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The History of the Yenko Chevrolet

Yenko Chevrolet was a dealership located  in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Operating from 1949 to 1982, the dealership is best known for selling highly customized sports cars. One of the most collectible 1960s vehicles, the Yenko name is recognized for performance.

In 1966, Don Yenko was impressed with the late model  Chevrolet Corvair's handling, and decided to apply for SCCA approval of the Corsa model for racing. The sanctioning body approved the cars with back seat removed and upgrades to the Corsa engine increasing horsepower and torque. The 100 1966 Corsas that received certification were all painted white and most had blue striping, and were named "Yenko Stingers".

 

Yenko continued to modify Corvair coupes as Stingers for the rest of the car's production run. The last Stinger was a 1969 coupe, after which Corvair production ceased.

When Camaros, classifiable as a "pony car", became available during 1967, Yenko transferred Chevrolet's 427 cubic inch (7 L), 425hp (317 kW) L-72 engine (along with other high-performance parts) into some Camaros, creating the Yenko Camaro. The 1967 & 1968 427 Camaros were so popular that, during 1969, Yenko used Chevrolet's Central Office Production Order (COPO) system to have L-72 engines installed into Chevrolet Camaros and Chevelles.

During 1971 and 1972, Yenko sold Yenko Stinger Vegas. Based on the Chevrolet Vega GT Hatchback, Stinger Vegas included front and rear spoilers and Yenko Stinger side striping and a special COPO engine with alloy-plated forged aluminum pistons. The modified Vega aluminum-block 2.3 inline 4 with a turbocharger and 155 hp required a 50,000 mile test for EPA certification and Don Yenko eventually decided against using the turbochargers. Chevrolet was not interested in the marketing potential of a Turbo version as neither the Yenko-requested higher-compression engine blocks nor factory equipped turbo engines were ever built. The Stinger Vega was offered from Yenko Chevrolet through 1972 without turbochargers installed, but Yenko did offer the turbochargers as an aftermarket kit.

The high performance and limited production of all Yenko-modified cars makes them valuable and prized to collectors.

Why buy your Yenko from Jim Tubman Chevrolet

Jim Tubman Chevrolet has a passion for performance and anything fast.  Because of this, our sales team is amongst the most knowledgeable in the Yenko performance line.  With multiple new Yenko models available for sale currently, Jim Tubman Chevrolet has proven to be the top Yenko dealership in Canada for sales.  Because Yenko inventory is limited based on production, finding a dealership that has the ability to get one in can prove to be difficult in some cases.  Let the team at Jim Tubman help you get your hands on a Yenko.

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