The L88: The Corvette Engine Chevrolet Didn’t Want You to Buy

In 1967, a Corvette buyer flipping through the order guide would’ve found two versions of Chevy’s 427 big-block V8 that looked nearly identical on paper. The L71 tri-power was rated at 435 horsepower and added about $437 to the sticker, while the L88 was rated at 430 horsepower and cost roughly $948. That’s more than twice the money for five fewer ponies. Why would anyone pay double for less? That was exactly the point. Chevrolet didn’t really want the average buyer ordering an L88, and it did just about everything short of hiding the option to make sure they didn’t.

Fast forward a few decades, and that unloved order code is now the holy grail of production Corvettes. A 1967 L88 coupe sold for $3.85 million at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in 2014, and it’s still the most expensive regular-production Corvette ever sold at public auction. Only purpose-built race cars have beaten it, including the overall record holder, a 1963 Grand Sport that brought $18.7 million at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction this August. So how did an engine Chevy practically begged you not to buy become a multimillion-dollar legend?

A Race Car Hiding in the Order Guide

In 1957, the Automobile Manufacturers Association agreed that its members would step away from factory-backed racing, and GM officially fell in line. Officially being the key word. Zora Arkus-Duntov, the engineer who helped turn the Corvette into a serious performance car, had no intention of letting his sports car sit on the sidelines.