Chevrolet Corvair#Yenko Stinger
Yenko Stinger (1965 ) in a classic race at Watkins Glen International
The Yenko Stinger is a super sports car, which was built in 1965-1969 by the Yenko Sports Cars, Inc. in Canonsburg (Pennsylvania ) based on the Chevrolet Corvair.
Donald Yenko, who first raced on Chevrolet Corvette, realized in 1965 that he was no longer competitive against the new Shelby Mustang. He therefore decided to continue to drive on Chevrolet Corvair. The standard Corvair, however, fit into any of the categories of the Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA ). Therefore he built a Corvair Corsa so to that it corresponded to the Regulations for sports car he built into the back seat and tunte the engine. However, the SCCA required a minimum print run of 100 vehicles to the new car as a production vehicle (and not as a prototype of what would have been a different class ) recognize. Yenko therefore equipped late as 1965 within just one month to the required number of Corvairs and offered it as a Yenko Stinger.
In accordance with the Regulations were all these cars painted white, but otherwise differ in many ways: some had changes to the body, such as an engine hood made of fiberglass with spoilers, others do not. Also, there were four performance levels. The steps 1-3 retained the standard six- cylinder boxer engine with 2687 cc displacement, 140 bhp of the (103 kW) made the Corvair with four carburetors at 5200 min -1. Level 1 delivered 160 bhp (118 kW) at 5500 min -1, Level 2 brought it to 190 bhp (140 kW) at 5500 min -1 and also level 3 developed 220 bhp (162 kW) at 6000 min -1. In addition, there was a stage 4, where the engine was enlarged to 2884 cc ( bore 90.4 mm instead of 87.1 mm, 74.7 mm stroke unchanged ) and 240 bhp (176 kW) at 6000 min -1 made . All of these vehicles were Chevrolet factory with a reinforced chassis, a lower steering ratio, a positraction differential ( 50 pieces with a ratio 1: 3.55: 3.89 and 50 pieces with ratio 1) equipped and two master cylinders. The latter change to the series in 1966 was included as standard from the following year for all Corvair.
The Stinger competed in Class D for production cars, which was then dominated by the Triumph TR4. In the first race in January 1966 was a Stinger second with only 1 second slower compared to the Triumph. At the end of the season 1966 Jerry Thomson had the Central Division Championship won and reached the fifth place in the National Championship. Dick Thomson, previously a very successful racing driver on the Corvette won the Northeast Division Championship, and Jim Spencer had won the National Championship, with Dino Milani was second.
The following year, but Chevrolet Corvair Corsa had the leak and only offered the Corvair Monza, possessed with the same capacity, but only two carburetors and 95 bhp (70 kW) made at 3600 min-1. If the customer installed but still the Chevrolet Corsa engine together with the long one: 3.89 - differential. However, there was at Monza no tachometer and no temperature display for the cylinder heads. These instruments therefore had to be retrofitted by Yenko. The SCCA in turn had loosened the rules and now also had sports car with red and blue paint to the races. It should 1967 only 14 Stinger have originated, but Dana Chevrolet, Yenko Stinger dealer on the west coast of the United States, ordered with consent Yenkos three Stinger at Chevrolet, but had to meet the more stringent California emission regulations.
Overall, to have incurred 185 Stinger. The last one had the chassis number YS- 9700 and was built at the turn of 1969/1970 for Goodyear as a tire test vehicle. The comedian, television star and automotive enthusiast Tim Allen drove a Yenko Stinger with the chassis number YS -043 until about June 2009.