Set to cross the auction block December 13th, an ultra-rare 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 will roll onto the Mecum’s Austin auction floor in search of a new home. This, the third generation, released in 1967, was considered the big powerhouse ride of the day.

Upon the unveiling of the third gen Vette, General Motors took its crowned jewel to the next level in performance with the unleashing of the Corvette L88, powered by the potent 427 cubic inch V8 power plant. However, this trimmed version of the Vette was considered too extreme for its own good and surprisingly went missing from most all Chevrolet sales materials.

This immaculate gem, one of only 116 sold the final year and with only 2,000 miles on the clock, has the serious car collectors a buzzing in full drool over the possibility of acquiring this rare edition Vette come December. Nicely restored and with the all-original drivetrain we expect it to garner world-wide attention and is expected to fetch some pretty competitive bidding, as just recently a similar ’69 L88 sold a few months back for an astounding $680,000.

This top of the line L88 cast iron block featured high compression, a big Holley four-barrel carburetor, along with high-flow exhaust headers and was also fitted with both a racing suspension and racing brakes. However race ready, this beast earned a rep for not being the greatest driver’s car and many of the creature comforts such as power steering, air conditioning, radio, and heater were all omitted from the package.Originally reported back in the day to be turning out 430 Horsepower, the L88 has shown in more recent results this number was actually closer to 560 at its 6,500 RPM redline. Priced at around $5,470 in its time, this model of the iconic Vette, only sold for three years from 1967-1969 and was not one of the Corvettes best sellers. With that said, what was once unpopular and undesirable with age often becomes a treasured find. What would you pay for this treasure find if you had a pirates gold to spend?