1966 Yenko Stinger
a replica by Van Pershing October 2005

 

If you're looking at this page you probably already know what a Yenko Stinger is. If you want to know more about Stingers, visit www.copo.com. There were less than a couple of hundred real ones made and they've become hard to find and a little too expensive for my budget. I've wanted one ever since that night in 1967 when one pulled into the Circle K where I was working. The owner offered me a ride after he'd checked out my '63 Spyder. So why not rebody the crashed Corsa that I had been driving since 1970 and make a Stinger? After a few months of work, these are the results of  my efforts: a replica of a 1966 Yenko Stinger or as some would call it a Yenko "Ringer".

After hours of body work and a white coat of paint with Nassau blue stripes and trim, the car turned out quite respectable. The fiberglass engine lid and sail panels came from SC Performance in Ventura, California. I was able to retain many of the old Corsa pieces including the Fiero rear view mirros, the 14x7 Pontiac Rallye wheels. The stock steering box along with the 14" steering wheel and "quick" steering arms make for happy motoring on winding roads.

The stock AM radio is still in place to cover the hole in the dash. It's not hooked up since a modern AM/FM/CD player resides in the fabricated box hanging under the dash. The Corsa dash and all the wiring was installed along with a new Grant 14" steering wheel.

A set of buckets from a '73 Camaro and 3-point set belts make things a little safer than they were back in '66. The back seat was replaced with carpeted panels and  a unit was fabricated for the package shelf to house the radio speakers. Seat belts were installed for occasion when somebody has to have a ride. A center console was fabricated and covered to match. It's just right for holding CDs and other stuff.

   
 
The running gear is all from the crashed Corsa. The engine had recently been rebuilt with some mods to bring it up to speed a little more readily than stock. Bob Coffin supplied the cam and modified the carburetor bodies. Larry's Corvair supplied the +.030 forged pistons and Covair Underground supplied all the rest. A set of headers and a little port work on the heads and she was ready to go. The battery was relocated to the trunk to get the battery out of the heat, clean up the engine compartment a little, and help some with weight distribution.
       
This is what I started with