Month: January 2013

After trademarking Turbo-Jet last fall, it appears that GM has dusted off another legendary term. GM Authority reported late last week that General Motors has recently been given approval to use a pair of different L88 trademarks. The two requests were filed in August and September 2012 respectively and final approval was given on January 15th of this year.

According the GM Authority article, GM submitted two separate applications relating to the L88 name. First On August 4th, 2012 they applied for “exterior and interior badges for motor land vehicles”. Then on September 18th they filed another application relative to “decals”. In October both were published for opposition as part of the normal approval process. Subsequently on January 15th, 2013 both we approved to the US Patent and Trade Office Principal Register.

RPO L88 was the option code for the 430hp 427ci engine produced from 1967 – 1969. The engine was basically a race unit that pumped out closer to 560hp. Savvy buyers and racers scooped up L88’s in scarce numbers over the production run. Just 20 were sold in 1967, 80 in 1968, and 116 in 1969. Today well documented L88 equipped Corvettes in good condition routinely sell between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

When it comes to option codes there really isn’t one more sacred to Corvette enthusiasts than L88. While other famous RPO’s like LT-1, Z06, and ZR1 have been reused over the years, L88 has remained on the shelf. So what does this new piece of news mean? Well, it could be a couple of things. It could just be basic housekeeping for GM, making sure all the paperwork is in order. Or are they working on a successor to the famous L88 of yore?

While we have no idea what this does exactly mean, we’re excited at the possibility of seeing L88 associated with Corvette once again. This could be a marketing bonanza like when Chrysler brought back the Hemi name several years ago. Since the C7 already has resurrected both LT1 and Stingray, why not bring back L88 too? On the flip side it seems that nothing will ever duplicate the original C2 and C3 L88’s, so why not just let L88 remain part of history? Would a new L88 diminish the legacy of the original L88’s?

What are your thoughts on a potential return of RPO L88? Let us know in the comments below.

Source:
GM Authority

Related:
GM Files Trademark Paperwork for “Turbo-Jet”
[VIDEO] 1969 L88 Convertible Sells at Gooding and Co for $825,000
GM Trademarks the “Stingray” Name

 

Other than the original 1960′s Batmobile, no other car captured the attention of the crowds at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction like the 2014 Corvette Stingray. As it worked its way through the throng of bidders and spectators and made its way up on the auction block, Adam and Dylan from Adam’s Premium Polishes were there to make sure the Stingray was ready for its TV appearance with Adam’s officially licensed Corvette Detail spray and Adam’s Double Soft microfiber towels.

Here’s the message we got from Dylan at Adam’s:

A special moment for Adam’s Polishes on Saturday night… as the 2014 C7 Corvette went thru the staging lanes and across the block Adam and I were right there, helping keep it perfect as it sold for $1,050,000!!

It was so unreal to be a part of that moment… everyone touching the cars was holding Adam’s Double Softs and the Officially Licensed Detail Spray of Corvette! My phone blew up immediately after with texts letting me know we were very visible on TV. HOW COOL!

Very cool indeed. Check out these pictures and you can see the potential for finger prints and other contaminants was high but with Adam in the house, you know the Stingray would look its best when the auction was ready to start.

Talk about looking like a million bucks! As our readers know, the first retail 2014 Corvette Stingray was sold for slightly over that amount to Chevy dealer and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick.

But perhaps the best news is that your Corvette doesn’t have to be worth a million dollars to benefit from the same care that Adams’s Premium Polishes provide.

Check out Adam’s 13th Anniversary sale with 13% off Storewide when you use the code “13YEARS”. Free shipping on orders over $130 and get a free calendar with any gallon product purchase. Sales ends February 4th at Midnight MST so start your savings today.

Adam’s Polishes are officially licensed and endorsed by GM for Corvette and Camaro and all products are made in the USA to the highest standards. Visit Adam’s Premium Car Care Products and save now!

Source:
Adam’s Premium Car Care Products

Related:
First Retail VIN 2014 Corvette Stingray Sells for $1.05 Million At Barrett-Jackson
GM Gives Official Nod to Adam’s Premium Car Care Products for Corvette and Camaro
Give the Gift of a Clean Corvette this Christmas Season from Adam’s Polishes

 

While we sit back and wonder what the new C7.R race car from Corvette Racing and Pratt & Miller will look like, a talented graphic artist has already unveiled his vision of the car that will be based on the recently unveiled 2014 Corvette Stingray.

“As a big fan of Corvettes in general, and big fan of all kind of racing machines just couldn’t resist to show my interpretation of the track-ready C7,” says Jacek Kolodziejcyck, who uses the nickname Iacoski on the Internet.

“As you see it’s done more in Super GT style than ALMS but for racing I prefer more aggressive styling ,” he writes of his rendering on his website.

Iacoski’s designs “all started because of my passion for computer graphics and car tuning,” he says. “For over 10 years I’ve been occupying myself with digital editing of the photos of the cars which can be also called ‘virtual tuning’ or ‘photochoping.’”

Chevy engineers have already said that much of the design of the seventh-generation Corvette is based on what they have learned from the C6.R race car, including things like the tilted radiator, carbon fiber roof, and various vents on the hood and tops of the rear fenders.

The C7.R is under development right now and may be revealed later this year before the 2014 motorsport season. Officials have already said the current C6.R will continue racing for the remainder of this season.

MotorAuthority.com believes the new Stingray will be making more appearances worldwide than the C6 and that its C7.R sibling will also be more active on the international motorsports scene.

They theorize one of the race engines could be an updated version of the 5.5-liter V8 used in the current C6.R and say the frame of the racer will likely be all-aluminum, like the C7 and the current C6.R.

Source:
MotorAuthority.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Interview with Corvette Racing’s Doug Fehan at the 2012 Petit Le Mans
[VIDEO] ShakeDown Asks: Is Corvette Racing the Greatest American Racing Brand?
Fehan: Work is Progressing on the Corvette C7.R