I was in 12th grade in 1968/69 with a guy whose father was a big-shot doctor at our county medical center and who bought his son a 1968 or 69 427 L88 Vette hard top in yellow with a black interior. He gave me a ride one time during a school lunch break where we went to a local McDonald's. It was hard for me to concentrate on anything else during school that afternoon.
There were two white ones. The one that sits in a museum in WA state was allegedly ordered through a dealer in Utah, then raced for a few years, stored for a couple of decades, and sold to the current owner... who insists that it's authentic yet refuses to have it officially inspected for matching numbers. That's why they avoided talking about it in this video. The white one that Duntov had built was for testing only, it never got a VIN, and was destroyed after testing was completed. There was also a red coupe test mule given to Motor Trend magazine which also never had a VIN. In 1970 it had it's ZL1 engine swapped for a prototype LS7, which never went into production. Supposedly that car was also destroyed.
@leekelly7482.. Hi Lee Kelly, sorry for the loss of your dad. Was your dad the original owner of the car from the factory? And how did he know about the ZL1 all aluminum option?
I thought there were only 2 ZL1’s left. A yellow one which is in Florida, and a white one which seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, and a lot of people are looking for it. I’m sure GM knows where it is but they’re not saying anything. This corvette in the vid is absolutely beautiful. Did GM keep building the ZL1 in a detuned format? The original 10 were practically undriveable on the street. If you watch the vid of the owner backing his Vette off the car hauler, you’ll understand why they are practically undriveable. I think GM rated the horsepower at 465 which is hilarious. Try closer to a thousand. Right on GM 😅
There were 3zl1s a white one a orange one a rally green one all automatics no hood tags all convertibles.just off the transporter with window stickers.
Did you actually see the ZL1 RPO on all of those window stickers? The official number on the assembly plant's year end production tally was 2... only two ZL1 Corvettes were built for sale to dealers. There were at least 4 ZL1 cars built, but only two or three got VIN numbers that made them legal for sale. Two were test mules, a white 4spd coupe and a red 4spd coupe. There is this orange convertible featured here, which is the only known ZL1 with an automatic (and the owner had to pull some strings to have it built that way). There is also possibly another white 4spd coupe in a private collection in Washington that was allegedly ordered through a dealer in Utah. The Yellow one mentioned in this video has been authenticated by NCRS as a factory built ZL1 car, but it was a special production commissioned by the head engineer at the Corvette assembly plant. It has a VIN and numbers matching engine, but it was officially owned by GM and not sold to a dealer until several years later. Therefore, it's my opinion that it was not counted on that year end tally. If it was, then the white one in WA cannot be a real ZL1... which is entirely possible since the owner refuses to have it inspected by the NCRS or to provide any actual documentation other than a letter written to him by the original owner who claims he ordered it with the ZL1 package.
@@livewire2759 The 3zl1s I saw came in on a truck bound for Yenko but the deal fell through.They were at a G.M. factory lot in Carnegie Pa. There was a guy with them figure Product Promotion Engineering he knew his stuff .All car's were new with window stickers .He said all ZL1s were automatics convertibles no side exhaust because racers wanted auto frames and they used their exhaust. Trans. Cooling ect.prefer conv. These 3 still had flares inside hub caps ect. I said you will never sell these he said they will be gone by tomorrow he gave me a blank bussiness card phone no. penned on it. Called next day he said there all gone! P.S. I have never seen a factory picture of a ZL1 without a vacuum secondary Holley.
I saw 3 ZL1s and 1 L88 at a G.M. factory lot in Carnegie Pa.just off the transporter.The L88 was Lemans blue side pipes with the L88 decal on the hood none of car's had 427 numerals on the hood. The L88 was already sold. The ZL1s had legit window stickers.The transporter was to go to Yenko the deal fell through. The guy with the cars I think was with Product Promotion Engineering all 3 were automatics, convertibles,no side pipes the flares were in the cars he said that's the only way they come.he said the racers only want auto frames they use their own trans clutch rads.I told him you will never sell them he said they will be gone by tomorrow they were.
Is the whereabouts of #2 known? I remember hearing a rumor that Reggie Jackson owned it, but it went up in a fire that claimed a lot of his collection.
Automatic transmission?? Damn I thought all L88 equipped Corvettes (All 20 maybe) came with the 4 speed? The only trans at the time that could handle the power? Did this one have the plaque by the shifter warning owner to use only 103 research octane or 95 motor octane so the engine won't get damaged??
@@Mazak23 I failed to mention that regardless of transmission choice this is an awesome Vette!! I could only dream of (although it would make me much older today) going into a Chevy showroom and being able to make the purchase of not only this Vette but any of the big block Vettes of the day!! Thanks for the video!!
@@irishoutlaww13 I agree with Irish. No 3rd pedal? I wouldn't give a grand for it. Then again, I guess I would give 100K, then sell it for a 1/4 mil, and buy a stick shift car. (But hey, that's just me)
@@joequillun7790 Idiotic comments... The original owner optioned it that way to go drag racing. If he hadn't the car wouldn't even exist. You couldn't "buy" a stick-shift ZL1 Corvette convertible because one was never made. Then again you couldn't "buy" a stick shift ZL1 Corvette coupe either because one hasn't been offered for sale in over 30 years...
There were 216 L88s made between '67 and '69 (the "20" you speak of were '67) and 17 were built in '69 with an automatic. And the sticker is right there at 1:26...
The only document that has been provided for that car is a letter written to the current owner from the original owner 30 years afterword, claiming that he ordered it with the ZL1 package. The current owner refuses to let anyone see the car, to have NCRS inspect it, or even to provide pictures of the VIN and engine stamp to prove that it's authentic... so odds are that it's not.
I find it hard to believe this car was never known of, or documented until recently. And if this one is legitimate, why no race history or documentation? Supposedly ordered to race, but a roadster and automatic is odd. As is the '68 build date. I'm still not quite convinced. 1- white car, black striping - Duntov 2- yellow car, black front stripe
This car was raced extensively in the early 70s. It is very well documented and came with the necessary paperwork. The white one never had official GM paperwork, which is why it is only suspected but never documented as leaving the factory with a ZL-1 engine.
This orange convertible has been known since the 90s, but only recently has it been inspected and proven to be authentic. There is actually a LOT of documentation that proves it was ordered as a ZL1 automatic convertible and built in Dec. '68... even though it was actually ordered as early as september. They strung the guy along because the engineers didn't want to put an automatic behind the ZL1, thinking it couldn't handle it, but the guy insisted, and since he was ordering through the famous Yenko dealership, Don Yenko himself put his 2 cents in and got the factory to build it the way his customer wanted it. The white Duntov car was only a test mule, with no legal VIN assigned to it. After Duntov completed testing with it in the summer of '68, the car was supposedly destroyed. The white coupe in WA has never been inspected by corvette experts and no actual documentation has been made public other than a letter from the original owner written 30 some years after he sold it, where he claims he ordered it with the ZL1 package.
@@livewire2759 S/N 710209 was shipped as ordered to West Penn Garage as an L88/M40 car. The internal letter dated 1-17-69 shows this car and 4 others are all of the cars requiring rework due to overheating concerns in traffic.
Yeah that'd be a tough sell for me. There's been a gorgeous '69 L88 for sale on Ebay for a long time now but it has no documentation and while the dealer selling it has periodically dropped the price (I think it's currently at $177k) it obviously hasn't sold. At that point I rather just buy a "clone" that's been built properly for less and at least know exactly what I have. But hey some moron just paid over a million dollars for the b.s. "story" of the black ghost Challenger.
The car was recalled early in 1969 for overheating. The GM letter is on the Corvette Forum showing this VIN as an L88 with an M40 automatic. That is where the real value lies...as an original L88 car without the original motor. Period.
@@nomojoho2920 Very interesting and thanks for posting. I remember it having a partial tank sticker that said L88. I've seen this car in person and met John several times at Carlisle. I never asked him if was a factory ZL1 and he never said, I believe the dealer ordered the car as an L88 automatic and offered it to John who was driving a 68 L88 4-spd at the time and was intrigued by the automatic transmission for drag racing and hill climbs. Does it say what was to be done with the recall? I know L88 with manual transmission got no fan shroud but thought the L88 automatic had a small shroud but don't remember seeing one on John's car.
Obviously but the folks in this crowd are playing with each other. Not us or the common man. It’s a game to them. They don’t drive these things nor enjoy them except as commodities.
In actuality, market value is what many people are willing to pay for something that is advertised and presented for sale to a large audience. I spent years as a licensed appraiser, just not cars.
Price is determined by supply and demand. This is the only ZL1 convertible that exists... the only one ever made... which means it's in VERY low supply and very high demand. Therefore, without any other "like" cars to compare it to, it's value can only be determined by how crazy the ultra wealthy Corvette fanatics are.
Yes! Yellow and White are the only two documented true cars. The Orange one here was covered years back in a Vette magazine. I am unfamiliar with a blue one.
@@vettelord2369 The blue one was an L88 car that had a crate ZL1 installed after the L88 blew up. The white one has no documentation other than a letter from the original owner claiming he ordered it as a ZL1.... which holds absolutely NO water with the NCRS. Until the owner shows proof of the VIN and the engine stamp matching, it is NOT a "documented" car. The ONLY car that has been 100% certified as an original, factory built ZL1 Corvette is the yellow one at Rogers Corvette Center.
This is the real deal. I had heard about the ZL1 Corvetts as a kid. Wowie.
If you have the money. The price doesn’t matter. And if you don’t like it. I’m sure there’s a dodge charger or challenger waiting for you
I was in 12th grade in 1968/69 with a guy whose father was a big-shot doctor at our county medical center and who bought his son a 1968 or 69 427 L88 Vette hard top in yellow with a black interior. He gave me a ride one time during a school lunch break where we went to a local McDonald's. It was hard for me to concentrate on anything else during school that afternoon.
The white one is heavily featured in the [American Muscle: Muscle Cars from the Otis Chandler collection] coffee table book from the 1990's.
Undocumented I hear, the Yellow car and this one have some factory documentation.
What's the ¼ mile time?
Can you imagine what a hardtop ZL1 with TH400 & 4.56 gears would've been like? Unstoppable!
The Chevy test car was similar except it had a 4.88 gear and reported to run a 10.63 @ 132 mph.
the rumored white one was for ZORA
There were two white ones. The one that sits in a museum in WA state was allegedly ordered through a dealer in Utah, then raced for a few years, stored for a couple of decades, and sold to the current owner... who insists that it's authentic yet refuses to have it officially inspected for matching numbers. That's why they avoided talking about it in this video.
The white one that Duntov had built was for testing only, it never got a VIN, and was destroyed after testing was completed. There was also a red coupe test mule given to Motor Trend magazine which also never had a VIN. In 1970 it had it's ZL1 engine swapped for a prototype LS7, which never went into production. Supposedly that car was also destroyed.
white coupe black rear stripe , have the pics
Is that car documented? I heard it wasn't.
@thud9797 it is not.
My Dad passed in 2005, this was his ZL1...
I hope you have a family car ride video. I’m sorry he passed, just part of life.
Met John several times in the 90s at Carlisle and always enjoyed talking to him and seeing this incredible car. 😎
@leekelly7482.. Hi Lee Kelly, sorry for the loss of your dad. Was your dad the original owner of the car from the factory?
And how did he know about the ZL1 all aluminum option?
I thought there were only 2 ZL1’s left. A yellow one which is in Florida, and a white one which seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, and a lot of people are looking for it. I’m sure GM knows where it is but they’re not saying anything. This corvette in the vid is absolutely beautiful. Did GM keep building the ZL1 in a detuned format? The original 10 were practically undriveable on the street. If you watch the vid of the owner backing his Vette off the car hauler, you’ll understand why they are practically undriveable. I think GM rated the horsepower at 465 which is hilarious. Try closer to a thousand. Right on GM 😅
There were 3zl1s a white one a orange one a rally green one all automatics no hood tags all convertibles.just off the transporter with window stickers.
There's also the yellow coupe with the black stripe.
I can only say what I saw personally. Brand new in1969 Carnegie Pa.
Did you actually see the ZL1 RPO on all of those window stickers? The official number on the assembly plant's year end production tally was 2... only two ZL1 Corvettes were built for sale to dealers. There were at least 4 ZL1 cars built, but only two or three got VIN numbers that made them legal for sale. Two were test mules, a white 4spd coupe and a red 4spd coupe. There is this orange convertible featured here, which is the only known ZL1 with an automatic (and the owner had to pull some strings to have it built that way). There is also possibly another white 4spd coupe in a private collection in Washington that was allegedly ordered through a dealer in Utah. The Yellow one mentioned in this video has been authenticated by NCRS as a factory built ZL1 car, but it was a special production commissioned by the head engineer at the Corvette assembly plant. It has a VIN and numbers matching engine, but it was officially owned by GM and not sold to a dealer until several years later. Therefore, it's my opinion that it was not counted on that year end tally. If it was, then the white one in WA cannot be a real ZL1... which is entirely possible since the owner refuses to have it inspected by the NCRS or to provide any actual documentation other than a letter written to him by the original owner who claims he ordered it with the ZL1 package.
@@livewire2759 The 3zl1s I saw came in on a truck bound for Yenko but the deal fell through.They were at a G.M. factory lot in Carnegie Pa. There was a guy with them figure Product Promotion Engineering he knew his stuff .All car's were new with window stickers .He said all ZL1s were automatics convertibles no side exhaust because racers wanted auto frames and they used their exhaust. Trans. Cooling ect.prefer conv. These 3 still had flares inside hub caps ect. I said you will never sell these he said they will be gone by tomorrow he gave me a blank bussiness card phone no. penned on it. Called next day he said there all gone! P.S. I have never seen a factory picture of a ZL1 without a vacuum secondary Holley.
I saw 3 ZL1s and 1 L88 at a G.M. factory lot in Carnegie Pa.just off the transporter.The L88 was Lemans blue side pipes with the L88 decal on the hood none of car's had 427 numerals on the hood. The L88 was already sold. The ZL1s had legit window stickers.The transporter was to go to Yenko the deal fell through. The guy with the cars I think was with Product Promotion Engineering all 3 were automatics, convertibles,no side pipes the flares were in the cars he said that's the only way they come.he said the racers only want auto frames they use their own trans clutch rads.I told him you will never sell them he said they will be gone by tomorrow they were.
great lineage, but a suckers prize
They made it an automatic tran??
Yes, both L88 and ZL1 in 1969 were available with either M22 manual or Turbo 400 automatic. The 1967 and 1968 L88 was M22 manual only.
Is the whereabouts of #2 known? I remember hearing a rumor that Reggie Jackson owned it, but it went up in a fire that claimed a lot of his collection.
If the Orange car is a real ZL1 then it's #1 since it was built first.
The Yellow car would be #2 and it's fully documented and definitely real.
Automatic transmission?? Damn I thought all L88 equipped Corvettes (All 20 maybe) came with the 4 speed? The only trans at the time that could handle the power? Did this one have the plaque by the shifter warning owner to use only 103 research octane or 95 motor octane so the engine won't get damaged??
The octane rating sticker is there on the center console. The yellow ZL1 coupe he mentioned has a 4-speed manual.
@@Mazak23 I failed to mention that regardless of transmission choice this is an awesome Vette!! I could only dream of (although it would make me much older today) going into a Chevy showroom and being able to make the purchase of not only this Vette but any of the big block Vettes of the day!! Thanks for the video!!
@@irishoutlaww13 I agree with Irish. No 3rd pedal? I wouldn't give a grand for it. Then again, I guess I would give 100K, then sell it for a 1/4 mil, and buy a stick shift car. (But hey, that's just me)
@@joequillun7790 Idiotic comments... The original owner optioned it that way to go drag racing. If he hadn't the car wouldn't even exist. You couldn't "buy" a stick-shift ZL1 Corvette convertible because one was never made. Then again you couldn't "buy" a stick shift ZL1 Corvette coupe either because one hasn't been offered for sale in over 30 years...
There were 216 L88s made between '67 and '69 (the "20" you speak of were '67) and 17 were built in '69 with an automatic. And the sticker is right there at 1:26...
ZL 1
The white one was documented
The white one has never provided solid documentation. Out had always had claims of paperwork, but when asked to provide it, the paperwork never shows.
The only document that has been provided for that car is a letter written to the current owner from the original owner 30 years afterword, claiming that he ordered it with the ZL1 package. The current owner refuses to let anyone see the car, to have NCRS inspect it, or even to provide pictures of the VIN and engine stamp to prove that it's authentic... so odds are that it's not.
I find it hard to believe this car was never known of, or documented until recently.
And if this one is legitimate, why no race history or documentation?
Supposedly ordered to race, but a roadster and automatic is odd.
As is the '68 build date.
I'm still not quite convinced.
1- white car, black striping - Duntov
2- yellow car, black front stripe
This car was raced extensively in the early 70s. It is very well documented and came with the necessary paperwork. The white one never had official GM paperwork, which is why it is only suspected but never documented as leaving the factory with a ZL-1 engine.
This orange convertible has been known since the 90s, but only recently has it been inspected and proven to be authentic. There is actually a LOT of documentation that proves it was ordered as a ZL1 automatic convertible and built in Dec. '68... even though it was actually ordered as early as september. They strung the guy along because the engineers didn't want to put an automatic behind the ZL1, thinking it couldn't handle it, but the guy insisted, and since he was ordering through the famous Yenko dealership, Don Yenko himself put his 2 cents in and got the factory to build it the way his customer wanted it.
The white Duntov car was only a test mule, with no legal VIN assigned to it. After Duntov completed testing with it in the summer of '68, the car was supposedly destroyed.
The white coupe in WA has never been inspected by corvette experts and no actual documentation has been made public other than a letter from the original owner written 30 some years after he sold it, where he claims he ordered it with the ZL1 package.
@@livewire2759
S/N 710209 was shipped as ordered to West Penn Garage as an L88/M40 car. The internal letter dated 1-17-69 shows this car and 4 others are all of the cars requiring rework due to overheating concerns in traffic.
This orange car has a story, but missing documentation. If somebody wants to pay $3 million for a story that is their problem.
Yeah that'd be a tough sell for me. There's been a gorgeous '69 L88 for sale on Ebay for a long time now but it has no documentation and while the dealer selling it has periodically dropped the price (I think it's currently at $177k) it obviously hasn't sold. At that point I rather just buy a "clone" that's been built properly for less and at least know exactly what I have. But hey some moron just paid over a million dollars for the b.s. "story" of the black ghost Challenger.
What about the blue one that sold for millions that all critics said it came with documentation and was a real ZL-1????
The car had a partial tank sticker showing L88. Is the white car documented? We know the yellow car is.
The car was recalled early in 1969 for overheating. The GM letter is on the Corvette Forum showing this VIN as an L88 with an M40 automatic. That is where the real value lies...as an original L88 car without the original motor. Period.
@@nomojoho2920
Very interesting and thanks for posting. I remember it having a partial tank sticker that said L88. I've seen this car in person and met John several times at Carlisle. I never asked him if was a factory ZL1 and he never said, I believe the dealer ordered the car as an L88 automatic and offered it to John who was driving a 68 L88 4-spd at the time and was intrigued by the automatic transmission for drag racing and hill climbs. Does it say what was to be done with the recall? I know L88 with manual transmission got no fan shroud but thought the L88 automatic had a small shroud but don't remember seeing one on John's car.
Too bad it's an automatic....
That's what the owner wanted for drag racing.
It's not real. they fabricated the entire thing. anyone can duplicate this car for fraction of the asking price
Have known of the car since 93 and have 3 friends who were there on delivery day. One was buying the 68 L88 trade-in.
Yep, I first met John back in the 90s when the car was still in Gulf racing paint scheme. It's the real deal.
No car, let alone a Corvette is worth anywhere near that much.
Obviously but the folks in this crowd are playing with each other. Not us or the common man. It’s a game to them. They don’t drive these things nor enjoy them except as commodities.
Cars are worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Not what you will pay for it.
Obviously it is, because you just watched someone pay that much Einstein.
In actuality, market value is what many people are willing to pay for something that is advertised and presented for sale to a large audience. I spent years as a licensed appraiser, just not cars.
Price is determined by supply and demand. This is the only ZL1 convertible that exists... the only one ever made... which means it's in VERY low supply and very high demand. Therefore, without any other "like" cars to compare it to, it's value can only be determined by how crazy the ultra wealthy Corvette fanatics are.
I would bid as high as eight thousand.
That's good to know. I'm sure Sotheby's will take that into consideration next time they sell a $3 million car...
Nope, you wouldn't. The starting bid on it would be more than that
Talk about $$ no interest in even starting it up? Was this the older crowd who owned fast cars when I was a kid? eesh
That car is a fake. White and yellow were the only ZL-1's Possibly a third blue one.
Yes! Yellow and White are the only two documented true cars. The Orange one here was covered years back in a Vette magazine. I am unfamiliar with a blue one.
@@vettelord2369 The blue one was an L88 car that had a crate ZL1 installed after the L88 blew up. The white one has no documentation other than a letter from the original owner claiming he ordered it as a ZL1.... which holds absolutely NO water with the NCRS. Until the owner shows proof of the VIN and the engine stamp matching, it is NOT a "documented" car. The ONLY car that has been 100% certified as an original, factory built ZL1 Corvette is the yellow one at Rogers Corvette Center.
@@vettelord2369
White car has zero factory documentation so not sure what you're talking about.
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