Take a stab at the hammer price, then scroll down for the spoiler.
The story of this rare ZL-1 has been roaming around the Internet for weeks now, and our own Reggie did a great detailed piece on it last month, but I’ll give you the cliffs on why it’s so special.
The narrative on this legendary ZL-1 begins when John W. Maher of Leechburg, Pennsylvania caught some serious Corvette fever in the Fall of 1969. All it took was a buddy of his, (you may recognize his name, Don Yenko!), to plant a seed about this marvelous ZL-1 engine, a 560-horsepower derivative of the all-aluminum CanAm racing engine.
After trading in his ‘68 L88 Convertible the rest is history, and chassis 194679S710209, (the first of these two factory-documented ZL-1 Corvettes), was officially in Maher’s garage. His ZL-1 was fitted with the M40 automatic transmission, which suited his drag racing needs perfectly. The RM Sotheby’s auction reports this “is the only ZL-1 Convertible built, and the only such Corvette ever sold new to a retail customer.”
There are so many other interesting tidbits about this fascinating piece of Corvette history that I would hate for you to miss, so please click here for Reggie’s awesome detailed article.
Experts over at RM Sotheby’s predicted a range of $2,600,000 to $3,000,000. Yikes! In that range it had a chance to take the auction record, which is currently a 1967 L88 Coupe that hammered in 2014 for $3.85 million. Enjoy some pictures and as they say in the biz, happy bidding!
You can join us on our Facebook page or in the comments below to tell us what you think about this phenomenal sales price. Douglas B.
SOLD 1/26/2023! She didn’t quite bring a new record but hammered for $2,850,000!
Motorcar Studios ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Motorcar Studios ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Motorcar Studios ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
