Chevrolet Corvette L88, Le Mans 1968

In 1968, Henri Greder and Bob Lutz convinced Georges Filipinetti to enter two Chevrolet Corvette L88s in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Filipinetti called on Franco Sbarro to help him in this endeavor.

Preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Although no longer officially employed by Filipinelli, Franco Sbarro continued to do some work for the company. He went to the USA to assemble the two Corvettes under the supervision of Zora Arkus Duntov himself. For the record, in his book "La mécanique dans le sang" (Mechanics in the Blood), Sbarro points out that, at the time, he only asked for 150 francs a day, much to the astonishment of the American, who was used to much larger sums!

The competition

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans in September 1968, both cars dominated the GT class during the first hours of the race. One of the Corvettes retired due to mechanical problems (carburation) in the sixth hour of the race, the other following a run-off in the fourteenth hour. Earlier, both cars suffered brake problems due to their excessive weight.

Although they didn't score any major victories, these two cars took part in all the major races of the era, including the Tour de France Automobile. One of them (chassis n°194378S410300), driven by Henri Greder, was entered six times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which I believe is a record for the time for a single chassis.