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Photos courtesy of: MId America Motorworks
It’s not every day that a historical race car gets restored. In fact, more than we’d like to admit have been lost, crushed, or forgotten throughout the years. While a small percentage of those have been Corvettes, we hate to see any piece of automotive history fade away, competition of the Vette or not. Luckily for us all, there are those with the means and dedication who go out of their way to preserve these pieces for others to enjoy for years to come.
The L88 became the highest placing Corvette of its time at the 24 Hours of LeMans race in France.
The Concours at Amelia Island is an automotive show, where some of the world’s rarest and most elegant cars can be seen by the public. Upon entering the event, each vehicle is rated for authenticity, function, history, style and restoration quality. Amelia Island is a premiere location for car collectors, racers and enthusiasts alike, and this year’s event will be the 20th consecutive show.
Mid America Motorworks has provided some insight on the car and we figured that this small story was well worth telling. The history-making 1968 L88 Rebel Corvette will be making its Amelia Island debut at the 2015 Concours d’Elegance this coming Sunday, March 15. So now that you know where it’s headed, let’s talk about the car.
Affectionately nicknamed “Ole Scrappy,” the L88 was driven by David Heinz and Bob Johnson during the race.
“In 1972, after a mere eight week transformation from wrecked street car to strong running racer, the L88 became the highest placing Corvette of its time at the 24 Hours of LeMans race in France. The Rebel L88 placed 7th in class GTS and 15th overall at LeMans. From there, the iconic Corvette finished third at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1973 and later earned poll position for the 12 Hours of Sebring.”
“Affectionately nicknamed “Ole Scrappy,” the L88 was driven by David Heinz and Bob Johnson during the race. When Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks purchased the car in 1997, he sent it to Kevin Mackay of Corvette Repair for a full restoration.”
“The restoration included extensive research, which revealed that the L88 raced at LeMans with a variety of unexpected parts. They included a master cylinder taken from a Nova, a horn button and steering wheel from a Vega GT, a special oil pressure fitting for the valve cover that came from a boat, and fuse holders and toggle switches from a boat.” Quite a sum of parts for this racer!
We would truly love to be down in Florida this weekend, but unfortunately we simply cannot make all of the events that we’d like; we’ll just have to enjoy this weekend’s Amelia Island event by other means. That being said, we would like to wish both Mike Yager and Mid America Motorworks the best of luck this weekend, and we are confident that the ’68 will draw quite the crowd.
