Photo: lazerstuff/eBay
Late 1960s Chevy Corvettes fitted with the L88 engine are the rarest and most sought-after classic muscle cars. Chevy built only 20 such cars in 1967, the second-gen's final year, and assembled just 200 in 1968 and 1969. But the rarest of them all is the three-unit run that Chevy built for AIR, James Garner's racing team.
Garner is mostly known for his acting career and starring alongside Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape." But he was also a racing enthusiast and in 1967 set up his own team, American International Racers (AIR), together with Hollywood director Andy Sidaris. The project was short-lived, but it fielded Corvette L88 cars at Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring.
One of those cars, previously used as a promotional vehicle at Daytona, is now for sale in its original Le Mans blue paint with white stripes. What makes it special? Well, it's not only a celebrity car, but it's also a very limited edition of the already limited Corvette L88. Not to mention that the car has been restored and it's offered in mint condition.
A 1968-model-year version, this L88 also comes with a removable hard-top finished in the same color as the body. It still sports James Garner's signature and AIR logo on the rear fenders alongside the white stripes on the hood, roof, and rear deck.
The car has been restored in the mid-2000s and showcased at the San Jose NCRS convention, where it won the prestigious American Heritage Award. The mighty L88 engine looks impressively clean, and it probably runs better than it did back in 1968.
Speaking of which, the L88, a 7.0-liter big-block, is basically a race-spec engine fitted with Can-Am cylinder heads. These cars were extremely expensive back in the day, as Chevrolet didn't want customers to use them as road cars. Already expensive on its own, the L88 option made several other individual options mandatory, increasing the cost by more than 50% compared to the car's base price.
Like many engines from the late 1960s, the L88 was advertised with a lower output. Chevy's official rating was 430 horsepower, but the L88 was actually capable of more than 500 horses. The output was carried over unchanged from the C2 to the C3, so the L88 remained the second most powerful V8 engine offered for the third-gen Corvette. On par with the aluminum ZL1 and second only to the 7.4-liter big-block, it was officially rated at 460 horsepower in 1970.
This AIR-spec is arguably one of the finest Corvette L88s out there, and it's yours for the taking. But before you take the eBay listing by storm to place a bid, you should know that the owner is asking a whopping $777,777 for it. Yes, that's not a typo; someone is hoping to get modern supercar money for this Vette.
Is that a lot? Definitely yes. Is it too much for a Corvette L88? Well, if previous auctions are any indication, it might not be all that expensive. At least two 1967 Corvette L88s have been auctioned off for more than $3 million since 2013, and a race-spec 1969 model changed hands for almost $2.9 million in 2014. eBay is probably not the best platform to sell such a car, but it could fetch more than $1 million at a proper auction event.
One of those cars, previously used as a promotional vehicle at Daytona, is now for sale in its original Le Mans blue paint with white stripes. What makes it special? Well, it's not only a celebrity car, but it's also a very limited edition of the already limited Corvette L88. Not to mention that the car has been restored and it's offered in mint condition.
A 1968-model-year version, this L88 also comes with a removable hard-top finished in the same color as the body. It still sports James Garner's signature and AIR logo on the rear fenders alongside the white stripes on the hood, roof, and rear deck.
The car has been restored in the mid-2000s and showcased at the San Jose NCRS convention, where it won the prestigious American Heritage Award. The mighty L88 engine looks impressively clean, and it probably runs better than it did back in 1968.
Speaking of which, the L88, a 7.0-liter big-block, is basically a race-spec engine fitted with Can-Am cylinder heads. These cars were extremely expensive back in the day, as Chevrolet didn't want customers to use them as road cars. Already expensive on its own, the L88 option made several other individual options mandatory, increasing the cost by more than 50% compared to the car's base price.
Like many engines from the late 1960s, the L88 was advertised with a lower output. Chevy's official rating was 430 horsepower, but the L88 was actually capable of more than 500 horses. The output was carried over unchanged from the C2 to the C3, so the L88 remained the second most powerful V8 engine offered for the third-gen Corvette. On par with the aluminum ZL1 and second only to the 7.4-liter big-block, it was officially rated at 460 horsepower in 1970.
This AIR-spec is arguably one of the finest Corvette L88s out there, and it's yours for the taking. But before you take the eBay listing by storm to place a bid, you should know that the owner is asking a whopping $777,777 for it. Yes, that's not a typo; someone is hoping to get modern supercar money for this Vette.
Is that a lot? Definitely yes. Is it too much for a Corvette L88? Well, if previous auctions are any indication, it might not be all that expensive. At least two 1967 Corvette L88s have been auctioned off for more than $3 million since 2013, and a race-spec 1969 model changed hands for almost $2.9 million in 2014. eBay is probably not the best platform to sell such a car, but it could fetch more than $1 million at a proper auction event.
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