Road-going track-focussed cars don’t tend to be particularly good-looking. Cars like the McLaren Senna spring to mind — all aero and ungainly proportions — which may have aesthetic value from a technical viewpoint, but not so much in terms of outright beauty.
Back in the late '60s though, a road-going race car looked very different from the hardcore versions we see today. Whether they were built and sold as homologation specials for drag racing, NASCAR ovals, or road circuits, race cars for the road made for some of the most iconic American cars, like the Ford GT40. And when the car your road-going special is as beautiful as America’s sportscar sweetheart, the Chevrolet Corvette C2, you can be sure the road-race version will be a banger.
Enter the most powerful, and rarest, of classic Corvettes ever — the Corvette L88. Built between 1967-69, only about 200 were ever produced, and dealers could only order them through an almost secret code! The Corvette L88 is even the spiritual successor to the high-performance classic car, the Chevy Camaro ZL-1. The only difference in the motors being that the Corvette had a cast-iron engine block. To call the Corvette L88 very, very special would be a massive understatement.
But, there’s a way to make one even more special. Hotcars digital artist, Rostislav Prokop has done just that. This exclusive 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 keeps everything about the original that makes it one of the most beautiful Corvettes ever, and adds in modern touches for good measure. If there’s any way of taking a near-$700,000 car to even higher levels, restoring and subtly modifying it would be one of them.
Here’s everything that makes this ’68 Corvette L88 restomod special, and a car that desperately needs to be made a reality.
Just Enough Originality In This L88 Restomod For The Purists
The Chevrolet Corvette C2, designed by Larry Shinoda under the great GM style chief Bill Mitchell, came out in 1963. And still, all these years later, it stands as one of the most gorgeous Corvettes to ever come out, if not the most gorgeous classic car from the 60s. Period.
This Corvette L88 restomod just elevates it the right amount, with subtle modern touches. While there’s no missing the larger wheels under the signature ‘Vette bulging wheel arches, the choice of going with a classic snowflake design keeps it in theme. You’ll immediately notice that though the bodywork is flared out to accommodate the larger wheels, the flare drops away from the fenders towards the pinched bumpers — just like on the original!
As far as modern restomods go, this one is cooked to perfection. With the classic Corvette chrome bumper strip reimagined as an LED daytime running lamp, it's the best way to get that bright look without actual brightwork! The lower bumper is modern too, finished with a splitter that will no doubt help this modern L88 beat the original’s jaw-dropping-at-the-time 171 MPH top speed. You see, the original had a claimed 170 MPH top end, but apparently had trouble getting there due to aero constraints. This restomod’s enhancements take care of that.
At the rear, the generous diffuser will definitely play a big role in keeping this modern L88 glued to the road even at its top speed. The twin circular tail lights of the original make way for twin rectangular lights, recreated in a retro bulb pattern that’ll give Space Invaders fans a reason to look twice.
Corvette L88 Ownership Was Like Entering A Secret Club
The Chevy Corvette L88 was rated for 430 HP, less than the more popular “most powerful” ‘Vette, the big-block 427 which had 435 HP. What Chevrolet didn’t really tell people is that the L88 made those figures at much lower revs than where the 427’s peak power was measured. In fact, the Corvette L88 was said to make well over 550 HP closer to its redline!
Some say that this was done for insurance purposes. Some say that Chevrolet just didn’t want people to buy its most powerful ‘Vette. Why?
Because the Corvette L88 was clearly a racer for the road. The only reason the company sold them to the public was because they had to make and sell them to homologate them. Chevy also knew that the L88 did have issues with cold starts, and could overheat when sat in traffic for too long. So, Chevy would rather not just have anyone come in and buy the hardcore L88 that only ran well on 103-octane fuel.
This is why Chevrolet made it difficult to order the Corvette with the L88 package requiring a special combination of dealer codes. In the first year of production 1967, they made only 20. This was upped to 80 units for 1968, and 116 for 1969 — and keep in mind they still made them a year or two after introducing the brand new Corvette C3!
Modern Looks And Suspension, Old-School Powertrain
This modernized Corvette L88 wouldn’t really be an L88 without the big-block 427 under the hood. So that’s what this restomod will rock. While the high compression 7.0-liter motor paired with the Rock Crusher 4-speed auto was heavy firepower back in the day, we’d imagine a fully refreshed motor in this.
We’re thinking an easy bump in horsepower from the “unofficial” 550 HP to over 700 HP with a few choice modifications, going to forge internals and tuning the living daylights out of it! The stock ‘Vette L88 was said to do the quarter mile in 13 seconds on its stock street tires. With drag radials, it was said to run low 10s! We’d imagine an all-motor, big block classic ‘Vette like this modern restomod could dip into the 9s with the right mods under the hood.
For someone who’s willing to take a chance on modifying a highly-prized Corvette L88 (for the right reasons), this subtly-tweaked restomod is definitely the direction they should take.