The History of the Yenko Stinger

The Yenko Stinger was the first car produced by Yenko Chevrolet. It was low, sleek, and fast! Based on the unlikely Chevy Corvair, who would've ever thought that it could beat Porsches!!!
A special THANK YOU to SpeedTour TV who graciously gave me permission to use their SVRA Corvair footage! If you want to see some great vintage racing action, check out SpeedTour TV at / @speedtourtv . These Stingers sound sweeeeet!
These aren't the Stinger Vegas! I'll make a separate video for those!
#Yenko #Stinger #Corvair #speedtourtv #thegearheadlounge
Music:
Diamond Ortiz - Gas Pedal
• Diamond Ortiz - GAS PE...
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[@goodmanboattransport3441]

I learned more about the Corvair here than from anywhere or anyone else, great job

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@peniscaughtinzipper]

Same! I have a collection of vintage magazines and I never looked at all the corsair articles in them but after watching this I might have to go back through them.

[@alan6832]

​@@TheGearheadLounge Too much on the engine and not enough on the sway bars. I want to know about the ratio between front and rear sway bar stiffness on rear engine racers like this and 911. Did they have huge rear sway bars compared to front????

[@williamomartin6960]

@@alan6832 My 1966 Corvair 500 had a 1 inch front sway bar I do not recall it having any rear sway bar.

[@alan6832]

@@williamomartin6960 My brain fart. That is what a base model rear engine car should have, at least 1". Did they have those from the start? If not, then Nader might have had a good point. Then the performance models could add a rear bar as well, for more experienced and bolder drivers.

[@reddune6185]

My Dad was a Corvair lover. He raced a Yenko Stinger in D production in SCCA. I had a wonderful childhood.. 😁 Also, we had a Yenko Stinger that had NOTHING done to it other than the aluminum tag inside the driver door, so not all 200 were actually modified. Bob Coffin, Charlie Clark, John Brakke and many others raced them back in 70/80s.

[@richardsalinetrojr1957]

Sounds like you had a wonderful childhood. Lmao. always tried getting into racing just could never afford to do anything but build daily drivers we could run at local strip on weekends. best I had was a 87 Cutless with a built 455 putting out roughly 600hp. it ran pretty good but always wanted something much more powerful. guess that's the guy in me. Lmfao

[@randypobstofficial]

I know Charlie Clark from my autocrossing days in the 80's. He prepped a beautiful car and ran well.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

I had a 67 Chevelle SS 396 with factory rated 375 hp. I had a problem with cracked rocker arm stud and took it to local parts house. They said not stock part, and found some at Yenco. Turns out engine was Yenco build. Rest of car also setup for street/strip. It was plain beige, nothing flashy, nothing to give away what it could do. It did have SS 396 chrome on front fenders and on ribbed pieces on hood. It was like a bullet getting fired out of a gun.

[@steveme2418]

A gentleman in my hometown area (believe his name was Hartley if memory serves correctly) was Yenko's chief race mechanic. After Yenko won his class at Daytona (memory again:) he gave Hartley a Stinger as a bonus! The good old days...lol. I remember occasionally seeing Hartley testing out a new mod or tune on the local back roads.

[@mikebrosch9337]

And why no mention of the Turbo Model?

[@IronMan3582]

Really hope this car returns to the Forza franchise at some point, there's just something incredibly gratifying that takes a car with an unconventional layout and turning it into a world class beater surprising everyone from the starting grid and at the finish line

[@snake_eyes_garage]

My friend and I got to watch Tim Allen pilot a Yenko Stinger around Road America in '86 vintage races. Such a cool car and great experience to get up close to it in the pits and watch it go around the track keeping up with the Corvettes.

[@chipbaker2025]

I spent 65 and most of 66 I spent most of my time in the bush. I wanted a Yenko stinger, but none were available. Phones were not available to me, so I had to do it by mail. I ordered a 66 Corvair convertable in ermine white and had it delivered to Yenko. Couldn't be made a Stinger. First it was a ragtop, and second it was a turbo engine. So They tuned it and added some parts, and I had a Yenko Corvair. What a wonderful car, nostalgia still over comes me after all these years. The trips I took with my girlfriend, the races they had at Maguire AFB on some weekends when they closed a runway.. It was a great car until a drunk in a buick station wagon tried to rearrange it into a front engine car. Thanks for the video.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching my video and thank you for sharing your story!

[@ericbrammer2245]

So much for Nader's "unsafe at any speed"!! I recall that in the mid-1980's, a Corvair (not even a Yenko!?) earned the Slalom-Cross 1st-place. When they ran, they ran pretty well!

[@cigarsgunsandgasoline8032]

Nader was a blowhard... people just weren't used to a MR layout car in the 60's!

[@noelfelty6701]

Unsafe at Any Soeed had nothing to do with the 65-69 Corvair. Also Unsafe at Any Speed was not a book on the Corvair. It was a book on automotive safety. Only 30 pages of a 280 page book were dedicated to the swing arm suspension in the 1960-63 Corvair. The rest of the book was about other designs and featured other cars of the period. In 1972 the NHTSA found no propensity for loss of control in the 1960-63 Corvair proving Ralph Naders claims wrong. 65-69 Corvairs are not swing arm but full IRS, subsequently they were praised for their handling and have nothing in regards to the Unsafe at Any Speed book except for a diagram showing the difference in suspension design.

[@jasonallwood9444]

I drove a Corvair back in the 90's. It was very fun to drive. Couldn't imagine if it had that much horsepower.

[@m.e.g.a.n.l.e.i.g.h]

My aunt had 4 corvair's threw the 66- 67 years. All used. One of them was a Spyder with turbo. She said even in a stock version it was fun 😊. And with all the negative news about corvair's they were cheap. In other words, buy and drive at your own risk. But she never had an issue. They were great 👍 cars.

[@bluesky6985]

The Corvair got a bad rap

[@dukecraig2402]

@@bluesky6985 Yep, those films that show them rolling over were rigged, they did it in loose dirt because they couldn't get them to flip on pavement or even hard packed dirt, it was a scam perpetrated by a pack of no good lawyers looking to cash in. Just like the films of the Pinto's blowing up when rear ended, they couldn't get them to do it so they resorted to command detonated explosives.

[@jesterokjones4954]

My dad was almost killed in his 1st gen Corvair, it was his 1st car @ 16 in 1968. So of course he moved on to '66 Malibu SS near about 600hp, heavily modified, lol....

[@dukecraig2402]

@@jesterokjones4954 Yea, that was a lot safer.

[@alan6832]

It's too bad they stopped making them just in time for the energy crisis, as well as 170 Valiant wagons and base Falcons.

[@crashj]

Raced my Lotus Super 7 against a Yenko Stinger at Nelson's Ledges in 1969 and had a great race,beating him out of the last turn but getting pulled on the straight. Super time. Donna Mae Mimms also raced a pink one against us.

[@chrismoody1342]

A Corvair with 240 hp. Now we’re talking. I had a 66’ Corsa 140. I’d been over the moon with 100 extra hp. I seen vintage car magazine that gave the secret sauce for a 300+hp, bored, blue printed stroker with six Weber downdraft carbs. I believe it used ChevyII rods and pistons VW jugs and Corvair heads. I’d saved that magazine for a number of years dreaming of what a Corvair could be with copious power, but managed over the years to somehow lose it. The Gen II Corvair were more of a true sports car than one might think.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

The Gen II Corvair is a sports car posing as a touring car.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

The people in the know who were building performance Corvair engines used whatever they could finagle in order to turn a small displacement grocery-getter engine with NO aftermarket support into a race-capable engine. No big inch strokers... no room in the crankcase for a longer stroke that would amount to anything useful, and that's even with cutting reliefs in the crankcase and the bottoms of the jugs and machining the corners off the camshaft lobes, seeing as how the cam was right below the crankshaft leaving no room for any sort of practical stroke increase... thus bore increases were the alternative and even then one could only go so far simply because the engine was so compact to begin with. No "six-one-barrel" Webers... Corvair heads were getting cut and welded to receive Weber 3xbbl IDE carbs usually seen on Porsche 911s. Now, the VW jugs you mentioned were a real thing, with some careful machining of both the jugs and crankcase it could get you a practical displacement increase, up to around 180ci. Of course this required custom pistons, and die hard sorts would order up custom rods also although a lot of these hard core Corvair race engines still used factory rods. A lot of these mods were not legal in SCCA "class" racing but other "pro" classes could allow them. Lots of dedicated autocrosser Corvairs have been fitted with the big-inch modified engines and they do well. I know several people who own Stingers... one of them has two. Stingers are too rich for my budget... but I do have about a dozen Corvairs in the fleet, half of which are in storage and a couple are parts cars... and a ton or so of parts stashed away. :-) The best showing a Corvair stinger in serious SCCA roadracing was a few years ago, before SCCA racing began legislating Corvairs out of some competition classes by instating displacement limits iirc... Thus at the SCCA runoffs that year, two stingers were entered, one finished 7th over-all and the other finished 4th. The next oldest car in the field was 30 years newer than the Stingers. The top 3 class winners were all factory backed, while the two Stingers were fielded by the cars' owners. I think that not too bad a showing...

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@tonyunderwood9678 Are you familiar with either the Frank Gardner or Ian Richardson Corvairs? The Gardner one was utterly dominant down under. The Richardson one is harder to find good information on.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Not sure if I've heard anything about either of these owners, of course I'm not as worldly as I oughta be. :-) I do know a few Corvairs were making waves outside the US, particularly in Europe. But I never did hear much about Pacific Corvairs in my circles, being eastern US.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@tonyunderwood9678 Fair enough. It might be a stretch to call either of them Corvairs, they're both essentially a Corvair body on a dedicated race chassis. In some ways similar to the IMSA GTO or AA/GT category cars, but earlier, overseas and on smaller budgets.

[@tekis0]

I learned more about Yenko Corvairs here than with Jay Leno.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you! 😄😄

[@DuhBiggestDog]

Great video with excellent commentary. I was aware of the Yenko Camaro but had never heard of the Stinger. Wish I had one today. Nader was a complete jerk who was only out to make a buck. The Corvair was a great car.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! Nader was the perfect example of a non car guy being allowed to have influence over an area that he had no knowledge about or passion for.

[@cigarsgunsandgasoline8032]

There was a handful of Yenko models... I just found out about the Nova

[@tracygriffin6205]

You are absolutely correct about Nader. Very good report but they failed to mention another model in the Monza line. It was the "Spyder". A Turbo charged flat 6 that could run 90 to 100 miles an hour for extended lengths. I know because I took my father's Spyder from Denver north on I-25 to the Wyoming state line in an unbelievably short time. Late night with very little traffic. It was a 1964 model.

[@daynevickers1079]

Thanks for a great video and history lesson about Yenko! In 1973, my brother bought a used 1969 Yenko Chevrolet Camaro Z28, replete with a de-stroked 302, tunnel ram, roll bar, Muncie 4 spd tranny and Hurst super shifter. Absolutely awesome car (he says still has dreams about that car!). All I knew was it scared the bejeezus outta me!

[@randypobstofficial]

I always have loved the second gen 'Vair, since driving one in an autocross in about 1979, thanks Bernie Long, Corvair guru enthusiast in Florida. The controllable tail-hangin' cornering attitude was entertaining and addictive. Similar to the Porsche 911 in the day, but easier, partially due to the longer wheelbase. I promise I will own one someday, tho maybe not the now-valuable ultimate, The Stinger. Thanks for a great vid, @TheGearheadLounge !

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you @randypobst! I appreciate you watching and I LOVE your work!!!

[@dude...are-you-sure]

Thanks for the history lesson. Really enjoyed it learning about one of my favorite classic Chevrolets.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for taking the time to watch my video!

[@randypobstofficial]

And that's amazing footage of the all-Corvair race! My friend Jim Schardt must be in there with his Stinger, too!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Nice!

[@jacobjoab3952]

Wonderful history lesson. Thank you. Just waking up to the various other Corvair bodies…wagons, vans, pickups, damn cool

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@jamesromeyn8165]

Superb job. Very well written and great spoken word recording. Props for no music track or so quiet and subtle I did not notice it. Great to learn about this often-overlooked gem in GM's history. My neighbor across the street loved and cared well for his white Corvair. The most welcome and surprising news was the American Corvair's track success vs. the more costly German Porsche 911.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@billvose7360]

My youngest son's first car was a 1965 Corsa with the "heavy duty" suspension. Engine was a .030 over 140 hp with an Otto OT20 cam. It was somewhere between a stage I and Stage II Yenko engine. He loved it and had a lot of fun messing with people in it. I was able to lay my hands on a batch of the little brass power enrichment valves the 1965-67 Corvair carbs used to enrich the mixture at WOT. I also had the Rochester parts book which gave the weights and approximate RPM they would open at. If he kept his foot out of it, gas mileage wasn't bad and it would wind right on up if he stood on it.

[@robertreasor7522]

Back in the early 70's my dad was into Corvairs and VW's. Somewhere he heard about a kit to adapt the Corvair flat 6 into the VW bug. He and a fellow mechanic buddy did I believe, 3 bugs. I was in my early teens then and got to drive and ride in at least one of them. Maybe due to my age but I remember how quick and fun the 6 cylinder added to the lowly VW bug! The only negative to the kit was you could see the bigger 6 cylinder sticking out the back of the little car so it really wasn't what you could call a sleeper but fun? Heck yes, a blast!

[@hrvojeprebisalic9302]

Why he did not put Porsche 6 motor from junkyard??

[@robertreasor7522]

@@hrvojeprebisalic9302 I didn't ask at the time but my guess would be huge cost difference between the Porsche and Corvair flat 6's.

[@capt_beefheart4159]

Excellent, excellent video! I've liked Yenko cars for a long time and find this video to be quite informative. Aside from the topic itself, your production values, script and editing make this video a pleasure to watch. Thanks!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@leemzgoogle917]

Cool. My very first car was a 1967 Corvair. Handling was awesome and it was fantastic in the snow.

[@williamgregory6684]

This is definitely the most informative video I've seen on the Yenko Stinger! Fantastic job! I want one more than ever! Thanks for posting.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@johnkerr48]

When I was in high school in Savannah, GA back in 1967, I belonged to an Automotive Explorer Post associated with my father's church. We didn't do many car projects but someone found out about us and mentioned us to the local SCCA organization. When Donna Mae Mims came to the track a week after the Daytona 24 Hour, she needed bodies for her pit crew and we got recruited. I only remember that the car was PeptoBismol Pink, as was her drivers suit and helmet. No idea how she did, but there was a Carrera Six that had been at Daytona, or maybe it was doing a shakedown for Daytona. Who knows. Peter Gregg also raced a Fiat station wagon in one of the races, because it had a better power to weight ratio. Great fun. I should have taken pictures. Thanks for this video.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Great story! I appreciate you taking the time to watch my video!

[@jayceecombs6887]

So good to relive those years with this excellent tutorial video about Yenko. Thank you, J

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@dschene1]

Great job. I remember the the Yenko Stinger racing at Laguna Seca in the mid 60’s. Thanks

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@brucewilson1958]

I'm not a serious car guy, but I have always been curious about Corvairs. Excellent show. Bravo.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@justinandrus6731]

My mother used to have a Corvair Monza, and always tell me stories about that car. It iwas cool to learn something new about these cars

[@williams3631]

This brings back memories. Great job young man. Back in the 70s, I drove past Yenko Chevrolet often, and saw several Novas and Camaros equipped with 427s by Yenko.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@raylarkin5004]

Great review. I owned a 60 corvair in high school Non performance but a light nimble little car I took to 85 mph on the freeway construction behind my house in Fremont ca. In 1970. Loved that little car.

[@waynewilson5739]

Nice job sir. Very smooth!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@marvinrieger7129]

Great video I learned more in the time it took to watch it than in the 50 years that I have owned and still own a Corvair. I have a 1968 monza convertible 140 four speed in my barn that hasn't seen the light of day for twenty years, shame on me.

[@exoditegrayc]

A very good video. Entertaining, educational and engaging. (Except for the BMW build time-lapse🤣), the best video on the Yenko Stinger I've seen, including Jay Leno's. Congratulations! Well done! Thanks!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@BobLigget]

My first car at 16 was a '64 with a 4 speed. My friend had a '63 and we raced them on winding back roads in PA. If we couldn't roll them then nobody could! Ralph Nader was a killjoy and just wrong. I replaced the twin one-barrels with a single 4 barrel mounted in the center and it was awesome! Eventually it was burning a quart of oil a day with smoke rising from the louvered back hood and that was that. Always wanted a Corsa! Great video, great info, great memories.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much! And thank you for sharing that incredible memory!

[@johncartelli]

funny, i had a 63 convertable automatic and a 64 4 spd

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Nader wasn't wrong about cars in that era being death traps. People failed to understand that the Corvair wasn't the worst of the worst, it was actually quite average. The way the book was covered was much more of an issue than the book itself because even then media didn't want to dig deep into a story, they just wanted to report the headline. The Corvair was a case-study but reporting acted like the other cars on the market weren't similarly unsafe. Corvairs are great but that doesn't mean the issues described in the book didn't exist. That said, if you didn't reproduce the entire situation (tire pressure being out of spec plays a big role) it's unlikely you'd see the same result. Conscientious owners would be mindful of that stuff but most people aren't very conscientious.

[@jasomkovac9115]

If I remember correctly, wouldn't a strap over /under(?) the axles stop them from tucking under? VW's had same problem.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@jasomkovac9115 I believe so but don't quote me. My understanding is that all swing axle cars have the same issue, so if it fixes the V-dubs it should fix 1st gen Corvairs too.

[@samwalton4598]

I am 62 and a motorcycle gear head at heart but have always followed cars from a distance. I had a neighbor growing up in the 60’s who had a Yenko Camaro. It sounded great. This was a hot rodder. He also owned a 5 window Ford 32’ that channeled and he would give my friends and I rides in the rumble seat around town. Before seat belts. I had no knowledge there was a Yenko Corvair. Or to what extent and how diverse the Yenko shop went. Thank you for this video. Well done man! 👍

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@richardarthur8897]

Great video! I remember the DP Stingers winning on road courses. Yenko was a brilliant innovator in the class of Shelby, Cunningham, and Panoz.

[@billmagorian490]

A very professional presentation. Your story line was tight and kept me engaged.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@rogergrandify]

yeah with no music.

[@albertgarcia2329]

Never heard of the Yenko corvair, but now I can’t imagine not having one . I’m so envious. I have a 64 step side C10, 1970 corvette, and a 2006 equinox (family car of course) but this is one Chevy that’s missing in my fleet. Thanks for the video and I’ll keep my eye open for this corvair!!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@markkeeton377]

Rarely does anyone do such a good job of presenting the story of rare and little known cars! And I have to say in my opinion it is the best one on you tube! You hit on every point perfectly being factual, a nice pace not to short but a very thorough presentation, the background music wasn’t too irritating but I would have loved to hear more engine and race track sounds. I think any true car enthusiast would like and appreciate this presentation no matter what car brand is your favorite! Thank you, I really enjoyed and appreciate this!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Wow, you humble me! Thank you so much! I think in the future, I'm going to have to make a video of nothing but engine sounds!

[@DadsGarageDIY]

Can't wait for this to release. Love the content my friend. Glad to see you back!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks! Man, you know how difficult it can be sitting down at the computer and writing out a script after working from home all day? 😄😄 But, I know if I want this channel to grow, I need to put in the time, and that’s what I’m going to do!

[@DadsGarageDIY]

@@TheGearheadLounge I occasionally have notes but no script. But, with the detail you go into no way around it. Not only do you give great detailed information but your editing is just phenomenal. Not to mention the time you spend researching. With the work you put in it has to take a significant amount of time. Your work is so professional. Just always top notch stuff.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

@dadsgarage Thank you, my friend!

[@oxcart4172]

Never heard of this car before, very cool! Thank u!

[@skeptic316]

Glad I came across your site. VERY well done and informative. I wish you much KZbin success.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@txnetcop]

I had a Red and White Corvair Spyder...loved that car!

[@jeffhayes630]

Well done! Tons of information, excellent video and clear annunciation! I enjoyed it.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@GabrielKish]

I had an old Covair Corsa Convertible. What a cool ass car that was. The handling was fantastic. So much better than my 71 Mustang Mach1. My friend had a gorgeous Coupe with over sized wheels and tires.look great and he could drift it beautifully. Would live to have one with a mid engine V8.

[@lars1588]

Those things showed the true potential of Corvairs. It's a shame they ended in '69. A lightweight, small, good-handling car, with RWD, and a rear-mounted flat-six to suite! Every model year was a good year for that car.

[@johnmarshall4442]

Great video ! Learned a lot about this car . Didn't realize how Yenko started ......

[@literallyshaking8019]

The later model Corvairs are so good looking. There’s a Petrolicous video of a kid who built a slammed, completely blacked out Corvair Monza and it’s one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen.

[@conorkennedy3304]

They look really cool low.

[@tdkeyes1]

In the '70's I had a buddy drop a 350SBC in his 2nd gen Corvair. Mid engined with the entire back seat boxed and carpeted to cut the sound of the V-8 sitting a few inches behind your head. It was one fast street car.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

That sounds crazy-fast!

[@hughmongous6613]

There was a guy in our town that had one of those. 350 Chevy SB mid engine. Did autocross with it!

[@jasomkovac9115]

My sister had a Monza(?) I think . With the fairings on the back window. But had a friend who had a corvair with a 326 in the back seat. Only problem with that set up was the rear end kept needing to be rebuilt.

[@jasomkovac9115]

Sorry, knew it sounded odd. A 327.

[@hughbarton5743]

A great presentation on the American Porsche, and the great man behind it.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@clinkerclint]

Man, what a wealth of knowledge! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching! It was a ton of research for sure!!

[@VigilanceTech]

I always loved the Corvairs, especially the 2nd gens, but I never knew about these. I guess Ralph Nader never knew about them either!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Exactly! 😆😆

[@richardmccaughey5928]

If you really investigate the "timeline" of the Corvair's demise, it was the GM bean counters who killed the car. It was too expensive to manufacture a car that shared almost no components with other GM products. But Ralph Nader is still a dick!

[@howardbartlett3026]

Excellent video and thank you for sharing it with us.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@brad8189]

My dad used to rebuild Corvair’s, all 65’s, had a really nice Corsa 180 turbo, a few Monza’s and even a Greenbrier Corvair van, good memories helping him build them when I was kid.

[@LAP1050]

Excellent video. Drove a 2 door 66 back in high school, loved that car.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you! Awesome car for high school!

[@Matt-vz5wy]

This is a cool video. I’d heard bits and pieces about corvairs when I was active in the aircooled vw scene, and seen a few that were pretty cool, but I had no idea they had such an impressive racing pedigree, or had so much aftermarket support back in the day. Good stuff.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@mybestfriendisamonkey173]

Very cool! I had no idea the Yenko Stinger was the first car Yenko built. Learn something new everyday. Great video my friend.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

This is totally SWEET man! Takes me back to my beater back in the day ran 9's in the quarter and lifted the front wheels down half track but that was cuz I added the roots blower off a GreyHound onto the air cooled helicopter motor in my old Tucker in the 90's... it was a screamer!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@stevenmitchell9761]

Nice Production! Thanks for the knowledge!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@myfavoritemartian1]

Many years ago I had the cool experience of meeting Yenko's wife. As I recall she was 15 years or so older than me, but she made a distinct impression.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Nice story!

[@KAS6558]

I WANT A STINGER! Since I like to write science fiction, I now have to write about a character having a Street Stinger....and nobody knows what it is, and he can have real cool getaways in it from trouble.... YOWZA, MAMA!!...MAYBE I CAN DO AN ANIMATION VERSION...NOW YOU GOT ME THINKING CRAZY...

[@danielkingery2894]

I've got two Certified Old-Guy racecar guys...an they are both in trouble for not telling me about Yenko Corvairs...lol EXCELLENT information here. Thx.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@georgeevankovich3489]

I was so unaware. Thank you so much!!! Great video

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@Joelontugs]

This is so epic and informative I love the tech facts I’ve definitely subscribed and maybe have found my new favorite channel

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you so much! Enjoy!

[@Where_is_Waldo]

6:13 I never in my life would have dreamt up a fan belt setup such as this. That is absolutely absurd.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Yeah, that's pretty crazy!

[@ACF6180T]

That was epic & so spot on ! There is so much that You brought out here & needed to be told , & the best part is it's factual ! & while You covered the gambit & it was the story of the beginning of Yenko , I like to point out to the Porsche people that Chevrolet was 8 years ahead on the flat 6 & offered a Turbo 1962 thru 1966 & Porsche would not offer a turbo till 1976 just a fact ! But I digress. Thank You for a excellent video & factual

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@ACF6180T]

@@TheGearheadLounge Again thank You for putting this video out.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

The wobble head people with their Vobble Vagens and Poser Wagens do not acknowledge the Corvair. The second gen Corvairs were far better than any poser wagen and cheaper. And ofcourse where was Ralph Nader on the German rear engine nastys??? The swing axle versions were more evil handling than a Corvair [which were not great]

[@ACF6180T]

@@ldnwholesale8552 I concur .

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@ldnwholesale8552 I think you miss the point of the book, which was to call attention to safety issues within the big 3 by making a case-study of one model. In hindsight a more mainstream model would have been more effective because the freakout the book generated and everything since has mostly focused on the Corvair instead of issues like side-impacts and people being impaled by steering columns that didn't collapse, or room for improvements like with safety glass. You know, the more universal issues that weren't limited to the Corvair. Despite the vast improvements made to safety after the book's release there's still people who are more interested in their two-minute hate sessions towards the man than his actual contributions.

[@wintermagebarthow8481]

Thank for the video it was quite informative and entertaining. I never heard of this one. Subscribed!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@DMAX_DIY]

vert nice job with this video and history.. Yeah my buddy in HS had one.. It was fantastic.. It was probably a stage 1.. early.. Thanks for posting this..

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@williamdobbin7827]

Excellent video. You just got me to subscribe..... Keep the gearhead goodness coming!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you so much!

[@fritzbucher4726]

I found out about the yenko Corvair back in the early 90’s. And fell in love with it.

[@clarkbabin9799]

Having owned a 65 Corvair Monza 110 I can appreciate this . Clark's Corvair parts has some pretty detail information on the history of the Corvair including inform on how a lot of people were using these cars as road racers not unlike Fords European Capri Which is in some ways different from the American sold Mercury Capri.

[@sevencorsa]

I love Corvairs, always have !!!!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thanks for watching!

[@zurn41]

Thanks for the short [yet informative] documentary.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!

[@garyinman5400]

My uncle loved the Corvair and had many even brought one home that was dissasembled to every last nut and bolt, rebuild and drove for years.

[@rickbarger7921]

Pretty cool video my 1st car was at 65 Corvair I was 13 years old when I bought it for 200 bucks Back in 1968 it was a fun car I couldn't drive it and rip around town thanks for the video real cool

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!!

[@Fuff63]

That is one awesome USA car design. Great vid thx.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@tomgrady8762]

Great job..keep up the good work !

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@fyisense9312]

I had a Volkswagen Beetle with a hopped up Corvair engine that did wheelies. It was scary fast up to 90 mph but over reved at 95 mph. I put a heavy clutch and a 6 lb flywheel on it and when you gassed it it reved like a supercharged car. It had a belt problem but I don't remember how we solved it, also a generator instead of an alternator.

[@stoichiometric-1184]

MY BROTHER!! Crown parts, right? Same. 140hp, polished rods, rotating mass balanced, lightened paper-thin valves & heavy springs, ported within an inch of its life. Clutch was the Achilles heel. And mainshaft seals. I loved the 6-lb flywheel and 1:1 4th gear... taught me how to go in deep & come out hard -- lol-- both left & right corners!! Brakes?? We don need no steenkin brakes!! I put a '64 sunroof body on my '56 and fav trick was driving ala ship captain standing up. Fab times! I could hang with a 327 thru 2nd gear, my best street race was against a balls-to-the-wall Dart with tri-power Slant 6 -- a draw. I had actually over-tired it.. had the heavy steel chrome Astro wheels and F70-15s all around. Total blast to drive.

[@stoichiometric-1184]

Yes, belt issue. Solved w oversize pulley on a late-model magnesium fan. Ring a bell?

[@stoichiometric-1184]

My 4 x 1 Rochesters had their throttle shafts ground paper-thin as well, oversize inlet valves & tweaked floats... those puppies were virtual poor-man's injection. ;-)

[@fyisense9312]

@@stoichiometric-1184 I think we went to an electric fan drive and then used crank to alternator belt. 1970 is a long time ago, Crown is definitely the engine adapter, flywheel and clutch. I never had problems with the clutch. I had a four barrel off of a 289 Studebaker that worked like a champ. I got the hood, camshaft, manifold, adaptor and a bunch of goodies for rock bottom prices due to collecting dust at several different outlets. I lost interest after awhile and gave it to a friend/shop that built dune buggies.

[@tonyaxeman4381]

A buddy had a Covair with a turbo charger what a monster . He drove it with a peach basket for a seat . It was like Fred Flintstones car no floor .

[@dutchloveRC]

great video friend, I had a 66 Monza 110 conv, that was a blast

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Nice! Thank you for watching!

[@chrisbrown3925]

Very well done video! Now I want a corvair!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@billstewart5421]

Great program!!!! Love the 2nd gen corvair.

[@johnnieo66]

Great video, WOW, you really did your homework on this case, I'll. never look at Corvairs the same way again. Thank you.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@scottpella7419]

Awesome history lesson of the Yenko Stinger!!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@EDWARDTREVEY]

What a great History lesson. Thanks man this was very interesting

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@randysmith9636]

Thanks for a great and informative video. Back in the late 70s we were putting corvair engines into our vw rails for off roading in the mountains of Alabama. If I remember correctly the spider had 140 hp. I think they were 3 different engines, 90hp, 110hp and the 140hp The boy who was doing the building of the rails mentioned wanting a "Stinger" engine. I had no idea what it was. Never thought much about it until now so thank you. I truly enjoy your videos, always bringing us some great and not well known information.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@ACF6180T]

Only the 65 & 66 Corsa's had the 140 4 carb. engine standard, & was available on the 65 thru 69 Monza's as a option, The 62 thru 64 Spyder engine was a option on the Monza Spyder & it was a 150 HP Turbo & 65 & 66 Corsa's offered a turbo option ,& it was a 180 HP & was only available on the Corsa model. The Spyder name was dropped after 1964 & was spelled Spyder & not Spider & 1st gen. Corvairs 60 thru 64 had the following HP ratings 80,102,& 150 & 2nd gen. 65 thru 69 had the following ratings 95, 110,140, & 180 HP . I hope this helped You out.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Yes! Thank you for the clarification!

[@ACF6180T]

@@TheGearheadLounge This is a follow up & correction on the 1st gen. Corvairs , In 64 they went from a 145 C.I. to a 164 C.I. & HP ratings were 95, 110 , & the Spyder remained at 150 HP ! even though a few late production Spyders had the 180 HP turbo! Exact no. is unknown

[@USdefender1]

@@ACF6180T I have a 1966 Corvair Monza with 110 horsepower. I have a friend who has a turbo that will fit my Corvair but I'm afraid of Turbo lag. Will that be a problem?

[@jesssegura5469]

Wow... Hey thanks for the info!! Keep up the great work

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@v.e.7236]

Presently working on my own undercover Stinger clone, in the guise of a '65 Monza convertible. Engine build begins this year, after many years of accumulating the necessary goodies, like special ARP case studs to lock the case halves together for high revving performance and porting a set of heads (not an easy job on Corvair heads), to going w/ modern beehive valve springs and roller rocker arms to lighten valve train weight and stability and decrease friction, respectively. Been a very long time coming. Fixed income sucks!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Sounds like it’s going to be a cool project when it’s finished!

[@tonyunderwood9678]

YEAH it does... :-) Been there doing that.

[@cliffordplasd8239]

Thank you for covering the Yanko Stinger, my buddies and I have gotten into so many disagreements about this as they said Yanko never built a Corvair. Thanks to you I can now rub their nose in it. Lol

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Cool!

[@TheSasquatchNation]

Well done. I really enjoyed this piece. New subscriber!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@williamsantiago7303]

This was well done sir, very very very informative. Thank you👍

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!

[@whototeru]

I dig my 65 turbo because it's under the musscle-head radar and therefore, affordable.

[@KanedaJones]

knew of the more known Shelby but had forgotten about the Yenko.. thanks for the reminder and the info on the Stinger!

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you for watching!

[@jamesadams2334]

My sister- in- law bought a new Corvair from Yenko in 1963 I believe. It was the older body but had a turbo and was fast as hell. It was a true sleeper and fun to drive.

[@jorgeb9715]

Impressive,,seen Jay Leno driving it and enjoying it,,that color scheme was on point,,great design

[@joefergerson5243]

Excellent job on this very enlightening video!👍👍👍👍

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you so much!

[@jimichan7649]

A buddy of mine had a corvair with a 327 mounted where the back seat used to be. It was a monster! It easily turned an 11 second quarter mile, and the mid engine gave it a great weight distribution. It handled like it was on rails! I'll never forget the day he let me drive it and I always wanted one like it.

[@reddune6185]

Crown conversion made a subframe and an adaptor "kit". We called them, the corv8. 👍

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Corvairs are just cool, period!

[@larrynorsworthy8582]

I've heard of one like that back when here in Georgia.

[@katsu-graphics5634]

Really great VIDEO . . .I live 1/2 mile from the Yenko shop in Canonsburg PA (it closed, it's an all-terrain store now) . . I remember the Yenko Corvairs, Novas and Camaros. . I saw only one Yenko Chevelle. . and never saw a Yenko Corvette. . . .Two ex-Yenko pit crew local mechanics (now dead) used to work on my cars. I had a GTO, and my friend had a Yenko Nova Hatchback with a Yenko aluminum block, and his Brother had a home built Stinger from parts at the shop with a 327.

[@TheGearheadLounge]

Thank you!