Most Victorious Corvette in History to Cross the Block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale

Built from parts to become the most victorious Corvette in history, a legendary 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 racecar will cross the auction block Jan. 19, when The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions returns home to Scottsdale Jan. 13-20 at WestWorld.  

Campaigned by Tony DeLorenzo, Jerry Thompson, Don Yenko and Gib Hufstaeder, and pushing 600 horsepower, this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L-88 Owens/Corning racecar (Lot #5041) is among the most powerful production-based race cars of all time, with a near-perfect record in FIA GT and SCCA National racing.

It will be sold primetime Saturday, Jan. 19, during the elite 5000 series of cars that will cross the block at the pinnacle of auction excitement.

Lorenzo and Thompson, the primary drivers for the Owens/Corning team, racked up a remarkable record of victories in this stunning vehicle, including wins at the 1969 and 1972 SCCA National ‘A’ Production Championships, 2nd Place in GT at the 1969 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race and 1969 and 1970 GT class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona race in Daytona Beach, Florida. This car, along with its team car, secured victory at 22 of 22 SCCA/FIA National Events from 1969 to 1971, with the 1968 L-88 winning 12 of the events.

“I’ve been in this business a long time, and have found that every year, there’s a vehicle or two that really strikes a chord with collectors across the board,” said Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO. “This vehicle is proving to be one of those cars, and is a true desired centerpiece for any discerning race car enthusiast’s private collection.”

No stranger to the limelight, this vehicle has graced the cover of Vintage Motorsports’ Sept. 2008 issue, and L-88s: Corvette Racing Legend, the definitive book on L-88s by Peter Gimenez, and more recently was featured in the March, 2010 “Winning Streak” piece by Corvette News. It has also racked up a plethora of honors and accolades, including the American Heritage Award 2007, the highest award for non-street Corvettes by the National Corvette Restorers Society. This L-88 has held center stage at numerous high-profile automotive events, including the 50th Anniversary of Corvette celebration at Pebble Beach in 2002, and the Amelia Island Concours in March of 2008. Later that same year, it was a part of a special display of Sebring racecars at Monterey, California’s Quail Motorsports event, and a featured part of the Corvette Racing Tribute at the famed Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It was also the featured vehicle at the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2009, at the National Corvette Museum.

“In addition to its unmatched history of racing success, this vehicle includes exhaustive documentation, which can be rare on Corvette models,” said Steve Davis, Barrett-Jackson president. “We anticipate that the auction of one of the most significant Corvette racecars in existence will be among the highlights of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale this year.”