 c3.

[@rondpert5167]

The silver '67 car with red interior does show someone installed a radio between 5:35 and 5:40.

[@higbeedoug]

Sport car.

[@Ricsha1]

In the opening ad, the organon saying is I’m happy as a clam at high tide.

[@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547]

C2 my favorite generation of Corvette! Friend of mine in High School had one with 427 engine. He said it would pull the front wheels off the ground in 3rd gear!

[@tommurphy4307]

i assume you mean while hitting 3rd gear but i still don't believe you

[@Terry-j9h]

No my friend he was pulling your leg. The only way the tires came off the ground is if he were driving fast over a bump

[@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547]

@@Terry-j9h I have no reason to doubt him.

[@chadhaire1711]

bullshit story alert

[@djmiller2838]

sorry I had a66 425hp 427 ..there wasn't enough traction could brake lose the f70x15 wide oval in 4th gear on a lot of regular pavement ...even a drag strip shift to 3rd broke the tires lose did.. run 12.8s

[@mangravy2000]

I thought the C2's front end started floating at 100 mph.

[@Imintune...]

Only vette I cared for. 67 stingray split rear window . Most stylish model produced.

[@kirkthejerkthe1st]

67 was not a split window.

[@gussowsclassicbluesharmoni2726]

Great car! But who wrote the script? Wordy in the extreme. Red pencil, please.

[@GeraldWood-ig9rw]

Know guy who has one since 1972

[@Edgar-n8t]

Gʻ.m shood bring back the song ray with. 427

[@gregatkinson7276]

Very interesting and informative video. I never thought I would here anyone actually mispronounce the simple common word LEMANS but your AI narrator sure did butcher it. LOL!

[@American.legends]

Glad you liked it! sorry for the mispronunciation, I'm trying to improve my videos every day 👌

[@craigthescott5074]

I own a 1964 C2 Triple black coup but my car was never original when I bought it in 1983. subsequently in the late 1990’s I put a built 500 HP 327 with a manual 6 speed in it. Well that motor is worn out now, so i’m building a LS2 402 motor with 650 HP, with my same 6 spd trans. Hopefully I get it done this year.

[@vettezl1]

15 were built in 66. 9 were automatics. Dick Guldstrand drove the first one in February 66 which belonged to Roger Penske.

[@davidthornton365]

I had a 69 Yanko Chevy Nova 427 when I was 18yrs old in 1972.. it was the baddest car in town..also got in too much trouble to mention…ps but the girls loved it!

[@timk4502]

They're making the Yenko C8 Vettes now!

[@johnnywadd3020]

motors & engines in the same sentence

[@RS35cyl]

Sweet car! Yes! But its HP is overrated. Love it!

[@bbb462cid]

Rarer than a '69 ZL1? No. There were two made for production. There were 20 1967 L88s made. And you could technically say 1 example of the 1984 Corvette was made. Kinda. It was a prototype that survived, not production. I won't say the L88 isn't an exceedingly special rare powerful and desirable Corvette. But to say it is the rarest is simply not true.

[@MichaelandCathy1999]

I agree, the all aluminum ZL-1 was the King of Rare.

[@jimmiematho8082]

Correct. There's only two or three depending on who you talk to

[@ghusaghusa2135]

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT THING IS IN MY GREAT AUNT'S BARN!

[@alexquevedo831]

Dave Walter had a few of the. But his White with red stripes was my favorite 😍 I also got to drive it in Coral Gables FL.

[@Jonhobbs64]

The engeneers nicknamed the transmission the rock crusher because of the noise it made

[@SmittyInVegas]

I was 17 in 1979. There was a guy who was probably in his early 30s. He showed me and my friend how to change motors. We took the 427 tri power out of his green 67 roadster and put a used L88 motor in it. One day he was probably doing about 55 miles an hour and punched it in third gear. It twisted the rear axle spline off, taking the rear quarter with it! Hehehehe.

[@zoggrog8823]

None of that happened you are full of sh!t

[@jackempson3044]

My corvette was very dependable. It wasn't made for the severe cold however. Not the engine but the body. Fiberglass doors would freeze shut for one.

[@patrickcrochet8590]

GM tried to sandbag the hp rating...that's funny as hell...you just can't hide an extra 130hp...this car & a '63 split window would be my holy grails...

[@johndyson4109]

I had a 77' Oldsmobile Omega with a 327 small block with a racing cam. & a 4 barrel carb. Headers and a dual exhaust.. Pozzy rear-end.. It was FAST in the quarter-mile with a 3-speed hydro-automatic tranny.. I bought it for $600 with bullet holes in the trunk cover because it was a drug-running car.. Red with Red interior..

[@babaoreally8220]

Only Sunoco 260 gasoline in this car.Petroleum institute confirms 103-104 octane for this pump gas.I used only this in the mid-60.At 2AM station was closed and I had to use a bit of Clark 100.Had to stay off WOT or I’d get spark knock.

[@gordiesings]

All Chevron gas stations, here in Southern California sold 103 octane fuel. I used it my late 1969 open chamber head, L88 Corvette from 1969-1972 Overall, the car was extremely impractical for street use.

[@babaoreally8220]

@@gordiesings That’s surprising,considering all the restrictions and regulations in that state on car modifications that would require that high an octane.

[@gordiesings]

@@babaoreally8220 Restrictions and regulations weren't terriblly bad here, in the 1960's. Most of that started in 1970. My L88 was one of the last 36 or 38 (I can't remember which) 1969 L88 Corvettes made. They all had ZL1 open chamber heads. Those cars had a 12-1 compression ratio, not 12.5-1 as all other L88s did. Maybe that's why, I could use any name brand, premium 101 octane fuel, if i wanted to. The car was so fast, I was afraid of it when I first started driving it. When I took someone for a ride, they got scared. The car was a royal pain-in-the-ass, to drive on the street though. Loud inside, hot inside, rough ride, stiff clutch, no power steering which made it a pain to parallel-park, exceedingly prone to overheating, no comfort at all. That round screen thing, you see sitting on top of the carburetor, is a flame arrestor. If the car backfired, you could get a fire in the carburetor, which could burn the hood. It only happened once; it's a good thing the hood was up. Looking back on it, I should've bought a L89 Corvette.

[@babaoreally8220]

@@gordiesings I was wondering what that carb hat was.

[@thud9797]

​@@babaoreally8220 In 68 things changed a little and the L88 was fitted with a PCV system, the 67 car had a road draft tube that just vented to the atmosphere, definitely a different world back then.

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Great info 👍

[@American.legends]

Thanks for watching!

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

My favorite trans is named Muncie.

[@crippleguy415]

Nickey Chevrolet would sell you a L-88 , L-78 ZL1 or a ls6 or 7 454 big block for you to put into any car you wanted ..

[@miltonrichardson786]

Lovely😅!!!

[@American.legends]

Thanks 😅

[@AZVIDS]

La Maaaans😂

[@oceanhome2023]

The 1967 vett was the last year in that body style and everything fit Well . The 1968 was the first year of the NEW body style and it was horrible nothing fit well, it rattled and parts fell off ! The 1967 vett was the Best !!

[@cbotten106]

These were basically unobtainium for anyone not hardwired into the GM dealership power structure back in the day. GM may have been "out of racing" but they wouldn't sell them to people who were abstaining. Might as well want a real Italian GTO.

[@76zimmer]

Great documentary. I would suggest getting your specifications correct though, and use pics of engines in Corvettes not passenger cars, as your focus is on the 67 L-88. Top 327 corvette engine was 375hp.

[@oceania2385]

The L88 wire strainer around the carb was not cosmetic. It was to keep boulders, pets and small children for being sucked into the intake.

[@Astrosisphere]

No mention of the ultra-rare 1970 Corvette ZL-1 with 600 HP? That was an L88 with an all-alluminium block; I can't remember the number made but it was less than 10. I'd expect those to be the most valuable Corvettes now.

[@gordiesings]

No mention of the 1970 Corvette ZL-1 with 600 HP is because the number made is zero.

[@robpederson281]

I see one in a garage of one of my customers. Original equipment and paint

[@gregryden3494]

What months were 1967 corvette L88 built. What casting dates would be on Alu heads with a 293 casting number ? Thanks.

[@largemarge1603]

04:06 And if you are familiar, it's pretty much the same...

[@darrellsomers5427]

The L88 is rated more like 550 HP

[@chadhaire1711]

wrong.....not even close.....no engine back then was more than 500 gross, which is only 410 net

[@benhur_9377]

❤

[@GregMacDougall-m3n]

''CORVETTE STINGRAY I DO IT MY WAY''. Said By DAVID LEE ROTH. ''YOU CAN HEAD YOUR BET ON A CLEAN CORVETTE''. Said By DON FELDER, FROM THE SONG '''TAKEN A RIDE''.

[@63grandsport11]

Race only, Radio / heater delete and No fan shroud. Really " street car ".Try driving a C2 on the street without a fan shroud. But we'll install clear plastic back up lights for those dark nights in the pits. The L88 is an enigma.

[@patrickmoss-j7c]

Started selling Chevrolet In Jan 1967 age 22 in hi performance dealership , had SS 396 350 hp company car first day raced & sold a few L88s had great new & used car managers got to work with the best of old time pros BIG FUN EVERY DAY AND 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@tommurphy4307]

and then you finally woke up

[@Samsgarden]

The C8 is a design nightmare.

[@mattrohr1266]

What does that mean?? you are all alone in that opinion. Let me guess you bought a C7 new?

[@glen30-kx5st]

The C8 is awesome. Except for the tail lights. Should have went with round ones.

[@bobjimenez4464]

Irwindale Raceway saw lots of these

[@RandyChan-o5q]

All those corvettes were awesome, unfortunately it's 4 speed manual transmission was a limiting factor compared to if it had a modern day dual clutch 7 speed transmission which would've allowed all of those Corvette variants especially the one with 560 HP to be quicker and faster.

[@nitromartini1422]

You are a teenager who wasn't even born back then. Nobody wants to hear your opinion, kid.

[@chadhaire1711]

it was NOT 560 horsepower

[@dewaynemizzell7009]

69 l88 was dynoed well over 500

[@chadhaire1711]

bull

[@dewaynemizzell7009]

@@chadhaire1711 here dumbass. The '69 L88 was factory rated at 430 hp at 5,200 rpm (that's perception), and there's little debate on whether or not Chevy was sandbagging with those numbers. Actual dyno tests back in the day indicated a far more realistic output of 550-560 hp at elevated rpm ranges in the neighborhood of 6,500 rpm (that's reality).

[@sambuvca22]

They were trying to keep up with Shelby lol

[@chuckselvage3157]

They came in at 521 horsepower.

[@chadhaire1711]

no they didn't

[@vonhalberstadt3590]

What about the split window fuel injected 327? MOST desirable. Orémus Y'all.

[@brianc9642]

L88 “often” sells for 10 times what a fuelie brings, THAT’S desirable!

[@michaelcraig9449]

Is this one the fastest year ever made, is it faster than the new ones? Would it beat an AC Cobra, if both of them had the biggest engines they usually put in? Would it beat the fastest Camaros, or 1977 Trans Am, etc?

[@jward9637]

It was a race car. It wouldn't run on pump gas.

[@polycrase]

6000 Dollars!...that doesn't even by you a crappy used Subaru nowadays.

[@thereisnospoon52]

How does a car website mispronounce the name LeMans, calling it La man's? (Rhymes with cans).

[@buzzwaldron6195]

Correct is French Le Ma...

[@peterfoxwell5198]

It's a computer talking. Not a human.

[@mattrohr1266]

AI