holy moly. one of my all time dream cars. saw a silver one when I was a teenager. they sound incredible. look cool. well done Tom - thx Lou - what a gem. and 550hp in '69. wow!!!!
pinnacle of corvette collection...other than maybe that one ZL1. These were very special...as mentioned in the vid you could not order a radio. Also, in '67 the L88 mandated the C48 heater core delete, but in '68 the feds required a defroster in all cars, so you got a heater core, but not a heater duct...just a defroster 4:16
On the 550hp yes it's optimistic but qith a blueprinted engine in perfect tune with open headers it would probably get pretty close to it. With the stock exhaust manifolds and factory 2-inch exhaust and installed in the car the stock 430hp rating was pretty close as that exhaust just killed the long duration L88 cam.
5he Georgia licensed plates suggests a buy from Barrett-Jackson's auction and went for a high bid of $800,000 ! From a Senior man from Georgia who auctioned off several high-end classic Corvettes.
Hi Tyrone, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Oh my. I just don't go to the drive it on and off the trailer school. This car was meant to be driven and driven hard. I'm not saying abuse it but pay some respect to the folks that designed it and built it. If it goes up in value, which it will, then so much the better but a couple of thousand miles per year will not hurt it. It is what it is and the milage should be irrelevant. Thanks, Lou, for another great video. At this rate by the time I am ALLOWED to leave my house I will have seen all of your videos :>)
For anyone bashing the guy for not driving it, there's so manny a holes on the road, this is a once in a lifetime car, not restored, I want to drive one, get a beater small block 69, or later, save all the bullshit for another day
And what Chevy would that LS7 be in because Chevy never produced an LS7 it was only Parts over the counter and all big block Chevys with solid lifters sound like that !😕
Hi Bob Silver, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
1969 had some cool colors. Lemans blue is nice, but my favorite is Fathom Green. I had a 1969 Chevelle that was Lemans Blue with a black vinyl top. VERY nice to see original paint cars! Survivor cars are twice as cool as restored cars...survivor cars values are going to the moon!
Man, what a gorgeous, sexy, factory hot rod!!! He's right about the true 550 hp rating at 6,200 rpm. GM purposely fudged the numbers by publicizing "425 to 430 hp" at only 5,200 to 5,500 rpm. This LeMans Blue factory paint is also my favorite color on these classic Vette's. As a matter of fact, I used to own an absolutely sweet & totally restored '66 Chevy 1/4 ton short wheel-base, fleetside, full custom cab PU truck that had been repainted with this color. Between the 2 chrome molding strips running down each side of the truck, there was a white panel. That white between the chrome with the Le Mans Blue paint made it look very racy. The previous owner had replaced the original 283 with a 327......camel hump heads with 2.02 intake valves, a fairly hot cam, 4" Holly intake with Holly 750 single pumper carb, double-roller timing chain, headers & duel exhaust. I never knew the compression ratio, but it required high octane fuel. This truck also came with factory AC ( rather rare ) placed IN the dash, custom ordered. The truck didn't have an ashtray to be found anywhere. Still had the original 3.73 posi rear-end and factory options sticker inside the glovebox door. I bought the truck back in '82 and owned it for 2 yrs before reselling it, like the young fool that I was. Sure wish I still had it now. A cop even pulled me over once, and I had no clue why. I wasn't speeding or anything. He asked me if I had a moment to show him my truck. He loved it & offered to buy it, lol.
I'm torn on this one... Sure, it's a Crown Jewel of Vette's for sure... But, too bad it doesn't get driven... "I only drive it in and out of the trailer"... Yes, I know the value of it and all, but it's just a life size model really... I'll never be able to own anything close to these vehicles you show, but I always feel like what a waste when the car isn't even driven... But, we all enjoy our vehicles in our own way.. I'm sure this is how this guy totally enjoys his! Nice vid.
There's a flip-side to that coin. If it was driven like most it either wouldn't be around today or not original. My opinion is that guys like this owner are on this earth to preserve them. Me personally, I would give it a squirt on a track a few times a year - an extra thousand miles or so over it's life-time won't be a deal breaker...plus it will blow any cob webs out of the motor and exhaust.
I understand how you feel,but the reason this car is still around in original condition is because it gets hardly driven.So I get why the owner barely drives it.
The Owner says it, "It's all out or nothing, that's the way it was built, 12 to 1 compression, it's a race car" You can't really drive a car like that on the street. Other than the dollar Factor which is Super High at time of resale (In this case an understatement.. Million Dollar car). I bet the original owner would have been better off with a milder version of the 427 that he really could have enjoyed and beat many cars on the street, drive and actually drove it to the races and had lots of good times and stories to tell.. To some its ownership, to others it's the drive. But being what it is, the new owner needs to keep it up as it was for so many years, show it and educate everybody on what a 1969 L-88 is all about from back in the day. Thanks Again Lou for getting all cars and types of Owners from Collectors to Drivers, We love the stories that come with each car.
@@davidcruz8227 Not saying to make it a daily driver.. Just take it out every now and then and at least let the engine warm up a bit! :) I get it too, but I'd be too tempted to drive it more! ha, ha...
It's just worth too much money now to drive it, put yourself in this guys shoes, big investment, bought the car to care for it , he's alright w that, now he makes you happy and drives it, some idiot rear ends him, now the car is not what he intended it to be, drive your car and enjoy it, but please don't hold it against this guy for caring for it, I'm sure there's others out there available, buy yourself one, and run it thru the car wash, drive it on potholed streets, it's your money, but this is his car,
In spite of your glaring interview omissions yo still get the most amazing cars on your show. This has to be the cream de la cream. I can't help myself from watching. The cars are too cool, rare, and part of my youthful muscle care fantasies that I can't resist your program. I feel like and abused child stricken with Stockholm syndrome.Lou please ask the owners the unique features of the car and then feature them in your video. That can't be too hard?
Guys often bash the Mako Shark style Corvettes, but I always thought this color looked the best on this model (and was hard to beat for visual appeal). Now if I'm not mistaken, that paint is a two-stage lacquer and will spider-web and crack over time. Since it's lacquer, it CAN be rubbed out and massaged back into good shape.
Hey Lou, amazing survivor car this! Can't believe the original mileage. Nice colour too! We don't see cars like this in Australia. Thanks for showing. Cheers Tiger.
The crown jewel!! Don’t have to say anything more, except thanks, Lou so much for bringing us this truly amazing rare Corvette and the story that goes with it.
No wonder the 69 BOSS 429 had slow sales . FORD rated the HP at 375 while the car started at $5000.00 which was $2000.00 more that the 428 MACH 1 package. That car was under $4500 with the 427 L88 at $1000.00 while also being almost 400 lbs less than the BOSS . It also has the rare special brake System that only 115 corvettes had, that $342 price must have been a deal breaker for the other 38647 buyers .
Ford really held back the potential of the BOSS 429. They only put a 735 cfm carburetor on it from the factory, which was smaller than the carburetor that came on the BOSS 302. And they had a very restrictive exhaust system from the factory. A stock BOSS 429 was a mid 14 second car out of the box, but by bolting on an 800 cfm carb and a set of headers you could get to the high 12s- low 13s with a weekend of modifications
Love the 'Vettes, Lou! As if the L88 isn't enough, the rear window defroster on a convertible truly makes this one special. Thanks for finding & sharing this one with us!
Saweeet Vet! Beautiful dreamy blue n gorgeous styling. It's wee, just right for my Christmas stocking... please Santa🚗🎅 I haven't been too naughty. Love the front end n the chrome on the tail is way nice n the side vents look great on it! I love the look all around tho! Nice story. Great vid, I likes... thank u!
The engines built in St. Louis were exceptionally well built. Sometimes the builder had extra L88 parts laying around and decided to stick them into an SS 396 engine. Just because he could. You don't know for sure what the horsepower is on some Chevy rat motors until you get it on a dyno. Some might be a little different. Maybe the day it was built the builder sneezed at the wrong time or something.
I wanted to say that you probably wouldn't want to drive it around due to the fractures in the fiberglass. I think they make some kind of a preservative you can spray on but I'm not sure how well that works on cracks like that. They did that to an old car they found with original tires on it - can't remember what it was but was worth a ton.
I read an article in a car magazine. They tried to figure out how L88's were getting into other cars. A guy had a Chevelle with one. They made it sound like different engine builders were just grabbing whatever parts were laying around. I can't remember where they were all located - was more than one builder.
Hi W1se0ldg33zer, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Hi john carter, Glad you enjoy this car :-) Not familiar with the Jenson, however thank you for sharing and I'll keep an eye out for it to share on this Channel, Lou
Lou, Where do you find these wonderful muscle cars? Do they come to you or do you seek them out. I really want to know. Do these really exist. How many could really be still around? Value your opinion, Lou! Oh buy the way. This guy is really high or drunk! Shawn
@@loucostabile Thanks, Lou! Keep up the great work looking forward to other great videos. In the New Year. Can you tell me about favorite muscle car and do you own one? SHAWN
These L-88's are WAY OVER-RATED. The L-71 not as rare, of course, but it can compete with an L-88 with a few simple mods and you can drive it on the public roads and enjoy it every single day as I have done since with my 1969. I don't get the "originality" thing when you're talking about broken down, uncomfortable seats, a crappy 15" steering wheel and horsepower by today's standards is no big whoop! The car isn't worth a dime if you can't drive it every day. Driving it on and off a trailer is sad. It's a car. Drive the damn thing.
Hi louis lazarus, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Clearly this one is not for you :-( Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you'll enjoy :-) Lou
Lou Costabile Actualy Lou,formula 1and Indy cars are "open cars" not convertibles as they don't have removable or folding tops that " convertibles " do, just sayin😎
Racers often ordered the convertible with "hardtop in place of the softop" option and bolted on it made the car stiffer, lighter and cheaper than the coupe. It also appears to be more aerodynamic so what's not to love? 😀
