Chevrolet Corvette C3 L89 – 1968

Chevrolet Corvette C3 L89 - 1968

Chassis no. 194678S404229
French collector's registration
Vehicle sold without technical inspection

French historic registration title
Sold without contrôle technique

"A rare and beastly L89, part of Corvette racing legend".

"A very rare and beastly L89, entered into the legend of Corvette racing"

For the 1968 model year, the General Motors Company struck a
with the unveiling of a new generation of its successful muscle car
muscle car, the Corvette, with the C3 Stingray (no longer Sting Ray).
Ray), distinguished from its big sister the C2 by a completely
design, in line with the standards of the time. The
C3 remained in production for 14 years, before giving way to the C4.
At launch, the C3 was available with a choice of 6 engines,
all V8s: 2 small blocks, and 4 big blocks. At the top of the range
the L89 code engine, developing 435 bhp as standard... With its aluminium
aluminum cylinder heads, large valves, aluminum intake manifold
manifold and three Holley carburetors, it had roughly the same power
the same power output as the cast-iron version, but weighed
but weighed almost 35 kg less! In 1969, GM sold 38
762 Corvettes, including just 390 L89s, considered today to be
as the fastest and most balanced production C3.
In 1972, the car illustrated on these pages was purchased from
from Dick Guldstrand, a legendary Chevrolet driver and
by an Englishman, so that his son could race it in England.
in England. After some serious preparation
preparation, the car crossed the Atlantic, and Rhoddy
Rhoddy Harvey-Bailey raced it in the 1972 season
of the high-profile British Mod Sports Championship. Six
victories, three 2nd places and several lap records: the Corvette
color Rally Red quickly became a must-have. And with Rhoddy's
Rhoddy's generous driving, the beast's 500 hp, its American Racing or Minilites rims
American Racing or Minilites rims, and the slimming down during the
during the season (no hard top, retractable headlamps, etc.), it wasn't
didn't go unnoticed!
At the end of the season, Roddhy aspired to move up to single-seater racing.
(which he didn't do, setting up a renowned chassis and suspension
chassis and suspension development) and put the Corvette back
in his garage for 10 years, before selling it in the mid
1980s, to an enthusiast who undertook a restoration
which was completed in the USA by its next owner in the
early 2000s, with an engine developing 543 hp at
hp at 6,100 rpm. It should be noted that the block, broken during the
1972 season, was replaced by a similar 1967 block,
type 942 427, which still equips the car to this day, with the
with the famous original aluminum cylinder heads, and mated to the
Muncie close-ratio 4-speed gearbox.
The car was imported into Europe at the end of the 2000s, and
acquired by its current owner in 2021. Accompanied by an
important historical dossier, including numerous
photos, this unique Corvette, in beautiful used condition, still
condition, still equipped with its original harness and half-buckle
is ready to be used on the road or track by its next owner.
next owner. After a complete overhaul, it will be eligible
events such as the Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic.
Le Mans Classic.

For the 1968 vintage, the General Motors Company made a big
splash, unveiling a new generation of its successful muscle car,
the Corvette, with the C3 Stingray (and no longer Sting Ray), which
distinguished itself from its big sister the C2 by a completely
revised design, and in line with the standards of the time. The C3
remained in production for 14 years, before giving way to the C4.
At launch, the C3 was available with a choice of 6 engines, all
V8s: 2 small blocks, and 4 big blocks. At the top of the range,
the engine code L89, developing 435 hp as standard... With its
alloy cylinder heads, its large valves, its intake manifold also in
alloy and its three Holley carburetors, it had roughly the same
power as the cast iron version, but it weighed almost 35 kg
less! In 1969, GM sold 38,762 Corvettes, including only 390
L89s, considered today to be the fastest and most balanced
production C3.
In 1972, the car that illustrates these pages was purchased
from Dick Guldstrand, a legendary Chevrolet driver and tuner,
in California, by an Englishman, so that his son could race at the
wheel in England. After serious preparation in the Guldstrand
style, the car crossed the Atlantic, and Rhoddy Harvey-Bailey
scoured the 1972 season of the highly publicized British Mod
Sports championship at the wheel. Six victories, three 2nd places,
a few lap records: the Rally Red Corvette quickly became a musthave.
And with Rhoddy's generous driving, the beast's 500 hp,
its American Racing or Minilites rims, and its weight loss during
the season