Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: Two Vintage Corvette Racecars

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Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1961 Corvette Racer

Article Contributed by Steve Burns

We’re on to Saturday, January 29th now in our taste of cars from Mecum’s annual Kissimmee, Florida sale. When it came time to pick 1 Saturday car from Mecum’s green sheet, it became obvious that just 1 car wasn’t going to be sufficient this time. So for today’s glance we’ll discuss 1 C2 racecar and 1 C3 L88 convertible.

If you’ve read CorvetteBlogger for any length of time, you know that we love Corvette racecars. Lucky for us 1 of them will be crossing the auction block Saturday. At roughly 2:20pm on HD Theater we’ll see Lot S109 have its turn on the block. The 1961 Fuelie was built for one reason – racing. Once raced by Corvette Engineer Bob Clift, the Ermine White ‘61’s list of options reads as follows: 315hp Fuel Injected engine, heavy duty brakes and suspension (1 of 233), radio and heater delete, 3.70 rear end, and 15.5” wheels. After some time running in SVRA events, the car was restored to the condition we see today. Documentation includes the HSR and SVRA logbooks. In addition, the new owner will receive the fuelie cylinder heads and camshaft.

Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1961 Corvette Racer Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1961 Corvette Racer Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1961 Corvette Racer

Not all Corvette racecars made it to the race track as is the case with Lot S106, a 1968 Corvette L88 Convertible. The LeMans Blue on Blue roadster is up to bat at 2:10pm, just before the 1961 racecar above.

Only 80 L88 equipped Corvettes were assembled in 1968. Even less were convertibles. The legendary, low production 427 was factory rated at 430hp, but actual output has been estimated to be near 560hp. The Mecum catalog describes it as “Nicely restored right down to the correct smog controls, it is finished in Le Mans Blue with a Blue interior, Rally wheels and correct Red Stripe tires.”

Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1968 Corvette L88 Convertible Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1968 Corvette L88 Convertible Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1968 Corvette L88 Convertible

True collectors will note that there’s no mention of documentation or matching numbers with this lot. Without this information present, serious buyers may choose to keep their hands in their pockets during bidding.

In addition to the above Corvettes, keep an eye out for (2) 1953’s, a host of pace cars, numerous 427/435’s, and several really cool resto mods. HD Theater’s TV schedule for the event’s final two days is as follows:

  • Friday 6:00-10:00PM ET
  • Saturday 2:00-8:00PM ET

Don’t get HD Theater? Then checkout the webcast on Mecum’s website (Mecum.com) or grab a $15 ticket at the door. Checkout the full Mecum Kissimmee event schedule.


Source:
Mecum Auctions

Related:
Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1972 LT-1 Corvette Convertible
Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1956 Arctic Blue Corvette Roadster
Mecum Kissimmee 2011 Preview: 1991 Corvette Greenwood Prototype Coupe

 



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