While Chevy Corvettes are a relative bargain compared to other high-end performance cars of the same caliber, the vehicle has never been an everyman car or budget-oriented. The third generation of Corvettes, dubbed the C3, was in production from 1968 to 1982, with the early C3s often considered one of the greatest American cars ever produced, but the true king of that era is the Corvette L88.

Chevy only made 216 L88 Corvettes over three model years, with a well-preserved 1969 L88 Corvette selling at an auction for an astronomical $631,000, a far heftier price tag than its original $6500. The L88 Corvettes were developed for racing and equipped with a 427 cubic inch V8, a rear sway bar, and heavy-duty suspension.

Factory Corvettes with the L88 package didn't include power steering, air-conditioning, or radio and sported a decal near the gear shift lever stating that 103-octane fuel was required. The L88 was developed discreetly as General Motors' corporate policy didn't allow for competition-focused vehicles, making its rarity and high-performance specs able to command such high prices at auction.