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Rarer Than an L88, This 1967 Corvette Sold for $1.7M at Kissimmee
Mecum Kissimmee dwarfs basically every other collector car auction, anywhere. With tents and random buildings packed full of classics at Florida’s Osceola County Fairgrounds, it’s definitely worth a visit. You’ll get your 10,000 steps in before lunch, and it takes at least a couple of days to really see everything. If you bring your checkbook, there’s something for literally every budget, from $5K beater projects to multi-million-dollar blue-chippers. This year’s sale boasted over 4000 vehicles and stretched nearly two weeks from January 7-19.
Some of the headline-makers sadly failed to sell, the most prominent of which were the ex-Steve McQueen Porsche 917 hammered not-sold at a $25M high bid (it would have been the most expensive Porsche ever at that price) and the 1965 427 Competition Cobra hammered not-sold at a $3.5M high bid. But rare Corvettes had a healthy representation and, for the most part they brought healthy prices. Nearly 500 Corvettes crossed the block in Kissimmee this year, including five L88s, four 1970-72 ZR1s, three 1963 Z06s, and eight C1 Fuelies. The biggest surprise, though, was a 1967 coupe, fitted with an L89 big-block engine. While rare, L89s aren’t the king of the hill when it comes to Corvette prices, yet this one sold for a staggering $1,705,000 (including buyer’s premium), making it not just the most expensive Corvette in Kissimmee, but also one of the most expensive Corvettes ever.


Not to be confused with the basically race-spec L88 engine available in the Corvette from 1967-69, the L89 was an available option on the still perfectly potent solid lifter 427cid/435hp big-block, aka the L71. The L89 added aluminum heads to the 427 for a few dozen pounds of weight savings and a lower center of gravity. It was an expensive option that didn’t add any obvious performance advantages on paper, so few people ticked the box. A few hundred buyers opted for the L89 in ’68 and ’69 on the C3 body style, but just 16 did in 1967. That makes the ’67 L89 rarer even than the ’67 L88 (20 built).
The Marina Blue beauty that sold in Kissimmee this week was reportedly ordered with an M21 four-speed manual, F41 suspension, side exhaust, J50 power brakes and leather seats by its first owner in California, and it came with smog equipment for that state, making it one of two ’67 L89s so-equipped. It was also reportedly built on the very last day of 1967 Corvette production, a scant 32 cars from the end of the line. The Naber brothers in Houston restored it in the late 1980s, and it has apparently been kept in show-ready condition, because it scored a 99.08/100 points at the NCRS Nationals last year.



A nice car, then, but this sale price is the kind of number normally reserved for the faster and more famous L88. Perfectly good C3 L89s, while considerably less rare, have sold for a tenth of this result, and a remarkably well-preserved unrestored ’69 model sold for $759K earlier in the day. In fact, including cars sold for charity, $1.7M puts this just outside the top 10 most expensive Corvettes ever sold.
While the number is still a bit of a shock, what makes all the difference in the world for classic Corvette people are options, documentation, and condition. When a car has an irresistible combination of all of those things, like this one does, crazy prices can and do happen.

People play rarity on Corvettes and this is one. I know someone with a Convertible L89. Now L88s are not traded often people move to the next one.
The C7 ZR1 is now making itself known. A fairly rare Corvette in an age were few are truly rare to where it matters. This is the ZR to have not the 90.
@hyper- I will assume you are aware the 2019 C7 ZR1 is a $245,000 vehicle. That is half the cost of a 2013 ZR1, which in my opinion, is a much better looking car. I will also assume you have an opinion on what my opinion is worth, so I will let it go at that.
C7 ZR1 is an exceptionally good car, but slower through the traps than a C7 Z06 (many automotive writers with direct personal experience) and any C8. So it seems more a boutique sort of acquisition than a serious performance car. Really, when you spend a quarter of a million on a top line auto that lags in every important metric to the next year’s base model, you certainly aren’t buying for the performance. Tho’, truth told, I’d buy a C7 ZR1 simply for the exhaust noise when open (my sweetie says I’m 65 going on 13😁), cuz if ever there was a car powered by demons, that’s it. If I gave up GTOs for ‘Vettes? The C4 ZR1 would be the one. Heard one, built, 3″ exhaust with Flowmaster cans and Dr. Gas “tone adjusters”, sounded all the business and very modern, V8 throb and bellow replaced by twitchy high pitched snarl ala Italian exotica and modern ‘Vettes.
I was fortunate enough to buy a 68 L-89 Corvette Coupe from an engineer at the GM Tech center who bought a new Corvette every year.
It also had the off-road exhaust and 3.70:1 rear axle. The 4 speed whined a lot, so I guess it might of had the Rock crusher trans in it as well.
I was 19 and an Apprentice Die Maker at GM. All I really cared about was it was fast. I raced and beat a friend who had a 68 Camaro with an L-88 in it. 440 Six packs couldn’t get passed me either. I lost to a guy at the Gulf station on Perry St. in Pontiac. Willy, had a Lifted Orange 65-66 Mustang coupe with a big block Chevy!
Back then M-59 expressway was still under construction. We could race from under the Updyke Rd overpass down to the big exit sign for I-75 South.
I sold it to a Dad buying it for his son! Two weeks later it was junk!😔
Rick
Great times back then in Pontiac. I ran that Gulf station for 3 years until Gulf pulled out of Michigan and closed it down. Jerry Sidock and Floid Williams before him loved the Fords! I put my Chevelle SS on the corner and was busy from that day on. Hanging out at Jack in the Box and heading to the weight station on nb I 75 to set up a few races. They would stop traffic at u-turn in medium and let them go!! Good times for sure
Crazy price. Amazing what C2 Corvettes can go for these days. Beautiful color.
Yes I know where there is a 1970 L-T-1 one owner a title 30,000 thousand miles what is the valve of it,in storage the last 40 years
16 valve if it’s got the stock engine.
I had ‘67 L71 back in 1975 when I was stationed at The Presidio. Bought it for $3,000 with the intention of driving it back to Michigan and selling it for a profit and buying a 911.
Long story short I ended up selling it for $2,000 and drove back home in my wife’s Pinto.
that makes me feel better. i sold my 67 L71 convertible for $3000 but it needed brakes. This was in michigan, so unless yours was marina blue w/ a white hardtop & white stinger & power widows, there were 2 of us that will always regret doing that. not sure if that one sucked more than selling my 68 shelby GT500KR 4 speed convertible for $3000, but gas went to 50 cents per gallon & these took premium @ 59 cents which just killed the muscle car market. hard to believe that was 50 years ago. LOL
If you would like another sad Corvette sale how about a fully loaded 64 fully loaded selling for 2K in 1969. Both tops, knock off wheels, all power, racing brakes, etc included in the package. Sold to a neighbor in Southern Ca who took it to Michigan to have it stolen a year later, never to be seen again. What is worse is I had two separate ignition cutoff switches installed neither of which he used. Stupid!