There were 16 of the 1967 RPO L89 Corvettes manufactured by
Chevrolet, thus establishing the 1967 L89 Corvette in good company
in the list of the rarest of Corvettes ever produced. The L89
aluminum head 427 motor was GM factory rated at the same horsepower
of 435 HP as the L71 cast iron version. But it is believed that the
L89 had an increase in horsepower over the L71. The L89 heads had
bigger exhaust valves at 1.84 in. versus the 1.72 in. exhaust valves
on the L71 cast iron heads. Although the L89 and L71 motors were
basically the same other than the heads; the bigger exhaust valves
had to guarantee more horsepower. With the L89 aluminum heads
yielding a weight saving gain of approximately 75 pounds off the
nose of the car, plus the performance increase; the 1967 L89
Corvette was in a league of its own.
The L89 option listed for $368.65 and had to be ordered with
option L71 at its cost of $437.10, which gave a total of
$805.75. Although the L89 was not nearly as radical as the revered
L88 performance, it was more streetable. The L88’s came with no
radiator shrouds. The L89 at less compression and with a radiator
shroud; allowed you to stop at a traffic light without the fear of
it overheating. The L89 was equipped with the ever-popular tri-power
carburetion, which combined with the unpainted aluminum heads;
appeared ominous when one popped the hood open.
The motor for this Corvette was the first item discovered with
its L89 suffix IU and the accompanying VIN number. The search then
began for the car, taking a fair amount of effort by tracing the
VIN#, and it was eventually found. Do you think they told the then
current owner of this motorless Corvette, that it came new with an
L89 motor? I would give you odds that they did not. From there it
was purchased and the motor was finally reunited with the car. A
further search produced the complete owner history back to the
original owner. The first owner was contacted and asked if he had
any photos, etc. of the car. After two hours, the first owner called
back stating not only did he have photos, he had the original window
sticker, the original owners manual, 1967 insurance card, the 1967
postmarked envelope that the title came in.Roger Gibson did the
restoration to impeccable standards. It was then judged at a NCRS
meet and scored 99.1. After that it was taken back to Gibson to have
the items addressed that were deducted. The goal was to make this
Corvette to be as close of a 100 point car, that you would ever see.
Per the invoice, this Marlboro Maroon, Black standard interior
Corvette was equipped as follows: L71 435 HP, L89 aluminum heads,
M21 Muncie close ratio 4 speed, K66 transistor ignition, N14 dual
side exhaust, F41 heavy duty suspension, G81 positraction, U69 PB
AM/FM radio, 775x15 WSW, and A01 tinted glass.
