Yenko Stinger: The Corvair That Got Respect

Last Sunday, at the All Chevy Show in Cumberland, RI, I saw a nice example of a Yenko Stinger.  The Yenko Stingers were Corvairs that were heavily modified by Yenko Chevrolet, a car dealer in Cannonsburg, PA, to be very good race cars.  The key figure behind the Yenko Stinger was Don Yenko, who was very active in car racing at that time.   Yenko also sold tuned versions of the Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, and even the Vega.

Yenko Stinger

The Yenko Stingers are relatively rare cars.  The production quantities were as follows:

• 1966 – 100 cars
• 1967 – 23 cars
• 1968 – 2 cars
• 1969 – 3 cars

I don’t know the year of manufacture of the Yenko Stinger that I saw in Cumberland, RI. 

The Yenko Stingers were Successful Race Cars

On the race track the Yenko Stingers were very impressive.  Yenko Stingers won 10 SCCA Divisonal Championship titles, five Divisional second-place finishes, and two Divisional Championship third-place finishes.

This Yenko Stinger was Tuned to Stage II Level

The Yenko Stingers were sold in five levels of tuning:

• Stage I – 160 horsepower, recommended for the street
• Stage II – 190 horsepower, recommended for high speed touring, rallying. or as a dual-purpose racer
• Stage III – 220 horsepower, for all out street performance
• Stage IV – 240 horsepower for SCCA Class D racing
• Stage V – 250 horsepower, illegal for SCCA racing

 

The Two Rear Scoops Provide Additional Air to the Engine

 

The Roll Cage/Bar Looks Well Fitted in this Yenko Stinger

I have a very good book on the Yenko cars entitled “Yenko: The Man, The Machines, The Legend” written by Bob McClurg.  The following images come from that book.

The Mini-Lites Look Good on this Yenko Stinger

I believe that most of the Yenko Stingers were basically white, but the car below looks quite good with the inverse paint job – blue with white stripes.

A Very Good Looking Yenko Stinger

While Yenko Stingers are basically race cars, the owner of the Yenko Stinger shown below has paid attention to making the interior very attractive.

Well Maintained Interior of a Yenko Stinger

The Yenko Stingers brought a certain amount of respect to the Chevrolet Corvairs, but the all of the negative press about the first generation Corvairs created an impression about the Corvair that even the Yenko Stinger could not repair.  The Corvair was no longer manufactured after 1969.