Only 80 L88 Corvettes were built in 1968, and it’s not hard to see why: no radio, no heater . . . nothing except support for its high-performance 427. It was expensive to buy and inconvenient to drive, but a select few had the means and ability to make it all work. One of those old warriors will be at Mecum’s Monterey auction during Pebble Beach this August 14-16.
This convertible was ordered and raced in the Southeast by Ronnie Reid Joyner. He christened it the Bounty Hunter and wreaked havoc in the region. In 1980 Joyner retired the rare Vette after a mechanical incident, and then before he knew it, it was 28 years later and the L88 still hadn’t been fixed. Since 2009 it’s been restored to showroom condition and has been the recipient of the following major awards:
- 2009 Bloomington Gold Special Collection
- 2010 Bloomington Gold Certified
- 2009 NCRS Chapter, Regional and National Top Flights
- 2010 Triple Diamond award
This L88 Corvette is accompanied by tons of documentation that include several large binders, a photographic record of the restoration, more than seven hours of professionally made high-def video that features footage of Joyner in Florida, and all awards, certificates, judging sheets, invitationals, ribbons, and owner’s manual packet. All that sounds great, but what sounds cooler is to be able to sit at the wheel of a 430-horsepower 427 and shift the “Rock-Crusher” M22 4-speed while the top is down.
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This car was found and bought by ProTeam in 2008 from it’s original owner. After a full restoration by Nabers in Houston it has been gathering up all the awards. Most likely will take very close to $600K to own?