Vintage ’68 Corvette and Its Racing Team Are Reunited After 44 years
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Like many kids growing up in California’s 1950s and ‘60s car culture, Bob Matkovich was a gearhead. When he began his career as a young mechanical engineer in Maryland, he purchased a 1968 Corvette for his daily driving. In 1973, when he returned with his wife to his native Cupertino, Calif., he brought back the cherished car. That big-block 427 L71 435-horsepower Corvette would soon become his first race car—a vehicle that would play a meaningful role in his life across nearly five decades.
Soon after returning to California, Matkovich started to ponder the track potential of his Corvette. He grew interested in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) autocross racing, and started attending driving workshops. He was hooked.
Racing at Laguna Seca in 1972 (Photos courtesy of Matkovich Racing)
Matkovich’s Corvette had legitimate muscle, but to be competitive on the track, custom modifications were required. He designed and installed a roll cage - opens in new window or tab., and removed all of the stock glass. He added wider wheels to the maximum width allowed by the rules, and a set of L81 wheel flares - opens in new window or tab.. Matkovich installed a wiring harness - opens in new window or tab.. Side pipes - opens in new window or tab. replaced the stock exhaust. By 1974, Matkovich he was a full-fledged racer with an FIA national racing license.
The Team Was Formed
By this time, a group of Matkovich’s childhood friends—who had all earned engineering degrees—were settled with families in Silicon Valley. They started gathering in Matkovich’s home garage to work together on the ‘Vette.
That group of Silicon Valley performance geeks became the volunteer crew of Matkovich Racing, which campaigned in the SCCA Trans-Am series up and down the West Coast throughout the 1970s. “Most races required all-night drives, and then straight to qualifying,” Matkovich remembers. “We were working on the car nearly every day and night. The team camaraderie was great. We were all in sync and knew what we had to do to win.”
The Corvette in its heyday at the 1978 Rose Cup Race at Portland Raceway
Matkovich and his buddies raced against big names on the SCCA circuit and held their own. In fact, Matkovich’s ‘68 Corvette still holds a Laguna Seca A-Production track record.
Changes in racing rules in the 1980s meant that a “street ‘Vette” was no longer competitive with cars campaigned by factory teams. In 1983, after nearly a decade of racing, Matkovich and his crew parked the ‘68 Corvette behind his garage and retired from the track.
Fast-Forward to 2010
Twenty-eight years later, Matkovich’s original 68 big-block Corvette was still parked behind his garage. But Bob Matkovich’s grown-up son Richard—who had practically grown up on the track and had become active as an adult in the National Auto Sport Association (NASA)—knew that his dad wanted to bring the abandoned ‘Vette back to its former glory.
Matkovich Racing's restored 1968 Corvette arrives in Monterey
The old team re-united—now joined by many of their children who gathered for long wrenching sessions to restore the car to its 1978 racing configuration.
After 44 years, the Number 12 Matkovich Corvette returns to Laguna Seca
In August 2016, the ‘68 Vette returned to the track at the 2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It was awarded a Gold Medallion certification by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) for its historical significance. The award was a great honor for the re-assembled team and their families. Yet, the true reward for Matkovich and his friends were all the years of fun in the garage, the excitement on the track, and the racing camaraderie that spanned more than 40 years.
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