Now would be an appropriate time to reach out to your financial planner to get your monetary affairs in order. Once that’s done, head on over to Bringatrailer.com and check out this award winning 1969 Corvette L88 coupe that recently went live on the site. As of this writing, bidding has already reached $550,000.
The Riverside Gold C3 is one of just 216 total L88’s built and 1 of the 116 assembled in 1969. The car has a rich history beginning September 7th, 1969 when it was ordered by the son of the owner of Melton Motor Company in Belleville, KS. It was subsequently built on November 22nd, 1969 and delivered in February of 1970. Its early life was spent as a dealership demo before moving on to the drag strip.
The dealer’s son who ordered the car piloted it to AHRA class world records in 1971 and 1972 while a ZL-1 engine was providing the power. After that, it stayed within Melton Motors’ care until 1982. The 2nd owner was the first owner to title the car. Owner #2 held the Stingray until 1988 when the 3rd owner took over. There, it remained for the next 25 years.
The crew at Corvette Repair restored the car in 2010 before it was sold to owner #4 in 2015. From there it was on to the judging circuit where it claimed the NCRS Duntov award in 2015. The Duntov award is the culmination of multiple 97+ point Top Flight awards and a Performance Verification award. Next up, the Stingray was changed back to its original racing livery and sold in 2018 to owner #5 who had the car repainted in its factory hue of Riverside Gold.
Other awards include Bloomington Gold Certification in 2014 and participation in the Gold Collection in 2005 and 2016, in addition to MCACN Concourse Gold and Triple Diamond awards.
Today the car still sports its numbers-matching 427ci L88 featuring the open-chambered aluminum cylinder heads, 12:1 compression ratio, and a big Holley four-barrel carburetor on top. Other options include an M22 four-speed manual transmission, a side-mounted exhaust system, a Positraction rear end, heavy-duty suspension, power brakes, and transistor ignition. The inside is trimmed in the standard black vinyl upholstery.
Browsing the extensive gallery and videos, we see a 1969 L88 that’s been restored to essentially new condition. The engine compartment, chassis, and interior show virtually no wear or use. We also see loads of documentation accompanying the car including the tank sticker, window sticker, original delivery documents, the Protect-O-Plate, AHRA record certificates, and many historical photographs.
The car is being offered by BaT Seller 1600veloce from The Meccanic Shop in North Salem, New York who arguably provides the best auction videos on the site. They’re all thorough and very well produced. In this listing, he’s got two “sit down” talks with Kevin Mackay in which Kevin and the host walk around the L88 pointing out its various features and the copious provenance included in the sale. The Meccanic Shop North specializes in the best classic and collectible cars. For additional inventory, service or consignment information please visit meccanicshop.com.
With bidding already in the mid six-figures and 8 days still remaining in the sale, this will be an exciting auction to keep an eye on. To track the action and follow the conversation, head on over to the Bring a Trailer site.
Source:
Bring a Trailer
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As a former owner of a C6 Z06, No Other Street Car on this Planet has a better Sounding Cross Plane V8 than this L88 with Side Pipes… Absolutely beautiful symphony!
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