Horsepower--and lots of it--was on display at this year's Bloomington Gold.

For Bloomington Gold CEO David Burroughs, it was a daunting challenge: assemble the most factory production horsepower in one place at one time with the fewest number of vehicles--ever. 

This vision gave rise to the full-scale assault of 58 L-88-powered Corvettes that descended on Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois this past June 26-29th for the 2008 Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA show. The "L-88 Invasion," the moniker bestowed on this year's Special Collection, bristled with more than 32,000 combined horsepower--an inspiring public tribute to Chevrolet's virtually secret offering.

Bloomington Gold attendees were treated to another once-in-a-lifetime spectacle when Dick Keinath--chief engineer for legendary "Father of the Corvette" and L-88 catalyst Zora Arkus-Duntov--climbed into the #9 Sunray DX Oil Company car to ride with Dick Guldstrand, the iconic racer who helped pilot the same #9 L-88 at Le Mans in 1967.
 
"To see the man who made the L-88 Corvette riding with the man who made it famous...incredible!" Burroughs exclaimed.  "'Awesome' is an over-used word.  It should be reserved for occasions like this."
 

Also assembled in St. Charles were the #3 Sunray DX Oil Company L-88 and the #89 L-88 that captured second place in the GT class in the 1970 Daytona 24 Hour race for a total of 12 of the original 20 L-88s produced in 1967.

On Saturday, the L-88s were removed from their display, lined-up abreast and toured through Pheasant Run Resort for onlookers to behold.
 
"An absolutely incredible display of sight and sound," described Burroughs.  "By the time they shut down, the unmistakable racket gave way to clouds of coolant hissing from the L-88 engines and ticking headers.  It was immediately the personal highlight of my Corvette career!"

For those who need a brief history lesson, the RPO L-88 big-block option was available in ’67-69 Corvettes. The engine was listed at a ridiculously low horsepower rating of 430 horsepower to discourage non-racers—actual output was in excess of 500 horsepower. Even so, just over 200 smart cookies checked the right boxes and took home what was, in its time, the ultimate Corvette.