1966 Chevrolet Yenko Stinger Stage II
The 1966 Chevrolet Yenko Stinger Stage II represents a fascinating chapter in the story of tuned and modified muscle cars. Legendary racer and dealer Don Yenko saw untapped potential in the innovative Chevrolet Corvair.
Its rear-engine layout intrigued Yenko as a unique platform for a race-bred sports car variant aimed at Sports Car Club of America competition.
Thus, the limited-production Yenko Stinger was born. Yenko ordered 100 plain-Jane Corvair Corsa coupes through GM’s special Central Office Production Order (COPO) system. Once at his Canonsburg, Pennsylvania shop, his team added performance upgrades and visual flare.
Fiberglass deck lids with integrated spoilers replaced rear bodywork while custom “Stinger” badging adorned the body. Inside, back seats gave way to spare tire storage to emphasize the car’s sporting purpose.
Beneath each sculpted rear deck dwelled the Corvair engine upgraded to Stage II specification. High-compression cylinder heads joined aggressive camshaft profiles, tuned carburetion, and free-flowing exhaust headers to push output to 190 horsepower – a serious increase over stock.
Combined with suspension and brake improvements, the Stage II transformed the Corvair into a wholly different animal. One ready to take on Mustangs and Barracudas in its SCCA class.
To meet mandated production minimums for its competition class, Yenko’s team completed the transformation on all 100 COPO cars in one month’s time during December 1965. Each received a serialized plaque, forever cementing cars like our featured 50th-unit example for collectors today.
In total, just over 120 Stingers left Canonsburg before production ended. Needless to say, cars that rare carrying a racing pedigree like the Stinger’s are highly coveted today.
Credit: Mecum
