Chassis No. 194379710994

Visit any car show in North America that features America's Sports Car and you'll undoubtedly see rows of immaculately prepared Corvettes with their hoods up. General Motors designed the Corvette with the engine as the star and with wide open roads and big American race tracks it's easy to see why. In fact, in 1969 Chevrolet offered six V8 engine options for both Coupes and Convertibles. The rarest, naturally would be the off-road application only L88, but just behind it was the big block 427 cu-in 400 horsepower L68 optioned in just five percent of 1969 Stingrays. The L68 engine began life as a L36 390 horse big block and was upgraded by the factory with L68 “390 to 400-HP Equipment.” That L68 upgrade featured the legendary “Tri-power” triple two-barrel Holley carburetor and intake from the L71 435 horsepower engine adding ten horsepower on top of hydraulic valve lifters, a high performance camshaft, and 10.25:1 compression ratio. In effect, the L68 was a little-known sweet spot for the additional $326.55. Perhaps most notably, the 427/400 was the most powerful Corvette on offer in 1969 with 4-Season air conditioning, just what Steve Hough had in mind when he visited Floyd Hughes Chevrolet in Council Bluffs, Illinois in late 1968 when he ordered a new Stingray Coupe in Riverside Gold.

Riverside Gold would remain a one-year-only color for 1969, selected on just 11.8 percent of Corvettes that year. Along with the uncommon paint selection Hough would, according to the original Corvette Order Copy (better known as the tank sticker) order his coupe with, not only the rare L68 427/400 big block, but 4-season air conditioning as well. This rare combination of options is noted to be just one of only 352 ordered as such in 1969. Further options ordered by Hough included full-transistor ignition, Positraction (3.08:1), four-speed M20 wide ratio manual transmission, Goodyear white stripe tires, AM/FM pushbutton radio, Soft-Ray tinted glass, power windows, head restraints, power steering, power brakes, tilt-telescopic steering wheel, front fender louver trim, and audio alarm system. A serious list of additional extras amounting to just over 25 percent of the total with the C60 4-season air conditioning the most expensive option at $428.70. The original Protect-O-Plate naturally lists Hough as the original owner and includes the dealer stamp for Floyd Hughes Chevrolet, yet it also records the serendipitous, hand-written delivery date of 24 December 1968 — Christmas Eve. It is unknown if this was a planned occurrence, but either way it was certainly a very Merry Christmas for Steve Hough!

According to research provided with the car and included in the history file available for review, this uniquely ordered Stingray was owned by Hough for a short time until it was acquired in July 1971 by Henry Stupenski of Omaha, Nebraska just across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs. Rather than roar across the Great Plains in air conditioned style, Stupenski placed his new Stingray into storage until 2013! After his passing, the car was removed from storage and quickly passed through another Nebraskan's hands before landing with the fourth owner, Dewayne Lang of Papillion who kept the car until 2021 at which time it featured just 31,393 original miles. In 2022, it joined the exceptional Stingray Survivor Collection bearing all the hallmarks of a third-generation Corvette qualified to enter. Yes, it's an unrestored, low-mileage (just 31,447 miles at cataloging), original big block with born-with drivetrain that features a four-speed manual, but it also retains its factory applied Riverside Gold paint, factory fitted options, and original documentation including its tank sticker and Protect-O-Plate along with prior owner statements. Furthermore, in April 2024, it received an NCRS Second Flight award scoring 92.9/100 narrowly missing the 94 percent required for Top Flight. The critical deductions? An incorrect battery and oil filter costing 48 points and a sure-fire Top Flight score. So, to the future owner of this special Tri-power 427/400 Stingray Coupe, another crack at NCRS Top Flight or perhaps a cruise across America with the air conditioning on full blast? Why not both?!