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

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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. 

Indianapolis 500 Corvette E-Ray Pace Car And The Rest Of The Corvettes That Served Indy

 

Summary

Corvette and Indy go way back: Corvette has paced the Indianapolis 500 21 times since 1978, more than any other car.

The E-Ray brings a new trick: The 2024 E-Ray combines a 6.2-liter V8 with electric all-wheel drive to make 655 horsepower.

Supercar numbers: With a 0–60 MPH time of 2.5 seconds and a 10.5-second quarter-mile, the E-Ray is seriously quick.

A long line of legends: From the 1978 Corvette to the mid-engine C8s, Indy has used some of Corvette's most memorable performance models as pace cars.

Celebrity drivers: Jim Rathmann, Chuck Yeager, Morgan Freeman, Colin Powell, Lance Armstrong, Patrick Dempsey, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, and others have all taken Corvette pace cars around the Brickyard.

2024 adds another chapter: Ken Griffey Jr. got the keys to the E-Ray as Corvette continued its long-running relationship with the Indianapolis 500.

Sunday, May 26, 2024, we will once again see a Corvette running laps as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500. But this won't be just any Corvette—it will be the all-new 2024 Corvette E-Ray, Corvette's first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette.

This will mark Corvette's 21st time pacing the Indy 500 since 1978, more than any other car in history. Add in all 35 appearances by Chevrolet vehicles that have paced the event since 1948, and Chevy is by far the leader when it comes to this legendary honor.

How Does the E-Ray Corvette Stack Up to Its Siblings?

The Electric All-Wheel Drive (eAWD) E-Ray is the quickest production Corvette to ever roll off the assembly line at the Corvette Plant in Bowling Green, KY.

Using a 6.2-liter powerhouse V8 running in tandem with an electric motor that adds an additional 160 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels, this Corvette puts down a combined 655 horsepower.

What do these numbers mean while the Corvette is in motion? How about 0–60 MPH in just 2.5 seconds? If you decide to keep the pedal to the metal, you'll cover the quarter-mile in just 10.5 seconds. The E-Ray can also drive on its electric motor alone for up to four miles at speeds of up to 45 MPH when Stealth Mode is selected.

Who's Going To Be Driving The E-Ray Pace Car?

Piloting the E-Ray at the Indy 500 will be famous former MLB outfielder and All-Star Ken Griffey Jr. If you haven't heard of this guy, even if you don't watch sports, you must have been living under a rock for the past 35 years. All you have to do is punch his name into a search engine, and you'll find a mountain of awards and accomplishments—Gold Glove Awards, All-Star selections, hitting titles, and plenty more.

Here's A Run Down Of The Past Corvettes To Take The Indy Honor

1. May 26, 1978—the 62nd Annual Indianapolis 500 was the first time Corvette graced Indy fans with its presence. It was driven by American race car driver Jim Rathmann.

2. May 25, 1986—the 70th Indianapolis 500 chose this 1986 Corvette because it was the first convertible Corvette put into production in ten years. It was driven by General Chuck Yeager, one of America's finest fighter pilots and the first person to break the sound barrier.

 

3. May 28, 1995—the 79th running of the Indianapolis 500 brought one of the more colorful Corvette Pace Cars to the track. This 1995 Corvette Pace Car was equipped with a five-point safety harness, an onboard fire suppression system, a special "halo" roll bar, and a special strobe-light setup for extra eye appeal. This year, the Corvette was driven by former Chevrolet manager Jim Perkins.

4. May 24, 1998—the 82nd running of the Indianapolis 500 brought even more colorful action. Driven by American race car driver and team owner Parnelli Jones, this Corvette was hard to miss with Radar Blue paint, eye-catching graphics, and bright yellow seats with matching wheels.

5. May 25, 2003—the 86th Indianapolis 500 celebrated the 50th anniversary of Corvette production by once again putting a Corvette at the front of the pack. Actor Jim Caviezel got the honor of driving this special Corvette, complete with a big "50th" badge on the hood.

6. May 30, 2004—the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 saw Corvette make its first back-to-back appearance. This was also the first time Chevrolet and Corvette decided not to make replicas of the Indy Pace Car. Morgan Freeman took the reins this year, pacing the IndyCar field around the track. The Corvette's patriotic color scheme made this pace car one of the more iconic ones.

   

7. May 29, 2005—the 89th Indianapolis 500 saw its first sixth-generation Corvette leading the IndyCar field. This wasn't just the first time the sixth-gen made it to Indy; it was also the first time the general public was introduced to the car beyond renderings, pictures, and spy photos. General Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, was put in the driver's seat for pace car duties.

8. May 28, 2006—the official pace car of the 90th Indianapolis 500 was the 2006 Corvette Z06. Back to a patriotic color scheme, the 505-horsepower sports car was driven by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

9. May 27, 2007—the 91st Indianapolis 500 brought Corvette back for pace car duties. Team owner and actor Patrick Dempsey took on the duties in this Atomic Orange LS2-powered, 400-horsepower machine.

 

10. May 25, 2008—the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 would see two pace cars for the first time. First, there was a 2008 Corvette Z06 engineered to run on E85 ethanol fuel. Then there was another pace car dressed in a black-and-silver color scheme to celebrate the anniversary of the first Corvette Indy 500 car, which debuted 30 years earlier. Both pace cars were driven by legendary racer Emerson Fittipaldi.

11. After a little break from the action, Corvette returned to Indy. May 27, 2012—the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500—saw its first sixth-generation ZR1. This car took Americans by storm with supercar-like performance. Famous Emmy Award-winning television cook and personality Guy Fieri received the honor of driving this LS9-powered beast around the track—too bad he wasn't able to reach its 205-MPH top speed in pace-car mode.

12. May 26, 2013—the 97th running of the Indy 500 brought the all-new seventh-generation Corvette Stingray. San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked to take on pace car duties for the year, and he happily obliged.

 

13. May 24, 2015—the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 brought NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon to the driver's seat of the 2015 Corvette Z06 Pace Car. Gordon won his first NASCAR race in Indianapolis before going on to become a legend in the sport. Although he wouldn't be going as fast as he's used to on the track, this supercharged, 650-horsepower sports car was certainly capable of high speeds.

14. May 28, 2017—the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 saw the new 2017 Corvette Grand Sport take over pace car duties. This was the first year the Indy 500 Corvette Pace Car didn't change much in its color scheme from the year before, but the Vette itself was different. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan took the wheel and paced the IndyCar field around the famous track.

15. May 27, 2018—the 102nd Indianapolis 500 pace car would be another ZR1, but this 2019 Corvette ZR1 would boast 755 horsepower, a 0–60 time of 2.85 seconds, and a top speed of 212 MPH. This powerful supercharged Corvette would be driven by Victor Oladipo, an Indiana University and Indiana Pacers basketball player.

  

16. May 26, 2019—the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 saw another 2019 Corvette take on pace car duties. Following the previous year's '19 ZR1 pace car, the Corvette Grand Sport took center stage. Getting to have some non-competitive fun on the track was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who paced the IndyCar field.

 

17. On to the unveiling of the mid-engine Corvette. It was a long-time coming, and that made it an obvious choice to become the official Pace Car for the 2020 Indianapolis 500. GM President Mark Reuss was honored to be the driver who paced the track for this Indy 500.

 

18. May 30, 2021—the 105th Indianapolis 500 brought another mid-engine Corvette to the pace car role. Its white exterior with yellow accents and black wheels made the Corvette stand out. Chosen to take this beautiful ride around the track was legendary open-wheel racer Danica Patrick.

19. May 29, 2022—the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 brought a masterpiece: the 2023 Corvette Z06. This 70th-anniversary Vette was powered by a naturally aspirated, flat-plane-crank 5.5-liter V8. This sports car was a beast all on its own. Chosen to pilot this Corvette was former IndyCar driver and three-time podium finisher Sarah Fisher.

20. May 28, 2023—Corvette paced the Indianapolis 500 with its first-ever convertible hardtop Z06. This badass-looking ride is something anyone can fall in love with. So who got to drive this fine sports car on the big day? Tyrese Haliburton, an Indiana Pacers basketball point guard.

And the Corvette years of domination keep ticking!

2001 Corvette Z06: The First Modern Day Z06

  

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know about the extremely potent 2023 Corvette Z06 that is on its way to the market sometime in late 2022. If you want to read about that, just look up any automotive website on the web and you can find out everything you know or you can go to this ride-along video/article with top engineers on the project, written by me for Muscle Cars & Trucks (C8 Corvette Z06 Engineers Share Untold Details On New Supercar: Video.

1963 Corvette Z06

Since we all should know everything about the new Corvette Z06, I decided that we should take a look back at the birth of the first modern Corvette Z06. But first, let's take a short look at the birth of the very first Z06. 

The first Z06 became available in 1963 and there were only 199 produced and sold. These Corvette Z06's sole purpose was to be sold for road course racing. They came with a 327 cu.in. (5.4-liter) engine, four-speed transmission, a beefed-up suspension, a massive brake system upgrade that included dual master cylinders, and an optional 36.5 US gal (138 l; 30 imp gal) tank.

The thing about these C2 Corvette Z06s was you didn't just go to the dealership and buy one, you had to know someone who knew what boxes to check in the order form if you wanted one of these race-ready (RPO Z06) Corvettes, and just like the 2001 Corvette Z06, you didn't get many luxuries with the car, it was truly for going fast. 

2021 Corvette Z06

This Corvette was built to surprise and dominate the market. The Z06 was designed for the track and pushed the boundaries of what was really possible from a production car that could drive to the track, make better times than its competition, and drive back home with the air conditioning kicking and the radio blasting. 

Basic Spec:

• 5.7-liter LS6 V8

• 6-speed manual

• 385 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque

• New FE4 Suspension (four-wheel independent suspension)

• Bose speaker system

• Leather bucket seats

• 17" front and 18” rear rims wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 SC tires

• Hardtop only

• Brake coolers

• Curb weight: 3,118 lbs.

• Gas Mileage: 17 City / 26 highway

Engine And Transmission

The LS6 is essentially a more powerful version of Corvette's LS1 V8. The LS6 engine upgrades start with a redesigned intake manifold with better-flowing internal passageways. Reengineered cylinder heads create more flow through the intake and exhaust valves, and the combustion chambers were redesigned to reduce valve shrouding.

All these upgrades led to a higher compression ratio which then led to a redesigned thin-walled cast-iron exhaust manifold system to provide a smoother exit for the combustion escape.

Of course, all this extra flow wouldn’t be worth much without a redesigned camshaft. So a beefier cam was installed by Corvette engineers with more valve overlap and greater valve lift. Chrome-vanadium-steel valve springs and stronger pistons cast from a more durable alloy were implicated in the engine’s design for toughness. And finally, the LS6 was engineered with windows cast into the internal crankcase walls to help air retreat from the underside of the burning hot pistons.

This new engine setup gave the New Corvette Z06 385 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 385 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 RPMs, and a redline RPM of 6,500. In between all the power and the rear wheels was a beefed-up clutch (with lighter pedal effort), a larger-diameter driveshaft, and a revised six-speed manual transaxle. This new M12 gearbox was introduced with shooter 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears to better utilize the new higher-revving LS6. All gears were 10-16 percent shorter except for the 4th gear which remained the same.

2001 Corvette Z06 Suspension

More power always means more changes all around. To accommodate the power of the LS6, Corvette went with a new FE4 suspension that included revised shock calibrations, a stiffer rear transverse leaf spring setup, and stiffer anti-roll bars for the front and rear.

To add ground support, each corner of the Vette receives 1-inch wider tires, bringing them up to 9.5-inch wide in the front and 10.5-inch wide in the back. New custom light-weight 10-spoke wheels were wrapped in Goodyear F1 Eagle tires: 265/40ZR-17s in the front and 295/35ZR-18s rears. The F1 Eagle SC tires were designed with more flexible sidewalls achieved by doing away with the famous run-flat tire design. This permitted a half-degree more negative camber to keep the tread flatter during hard cornering for track use.

To prove the Corvette was built for business, engineers found places around the car where they could shave pounds off the curb weight. Helping save weight was the deletion of the run-flat tire design, mufflers were made from Titanium, and the windshield and rear glass were all lightened to help bring the Corvette’s curb weight down to 3,118 pounds, that is 38 pounds lighter than its original form. A lot of weight was saved in the Titanium mufflers alone, but the weight of the new suspension offset the weight-saving by a lot.  

Step Aside Cobra R

The Cobra R was making some big waves at the track. Performance numbers were pretty impressive, and the Corvette Z06 was Chevrolet's answer to those performance numbers.

The Cobra R and the Z06 were pretty close in performance numbers at the time (numbers for Z06 below). The Cobra R turned numbers out of its 5.4-liter that looked a little like this: 385 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (the same as the Z06), 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 13.2 (Ford tested) and 12.9 (Motor Trend tested) with a top speed of 170 mph, and stops from 60-0 in 127 feet.

Although the numbers were somewhat close, the Corvette beat out the Cobra R in other places. The Cobra R lacked air conditioning, an audio system, rear seats, sound dampening, and cruise control. The Corvette also lacked a back seat, but that's because it was never meant to have one, it wasn't a compromise. Also, because of the limited number of Cobra Rs that were built, the sticker price showed $55,5ish, but you couldn't buy one for under $75,000. The Corvette Z06 stuck pretty close to its price tag of just under $50,000 without a lot of limited edition inflation.

Let's Go Over Some 2001 Corvette Z06 Numbers 

The 2001 Corvette Z06's proof of superiority is in the numbers. A 0-60-mph time is recorded at 4.3 seconds, and a 70-mph to 0 stop takes only 152 feet. In a quarter-mile sprint, the Corvette can cover it in 12.7 seconds at 113 mph. Hitting 150 mph will only take you 28 seconds total, while a top speed of 170 mph is easily manageable. Although the top speed does suffer a little bit as the C5 Vettes will hit 175 mph, that's because of the Z06's closer transmission clutch gear ratios. 

Hitting corners is another place where the Corvette Z06 shows no mercy to its competitors. Pulling .98 Gs in and out of corners is just what this sports car does, and that actually beats out all other sports cars out of there including the Viper GTS and the Ferrari 360 Modena, which are above the Corvette Z06s price bracket by a lot. 

Z06 Performance Built

Making sure everything was performance-built was what this Corvette was all about, even both the dual mesh grilles in the front and the rear brake coolers in front of the rear wheel wells are completely functional. 

The 2001 Corvette Z06 is just like the new Z06s, although classified as a sports car, they perform like a supercar compared to its competition.

Rare Chevrolet 454 SS Half-Ton Pick-Up From The Early '90s

   

With only 17,000 produced between 1990-93, these Chevy 454 SS trucks are some of the rarest Chevrolet C1500s of the 90s. In fact, purchasing one of these badasses was the only way you could get a 454 cu.-in. big-block stock in a half-ton truck. 

There is nothing really too special about these trucks. Let's face it, in this day and age, a higher trim-modeled crossover could take it off the line and beat down the quarter-mile. But it is outfitted for a 454, meaning a healthier one could be built and dropped in with no problem. 

Also, it's a truck, and you can always do some cool stuff to a truck. A Cowl Induction hood, lowering springs, rims, etc. — with the right imagination, you can turn a 454 SS truck into a show stopper without hurting its original value. 

Power and Specifications

•  230 - 255 horsepower
• 385 - 405 lb.-ft. of torque
• HD 4-speed automatic transmission
• 3:71.1 - 4:10 rear-end ratio 
• 10 mpg city
• 500 lbs. max payload
• Dual exhaust
• Bilstein Shocks
• 7.7 seconds 0-60 mph 
• 15.9 seconds 87 mph - 1/4 mile
• Colors: Black / Summit White / Victory

The Chevy 454 SS trucks had some serious competition in the early 90s — the GMC Cyclone, Typhoon, and the Ford Lighting. But for Chevy, this was their way of showing everyone that people still craved a big-block even if it wasn't the fastest truck on the market. 

You might come across one of these sweet Chevys for sale with a nice price tag on it. They are not very sought-after by vehicle collectors right now, so if you find one in good shape, it might not be a bad investment. They have the potential to be nice little street cruisers with a lot of old-school power. And for you old-school gearheads, that might be a class you'd fit right into. 

1966 Chevrolet Corvair Yenko Stinger: Rare And Cool

 

Summary

Yenko’s road-racing experiment: Long before his famous Camaro, Nova, and Chevelle drag cars, Don Yenko was focused on road-course racing and looking for a lighter alternative to the increasingly heavy Corvette.

Enter the Corvair Corsa: Weighing roughly 500 pounds less than a Corvette, the rear-engine Corvair Corsa gave Yenko the lightweight platform he needed to build a serious competition car.

A major performance makeover: Yenko added forged pistons, ported heads, a high-performance distributor, lightweight flywheel, limited-slip differential, quicker steering, upgraded suspension and brakes, an oil cooler, and other racing hardware.

Built for the SCCA: To qualify for SCCA competition, Yenko needed to produce at least 100 road-legal Stingers and paint them in the required American racing colors of white and blue.

A race against the clock: With the 1966 racing season approaching and only about a month to meet the production requirement, Yenko and his crew worked seven days a week through December to finish the cars in time.

Four levels of power: Every Stinger used a 165-cubic-inch (2.7-liter) flat-six with four carburetors, but buyers could choose from approximately 160, 190, 220, or 240 horsepower, allowing the car to compete in different racing classes.

Serious chassis upgrades: The Stinger wasn’t just about horsepower. Yenko improved the brakes, suspension, steering, gearing, and weight distribution while removing the rear seats to help meet sports-car regulations and reduce weight.

A very different Yenko: Unlike the big-block muscle cars Yenko became famous for, the Stinger was a lightweight, rear-engine road racer designed to attack corners rather than simply dominate the drag strip.

The Corvair safety debate: The Stinger’s rear-engine layout even proved beneficial in one memorable crash involving Yenko’s daughter, who credited the car’s design with helping protect her during a collision.

Bottom line: The 1966 Yenko Stinger was Don Yenko’s early masterpiece—a lightweight, highly modified Corvair that transformed an unconventional compact into a legitimate SCCA road-racing weapon and helped establish Yenko’s reputation long before his legendary muscle cars.

Everyone should know about the iconic late-'60s and early-'70s Yenko drag cars that dominated the tracks—Camaro, Nova, and Chevelle. But would you be alarmed to know that Don Yenko was working his high-performance magic long before those muscle cars came along?

Don Yenko had his eyes on a different type of racing before he built his horsepower-heavy drag cars. From the late '50s to the mid-'60s, he was into road-course racing. He first raced Corvettes professionally, but he was getting beaten pretty consistently by the Shelbys. Don realized the reason was simple: the Corvettes had become just too heavy to compete.

Enter The Corvair Corsa

The Corvair Corsa weighed 500 pounds less than the Corvette, making it a very viable candidate for some of Yenko's genius power upgrades. So in true Don Yenko fashion, he went to the drawing board and came up with the blueprint needed to retrieve the success he was looking for. 

The Corvair Corsa weighed 500 pounds less than the Corvette, making it a very viable candidate for some of Yenko's genius power upgrades. So, in true Don Yenko fashion, he went to the drawing board and came up with the blueprint needed to get the success he was looking for.

Yenko Upgrades for the Corvair

• Forged Pistons
• Ported Cylinder Heads
• High-Performance Distributor
• Stiffer Suspension
• Cadillac Dual Master Cylinders for Brakes
• Lightweight Flywheel
• Four-Speed Manual
• Limited-Slip Differential (3.89 Rear Gears)
• Added Oil Cooler
• Quicker Steering Ratio
• Removed Rear Seats (making it eligible to be labeled a sports car and saving weight)
• Front Spoiler
• Rear Fiberglass Engine Cover w/Spoiler
• Aftermarket Steering Wheel

Time To Get In Sync With SCCA Regulations 

It turns out that the SCCA didn't have too much of a problem with the new Corvair race car entering competition. Instead of giving Don Yenko a hard time, the SCCA's two biggest requests for giving the car SCCA homologation (stamp of approval) were to have at least 100 road-capable Yenko Stingers produced and to have the car painted white and blue.

White and blue were the American colors used to identify American cars on the race course, as every country had its own color codes to follow.

Needing to have all 100 cars completed by January 1, 1966, to compete in the 1966 season—and already being in late November—gave Don just one month to complete the project. Don and his men worked long hours, seven days a week, all through December, with one exception: Christmas.

Despite the grips and grinds of the overworked workers, they proudly finished the quota in time.

Four Separate Power Levels

All Stingers came with a 165-cu.-in. (2.7-liter) flat-six engine setup with four carburetors that offered four different Yenko power options. The base Yenko option came with roughly 160 horsepower. From there, it went up a level to 190 horsepower, then leveled up to 220 horsepower, and, for the big dog of them all, you could get one with 240 horsepower.

The different options were mainly so the Yenko Stinger could qualify to race in all road-course classes.

Interesting Fact 

Yenko's daughter received a Stinger to drive when she first got her driver's license. Two weeks into driving, she had an unfortunate accident that sent her headfirst into a utility pole.

Because the engine was in the rear and the spare tire was in the front trunk, the Corvair basically bounced off the pole instead of crushing the front end and sending the engine into the front seat.

For a car that has been dubbed "unsafe at all speeds," Yenko's daughter calls it the car that is "safe at all speeds."