The Pride Of Paoli ’69 L88 Stingray Restored To On - Track Glory (Part 2)

Tom says that he takes it out for some serious track time at least once a year. “We go out at least once a year,” he says. “There’s a track up by us called Beaver Run, and we take

it out there to display it and take some people around the track, and then do about three laps of serious stuff.” He adds that he’d like to take it to Like Rock and Watkins Glen—two tracks where it won in the past—and that it brings back a lot of memories for Corvette lovers who saw it in action. “People are contacting me all the time, when they get wind of it,” he says of their stories that begin with “I remember this car when it raced at…”

The L88 breathes out through Hooker headers/side mount exhausts. Body markings are re-creations of those the car wore during its SCCA and IMSA racing days

If you’re thinking of adding an L88 to your Corvette collection, Tom has this advice: “To find a real L88 is just a treasure, but you’ve obviously got to be careful.” He adds, “If you can find a real one—for a collector, that’s the cornerstone of any collection.”

Just 116 ’69 Stingrays were built with Chevy’s top race engine in 1969, following 80 ’68 Corvettes built at St. Louis with it the year before, and just 20 production L88-powered ’67 Sting Rays.

Speaking of being careful, that’s what Chevrolet tried to be when the L88 was on Corvette’s option list, making sure that the customers who sought them out were those who’d actually race them, instead of driving them on the street and trying to qualify for a Darwin Award in the process.

Just like it was raced, with the headlights fixed in place (and covered), and with uprights holding the front spoiler in place

That may have been why the L88’s factory horsepower rating was five horsepower less than that of the triple-car bed RPO L71 427, which stickered at $437.10 as opposed to the L88’s $1,032.15 tariff. (L88 buyers also had to spring for $549.40 worth of mandatory options including the K66 transistorized ignition, J56 heavy-duty brakes, F41 special suspension and G81 Positraction.) These prices were on top of the sticker prices for the ’69 Stingrays, which started at $4,438 for the drop top and $4,781 for the coupe. The special aluminum block option for the L88—RPO ZL1—added another $4,718.35 on top of all that.

But Tom has one more piece of advice. “If you find any original ones, please call me—I’m interested all the time!”

The Pride Of Paoli ’69 On The Race