[PICS] Throwback Thursday: 1967 Corvette L88 Sunray DX Wins the 12 Hours of Sebring

It’s time again for Throwback Thursday where we feature vintage photos of Corvettes. Today’s feature takes a look back at the golden anniversary of the mighty L88 Corvette’s first win in racing which occured on April 1, 1967 at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Almost fifty years ago to the date, a 1967 L88 Corvette fielded by the Sunray DX Motorsports team with drivers Dave Morgan and Don Yenko would finish 1st in GT and 10th overall at the 12 Hour classic.

The short story is that Sunray DX was the sixth largest oil company in 1967 and to bolster marketing efforts aimed at racers and mechanics, they partnered with Chevy dealer and race car driver Don Yenko to field a racing team. With Yenko’s connections, they ordered a 1967 L88 Corvette Coupe. Fellow racer Dave Morgan picked up the very first 1967 L88 at the St. Louis factory in early March 1967 and drove it back to Yenko Chevrolet in Pennsylvania where it was prepped for racing.

Modifications to the car included stripping the carpet and other non-essential interior parts along with the chrome bumpers. A 42-gallon fuel tank and a set of L88-specific headers and pipes were installed, as was a roll cage.

Three weeks after taking delivery, Morgan and Yenko were in Central Florida for the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring. They would finish first in GT and 10th overall despite the fact the car went into a sand bank with 40 minutes left after experiencing brake failure. But the lead they built up in the previous 11 hours would let them prevail for the win.

The story of the car is pretty remarkable and there are a few versions out there. We recommend the RM Auctions catalog description when the car was offered in 2002. While you can’t find on their website, our friends at the Corvette Action Center have preserved it. A 2005 article in Hemmings is also required reading.

Related:
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