The 1967 Corvette L88 427 is the most extreme production Corvette ever offered. The L88 was a racing engine with street paperwork. Chevrolet rated it at 430 horsepower to discourage non-racers from ordering it — the actual output was closer to 540 horsepower.

The L88 required race fuel. It had a compression ratio of 12.5:1, a mechanical lifter camshaft with radical timing, and no provision for road use comfort features. The factory-rated quarter-mile time was under 13 seconds. In a 3,100-pound car.

Twenty L88 Corvettes were built in 1967. Every one of them is accounted for and documented by Corvette historians. A genuine L88 is a museum piece. But understanding what Chevrolet was capable of building in 1967 when the objective was pure performance explains why the Corvette community is so devoted to this specific car.