In 1966, Chevrolet Central Office authorized this C.O.P.O. (Central Office Production Order) Corvette to be built with the first factory 427 L-88 engine and the competition race package which included J-56 brakes, 36 gallon fuel tank, F-41 suspension, prototype 2:73 positraction rear axle, TI ignition, M-22 transmission, off road exhaust, radio and heater delete, teakwood steering wheel, telescopic column and a special prototype cowl induction hood. The car was released to Roger Penske who had worked in Chevrolet’s race program since pre-Grand Sport Days. Penske wanted the racer prepared for the 24 hour Endurance Race at Daytona. He based on Zora Duntov’s recommendation, hired Dick Guldstrand to assemble a team for the Daytona race. Guldstrand picked up the car in St. Louis assembly plant and drove it back to Pennsylvania in mid January 1966. Since the car was prepared and not equipped with a heater, Guldstrand was given a blanket to keep from freezing. Penske’s Newtown Square Garage then prepared the car for the Daytona Race. In practice laps the Factory L-88 was one of the quickest ever recorded at Daytona. Chevrolet sent a second engine to Traco to be prepared, and just before the race the fresh 540 h.p. motor was installed in the car. Penske assembled the experienced team of Dick Guldstand, Ben Moore and George Wintersteen for the race. During the race, Wintersteen was involved in an accident damaging the front of the car, thus requiring Guldstrand to drive his portion of the race with two flashlights taped to the fenders. The damaged radiator was replaced with one from a Corvette located in the spectator’s parking lot. One can only imagine, the flashlights provided very little help! Guldstand was able to continue the race by following the taillights of the Ferrari Team Car and by doing so broke the GT record. The L-88 finished 1st. in the GT Class and placed 11th overall in the race. The car was raced at Daytona in its original factory red paint, after which, at the request of its sponsor it was painted Sunoco blue for the next race at Sebring. With its fresh blue paint job, the car was raced at the 12 Hours of Sebring where it finished 1st in class, and 9th overall, tying the record as the highest finish ever for a Corvette. What a history making record the car was setting for itself in only two times out! The #9 racer has been featured on the cover of Corvette News Vol. 9 No. 5. It is nationally recognized as one of the of the most important Corvette’s ever manufactured. This car represents the first acknowledged L-88 Corvette and the only “mid-year” to win first in class consecutively at Daytona and Sebring. Corvette Repair Inc. of Valley Stream, NY has performed a state of the art restoration and has made its debut at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in August 2002. This car has a prototype hood. One of Three made by GM. The other two went on the Corvette Grand Sports. This one was installed at the factory. Just outside of a town called Sebring-to continue one of the most respected racing traditions in America: the 12 Hours of Sebring. Those attending the 66 Sebring event were witness to another contrast: the passing of the torch from the magnificent Grand Sport small-blocks to a new generation of big-cube superpower that would become known as the L88. The L88 was not quite ready for showrooms, but because of outings like this, it was race-proven before the public got its hands on it, which would ensure the L88 was ready to hit the ground running. The Heavy Duty 427 in the 66 L88. After testing and racing in the hands of privateers (Chevrolet was officially not racing), the design was debugged and fitted with larger brakes, big cooling slots behind the rear wheels, the signature rear fender flares, wider 9.5-inch wheels, and an oil cooler for the differential. The first taste of victory came on August 24 at Watkins Glen when driver Dick Thompson took the overall win. At the 63 Nassau races, it all came together on Friday, December 6. Three Grand Sports were entered in the 112-mile Governors Trophy race. Dr. Dick Thompsons Grand Sport DNFd with a blown engine, but chassis No. 3, driven by Roger Penske, won the Prototype class and took Third overall, while chassis No. 4 and No. 5 won Second and Third in class, and Fourth and Sixth overall, decisively beating the Cobras. Concluding the racing was the 252-mile Nassau Trophy race, run on Sunday, December 8, where the Grand Sports continued the strong showing, winning the Prototype class and taking Fourth overall, and winning Third in class and Eighth overall, far ahead of the Cobras. The interior of the 66 features a glovebox door laden with signatures from a whos who of Corvette history. Next on the racing calendar was Daytona. Prior to the big event, the bodies of Grand Sport No. 001 and No. 002 were radically altered when their tops were cut off to convert them into roadsters. New hoods were also fitted to relieve pressure that built up under the front end. 66 L88 Development Coupe Fans of the L88 know it was introduced in 1967. Or was it? the public got its first shot at the new 427 powerhouse as an option on the 67 Corvette, but for the select few who knew where to look, the L88 had made a few fleeting appearances well before then. Chevrolets Engineering Center had been hard at work developing the Mark IV big-block, and in October 1965, after that years racing season had concluded, Zora Duntov placed a call to one of his key connections. Roger Penske, one of racings brightest young stars, had just announced his surprise retirement as a driver in 1965. Walking away from a career that included numerous records, being named Driver of the Year in 1961 by Sports Illustrated, in 1962 by the New York Times, and having won USAC and SCCA championships may have seemed odd, but Penskes career path was about the business of racing. He had graduated from Lehigh University in 1959 with a business degree in industrial management, and had served as general manager of McKean Chevrolet in Philadelphia since 1963. Now Penske was forming a race team of his own. On the phone, Duntov explained to Penske that he had a hot new experimental 427 engine that hed like field tested at the upcoming Daytona 24 Hour Continental. The engine had been in development since 1962, and its code name was the Heavy Duty 427. A Heavy Duty 427 was installed in the 63 for Sebring 1966. Penske hired Dick Guldstrand, a West coast driver who Duntov had recommended, and added co-drivers, George Wintersteen and Ben Moore. Two of the handful of prototype L88s built were set aside for the Daytona effort. One was shipped to engine builder Traco in Culver City, California, while the other went to the St. Louis Assembly plant for installation into a Rally Red coupe earmarked for Penske. This car was specially built with the M22 four-speed, J56 HD brakes, F41 suspension, 36-gallon fuel tank, transistorized ignition, 2.73:1 differential, prototype cowl induction hood, heater delete, no radio, and a lighter 65 front grille. The car was scheduled to be completed at the St. Louis plant on January 14, 1966. Penske assigned Guldstrand to pick it up The interior in the roadster just rocks! St. Louis in mid-January is a deep freeze. Guldstrand watched the car come off the line, owner Kevin Mackay has learned in interviews with Guldstrand and tells us, It would not start. Workers pushed the car over to the side and handed Guldstrand the keys, saying, This is yours kid, we dont want anything to do with it. just get it out of here. Guldstrand popped the hood and poured fuel down the carburetor. Of course, without a choke, it was very hard to start. Finally, the engine came to life but would barely idle at 1,500 rpm. It was also making a nasty showing by shooting flames out the exhaust. After sorting things out, plant workers shook hands with Guldstrand and gave him a furniture blanket for warmth; this Corvette was heater-delete and it was very cold. Guldstrand drove the L88 back to Philadelphia, where they began prepping it for Daytona with a complete dis-assembly. For more information and reading you can view the full article here - superchevy/features/corp-0710-c2-corvette-race-cars/viewall.html#.UON9bwF1Drs.email
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 15:22:33 +0000
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