1969 Chevrolet Nova Yenko/SC: Fastest and Rarest of All Yenko Vehicles

The 1969 Chevrolet Nova 427 Yenko/SC, also known as the Super Nova, is said to be the rarest and fastest Yenko vehicle ever built. With only 37 of these bad boys being sold from Don Yenko's dealership, there are only about 7-10 left known to be in existence today. 

Taking The Nova SS To The Next Level

Mr. Yenko only used the Nova SSs to complete the Yenko conversion because they were already equipped with a lot high performce stock parts he could use for the project. And not to say that the '69 Nova SS with the 396 cu-in engine wasn't already a pretty stout vehicle; Don Yenko always loved to push the envelope. 

The only problem that Don had with these 427 Yenko/SC projects was that, in his own words, "These cars are lethal and barely legal at best." He goes on to say, "It's the craziest project I ever did."

Problems With Insurance Companies

Since the Nova was labeled a compact car, it was almost impossible to get your Super Nova insured. Insurance companies were already a little shy about insuring the Nova when it had the 396 motor in it, but putting a beefed-up L72 427 in a labeled compact car with extra beefed-up goodies left insurance companies feeling uncomfortable about taking on the risk. 

What insurance companies saw was that street racing was becoming more and more popular and dangerous, and all the extra performance would only give drivers more of an incentive to push the limits even further. 

And oddly enough, although the Nova was labeled a compact car, it actually weighed about 50 lbs. more than the 69 Yenko/SC Camaros, which had fewer problems with insurance companies because they were labeled a sports/muscle car. End the end, as far as anyone knows, there were no Yenko fatalities. 

The Super Nova Go-Fast Recipe 

It starts with yanking out the 396 cu-in engine and replacing it with a L72 427 cu-in big-block that would produce an estimated 450 horsepower. 

The original 396 heads would be used on the 427, completing an 11.0:1 compression ratio. Also added was an aluminum manifold, 780-cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor, and an A/C Delco single-point ignition system. Add in a little extra high-performance tuning, and the heart of the Super Nova would be ready to pound the pavement and embarrass competitors.

Slamming gears was easy with the Muncie M21 four-speed transmission. Making it even more fun was the positraction rear-end with either 3.55 gears or 4.10 gears. 

Keeping all this power and asphalt on the ground safely was a F41 front and rear heavy-duty suspension with an 11/16-inch diameter front anti-sway bar. Pulling the beast to a stop after some pedal to the metal action was a Delco Moraine heavy-duty master cylinder, which activated the 11-inch power front disc brakes and 9 1/2-inch power rear drum brakes. 

How Did The Super Nova Perform?

It performed like an out-of-control monster. The Nova could get from 0-60 in between 5.1-4.7 seconds while strutting down the quarter-mile with estimated 11-second passes and reach a top speed of about 120 MPH. 

Visual Hop Ups For The Nova

Not much to speak of here. Don wanted to keep the Nova looking pretty modest. His classic Yenko decals were placed on the exterior, and some Yenko emblems were placed both on the inside and out. A Stewart-Warner tachometer was installed for hard-driving accuracy and looked pretty cool. For wheels, 14 inches were standard with the Dog dish hub caps, or some came with 14-inch torque trust. 

Coming Across One Of These Rare Novas For Sale

First, if it is a true Super Nova, you should know to have a lot of money on hand. Second, make sure it is real. These are not hard cars to replicate, and you could lose a fortune. Not to say that a true Nova SS 396 isn't a nice car to invest in, but they are not as valuable as a true '69 Yenko/SC Nova. 

There are plenty of little things that can tip you off to an impostor, so make sure you have a Nova expert or a trustworthy spec sheet that you can cross-reference with the car instead of just taking someone's word for it. Happy Hunting!

Own A '63 Corvette Grand Sport Without Paying Millions

  

Rare Corvettes for Less

Some of the rarest sports cars of all time are a group of five early '60s Corvette Grand Sports built with the sole purpose of running in the GT classes at the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24-hour LaMans races.

The Godfather of Corvettes, Zora Arkus-Duntov, led the crusade of light-weight race-ready roadsters that were designed to compete with the dominant Ford GTs and the rest of the field's competitors.

Duntov had planned on building 1,000 of these Corvettes, but only five Corvette Grand Sports were originally built in the ‘60s.

Two of the Corvettes [#001 and #002] were put to the side and three others were sent to John Mecom of Houston, TX, who eventually sent them off to three other prominent individuals in the racing industry.

Purchasing One Of These Rare Beauties

So let's say you were not lucky enough to be one of those people who received one of those five Corvettes, but now you would like to see if you can purchase one today.

Well, although these Corvettes are not relevant in the 24-hour LaMans and other races anymore, fat chance of getting your hands on one for under five million dollars.

A few years back, the #002 Corvette Grand Sport found its way to an auction block, and although the high bid was $4.9 million, it was still not enough to take the blue beautiful race car home.

If you're like most car guys, you probably don't have $4.9 million sitting around for a sports car that you wouldn't even want to drive that much anyway. But getting something similar and in many cases, much more modern and driveable with an affordable price tag is definitely feasible. 

Superformance, a car-building company in Southern California pushed to get granted the licensing to build replicas of Zora Duntov’s famed Corvette Grand Sport making it possible to own one, well at least a replica of one.

Superformance was even granted original build sheets for the #002 Grand Sport Corvette. They claim that if you wanted a replica almost identical to the original, they could build you one that only experts could tell it’s not an original #002 Grand Sport.

But like a lot of people, you're probably just looking for the look of the legendary Corvette and the performance and comforts of a newer vehicle and that's fine, Superformance is dedicated to building Vettes like that. 

Customize Your Own Corvette Grand Sport

Superformance will work you up a vintage Corvette Grand Sport of your liking. Features like power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, power windows, A/C, and fully independent front and rear suspension with Bilstein suspension components can be optioned up for your Vette. There are roadster versions available, but they will look and drive more like the race Corvettes of the past, and many features and options of the coupe will be limited. But as far as power plants go, Superformance offers a variety of engines including an LS9 supercharged monster that can really make the coupe and the roadsters fun to drive.

There are actually seven engines in all to choose from. All engines come with a 2/year 50,000-mile warranty that can be serviced at your local authorized dealer. The greatest thing about the Superformance Corvette Grand Sport replica is the price tag.

Depending on your options and how customized you want it, your price tag will still be just a fraction of the price you would have to pay for the real thing.

Let's go cruising

Best Car Cruising Movie of All Time "American Graffiti"

 

A Movie That Emulates a Great Time in Car 
History!

American Graffiti hosted a lot of great cars, a lot of great music, and a lot of great up-and-coming actors. I wasn't even a sparkle in my mom and dad's eyes in the generation the movie portrays, but I do know the importance of it. 

I grew up in a family full of car enthusiasts. We all had our own vehicles and we worked together to build them and keep them running. I got my own street and track banger when I was 17, and boy it was fun. 

This great movie shows the fun you can get into while enjoying cool vehicles and the little bit of trouble you can find with them. 

Finding a place you can hang out with your buddies, finding out through the grapevine your closest competition has been doing some upgrades to his or her vehicle—of course, you have as well and you're trying to keep it a secret for your next possible opponent. The drama, the excitement, and the slight danger are all part of the appeal.

The Changing of a Car Cursing Generation

The car cruising scene is still out there it's just a lot different. Obviously, stricter laws, crazy young kids driving their Dad's car that is way too fast for them, too many people watching "Street Outlaws" and believing it, and true cruising music that has turned into stuff I don't even understand are just some elements that make that longer drive to the drag strip worth it.

My time of cruising and drag racing in an area of Detroit, MI that was notorious for cruising/drag racing culture was almost extinct a few years after I got involved. The atmosphere went from fun to stupidly dangerous. 

What's Coming New Look for The Car Curing Scene?

A safer more responsible way for car guys to get together and enjoy the car culture. Here in Michigan, bar and grilles, coffee shops, and a lot of other sponsorships have joined together to host cruise nights across the state, and they start out early and end way before 4:00 AM in the morning. 

Pretty much any day of the week, there are plenty of these mini-car cruises going on. Not to mention big ones on Saturday night that draw people from all around, and never to be forgotten, the world-famous Woodard Dream Cruise that happens every year.

What Happen to the Illeage Drag Racing Scene?

It's still around, it's just played out in much darker corners of the streets where fewer people will show up causing more complications than needed. That means fewer cell phone videos, fewer people making the spot look oddly too busy, fewer distractions, and faster getaways if the boys in blue show up.  

"American Graffiti" The Grooming of Some Great Actors

You know a movie is legendary when many actors get their first big break with their roles and go on to have very successful careers. Actors like Suzan Sommers, Harrison Ford, Wolfman Jack, and many more Hollywood greats played in American Graffiti

.  

A Great Movie for a Great Time in American History

Back in those days, cars were "Big, Bulky, and Beefy. They looked different from one another. In this current generation, you can take badges off of just about any vehicle and switch with another vehicle in their respective class and you wouldn't know the difference. 

                                    

                                           Camaro/Mustang 

                        

It's a "Monkey See, Monkey Do" automotive industry anymore. 

We Need To Get Back To This Type Of Fun

First 1967 Camaro Commercial Broadcast In 1966

 

Back in 1966, the American people were introduced to a sports car that would see five decades of success. That sports car was the Camaro, and to this day has just as much power and influence in the high-performance auto motor industry as the day it first went on sale on Sept. 29, 1966.

After the Mustang was introduced in 1964, Chevrolet had to come up with a sportier, tougher two-door sports car than its current two-door sports car at the time, the Corvair. So under the code name XP-836 and then soon after named the Panther for temporary identification, Chevy went to work.

For the year 1967, Chevy decided to name the soon-to-be iconic sports car, the "Camaro". This obscure word comes from the French-English dictionary meaning "friend". They added eight different engine setups including a SS 350 option and a stout 427 option. Even though the Z/28 did not come along till the next year, on the day of September 29th, 1966, the Camaro hit the road for the first time. Five decades later, this sports car is still a noticeable piece of automobile history no matter what year or model you are driving.