L88 Corvette Racing
Legends
The time
period from the fall of 1967 to the summer of
1972 brought us some of the most successful and
memorable L88 Corvette racers of our time. It is
these cars and drivers that have embodied the
soul of the Corvette racing mystique. When anyone
thinks of an L88 Corvette racing car, they
automatically think of these legends. Names such
as: DeLorenzo, Thompson, Yenko, Heinz, Johnson,
Greenwood, and Guldstrand; options such as: L-88,
ZL-1, flared fenders, and heater delete; tracks
such as Daytona, Sebring, and Watkins Glen, all
of which spark the emotion of Corvette
enthusiasts in such a manner that has never been
seen since.
We begin our
journey this month with a glimpse of some of
these legends. Each month for the next several
months, more stories will follow on the
individual cars and drivers.
"The
L-88 'Vette is the ultimate in hot rods-- an open
top
Two
seater with an engine that'll torque the whole
car
Over
if you don't hang on tight!"
-
Hot Rod
James
Garner entered a two car team for the
1968 Daytona 24 Hours. Dick Guldstrand
and Ed Leslie drove car #44. The body
style was so new that the only
competition item that was homologated in
time for the race was the Plexiglas
headlamp covers. This item not only
opened up the space in the grilles for
improved airflow to the radiator but also
improved the airflow over the front of
the car by eliminating the pop-up
headlamps.
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The airflow
beneath the car differed dramatically from the
previous model. There was not enough time to
homologate the necessary rear differential oil
cooler. This two-car team would suffer the
consequences and did not place well in the
standings.
The
Sunray DX oil company sponsored a trio of
L-88 Corvettes for this same race. Again,
the new body style was plagued by
gremlins, and did not place well in the
standings. Their sole '67 L88 Sting Ray
entry, the old body style, was properly
homologated for endurance racing, brought
home a 1st in GT !
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Three big
competition items were added to the line-up in
1969.
#1. L88 Fender flares were available
to allow larger tires to be used in long
distance endurance races. Now, the
drivers were really able to get the power
to the pavement with fatter tires!
Improved cornering capabilities resulted
as well.
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#2. L88 Open chamber cylinder heads
were standard equipment mid year through
the '69 model year on the L-88's. As seen
in the photo above, the cylinder head on
the bottom had an increased combustion
chamber that permitted improved filling
and exiting of the gases, thus creating
more power. The exhaust ports were larger
and more circular in shape improving the
exhaust flow.
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#3. The all aluminum ZL-l engine
block was available to improve the
overall balance of the Corvette by
bringing the weight of the 427 down to a
327 by it's efficient use of aluminum.
The perfect balances of 50/50 or better
was now available to anyone with a
checkbook large enough to absorb the
cost!
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By
1970, the L88 Corvette was no longer racing
against the Cobra, or Ferrari. It was
racing against itself. It was now a
L88 Corvette to L88 Corvette competition. The
driver with the smoothest skills, the
mechanic with the best L-88 or ZL-1, the
team with the best setup, the owner with
the best sponsorship, all of these
factors were now how the L88 Corvette would
be judged.
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The
L88 Corvette was now in it's full stride and it would
keep this winning pace for a few more years.
The
success of these legends still stands in the
record books and in the minds of the L88 Corvette
faithful.
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