The Car Designed To CRUSH The SHELBY GT350? - The Chevrolet Corvair Yenko Stinger
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
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In this Rare Cars documentary, we go in depth into the absolutely wild Chevrolet Corvair Yenko Stinger, or as we like to call it, America's Porsche 911.
Rear engine, flat 6 powered cars are not typically a staple of American automakers, but the Chevy Corvair broke that mold. And then Don Yenko and his guys turned these Corvairs into serious track weapons that aimed to do one thing, crush the Shelby GT350s in vintage SCCA racing.
This video aims to provide a short history of these unique and rare cars so you can learn about them in a quick, easy to digest video.
*Note, we are not historians. If you see an error in our research then please mention it in the comments!
For business inquiries or other inquiries, reach out to: rarecarsmedia@gmail.com - Авто та транспорт
I've always wondered why, after removing the rear seat, they didn't do an engine relocate further into the cab and make it a mid engine
I am no certainly no expert but, perhaps there was something about the air cooled motor unable to run cool enough? I know that small blocks have been mounted mid-engine. And with the Camaro in the pipeline, there just wasn’t a need for all the development dollars to modify the car further. My best guess anyways. Would have been nice to see the American Porsche beat them at their own game for sure,
They didn't do it from the factory, but that mod you mention is one of the most popular mods in Corvairdom. They even transplanted the front-wheel-drive units from the Olds Toranado and Caddillac El Dorado for some serious big block power. FYI
There WAS an adapter allowing you to flip the transaxle to face forward and bolt up a 283 or 327 in the back seat. It was the Crown Corv-8 adapter.
@@mt-images8804 The Crown conversion utilized an after market and lengthened transmission output shaft and kept the transaxle in standard configuration, though there was a special sub-frame that was required. FYI
Short answer: time & money. Yenko saw the potential and didn't want or need to re-engineer the whole drive train, just optimize what's there. You might as well wonder why they didn't move the engine up front "where it belongs".
I began autocrossing back in the 70’s. In those days, Lotus 7s and genuine Cobras were fairly common. There was a guy with a well-prepared GT-350 dominating his class, until somebody showed up with a Corvair. These guys battled back and forth all year long. The Corvair ended up winning the class by 0.27 points out of something like 800 or 900 possible points. The guy with the GT-350 bought the Corvair, parked it, and won the class the following year in his GT-350.
Very interesting story. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
Hi Bob.
Which region?
-doc
@@bmepdoc9675 It was the Southern California Council of Sports Car Clubs, before SCCA got serious about SOLO II
@@bobpickering1 Though I didn't run a GT350 . That must have been Roger Malloy(?) - I had my Corvair and also a Cosworth Twin Cam Vega. Lance Stewart and I were the one's running Cosworth Vega's back then. Lion Country, Santa Barbara, Lone Pine. You would have recognized my 'vair, red/ white/black with steel wheels and Caldwell recaps. What gave us an advantage was, having limited slip diffs. Our Vega's had them as did my Corsa's. The vast majority of other imports had no such option (Alfa GTV and 2002's were the only others I know of) some even cheated by welding up the spider gears. They wanted to go straight, that is until you manhandled them around the cones in pseudo-drift fashion. Spent a lot of time at Vilem B Haan and Marion Weber's MG Mitten back in the day as well..
Good times, Bob. Small world. ^5's
@@bmepdoc9675 I had an MGB. Originally white, then red. Originally open diff, then welded, and finally with a limited slip. Originally 14” wheels, then 15”x8” wheels with race tires, and finally 13”x11” wheels and a 2.0 Pinto engine with Webbers. Won B Modified at SCCA Nationals in 1974. I had a yellow LeGrand formula car the last few years. I’ve forgotten most names, but I think Gary Pinney drove the Corvair I mentioned. I vaguely recall a Cosworth Vega (or two), but I don’t recognize any of the names you mentioned. Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.
Corvairs were factory built with forged rods, pistons, & crank. They are a very popular engine, maybe #1, for homebuilt aircraft enthusiasts. They've been used in everything including being swapped into Porsches for the torque. They were called Porvairs &Y tore it up at Pike's Peak.
Say it with me it is pronounced “Por-sha” not “Porsh”.
Correct!
Not in competition with the GT 350. The Shelbys were winning the B production class of SCCA in 1966. As the video says, the Yenko Stinger raced in SCCA class D production. The Shelby's only competition in B production were the older pre-62 283 Corvettes so Shelby didn't face much of a challenge there. Class D had the Porsche 911, the Yenko Stinger faced much stiffer competition.
Thank you for that extra insight! Crazy to think the 911 AND the Corvair being such similar layouts yet coming from totally different minds and ways of building them!
I believe in 1966 C2 327 corvettes were BP. GT350s won the national championship in B Production in 65 and 66.
@@Rattlecanjeff Right, all 327 Corvettes moved to B production in 66.
@@Rattlecanjeff When the 427 came along, it went in A prod, alongside the 427 Cobra, demoting the fuel injected 327 to B prod. The Carbureted 327 had already demoted the 283 cars to C prod. I could be wrong in the timing, but remember seeing pictures of C1 Corvettes, with C/P markings. Saw my first live road race in 1967, when I was 16. No C1s to be seen, but a couple Stingers there. On that day, on the 1.5 mile, 13 turn Waterford Hills road course, All the Chevys were beaten by a NSU TTS (D/Sedan) and a Porsche 911S (C/P), in the Combined Feature race.
That's not true at all..the shelby's were racing same year 327 powered corvettes virtually everywhere b class races were held.Earlier corvettes were present in many of these races but were not competitive against the 327 vettes or Shelbys.
I owned a 65 and a 66 corvair over the years. Vairy much enjoyed your video and am working my way through your others. One suggestion: try to capture some engine sounds in your videos. All motorheads want to hear what these things sound like.
The later Corvair had rear suspension very similar to the Corvette. The best handling Corvairs are the ones converted to small block mid engine power.
Crown corvair
Always wanter to see a shortened wheelbase version of one of these. If I could be done without ruining the car's beautiful lines.
Nice. I've always known the Corvair got a bad rep. It wasn't nearly as bad as people think it was. If GM had continued with it's evolution we would have had something special. Thanks for this, there's a soft part in my heart for these cars. Had a 64 and I loved it.
I also was in the camp of people that just looked down on the Corvair but after watching the Jay Leno’s Garage video on this car my tune changed 👍
I had a 2nd gen 1968 stock one that had lived in FL all its life and even though it was 20 years old it was still in great shape. There was nothing unsafe about it. I had cragars and 60 series tires all around and it handled awesome, like a mini Corvette. I do remember you had to use low air pressure in the front tires so they wouldn't push. It was sorta rare in my opinion It was a light purple metallic, white interior, tinted glass, wood steering wheel, bumper guards, working factory a/c, 140hp, a powerglide, posi and the better suspension package. Unfortunately I was drunk one night and ramped a railroad track and when I landed the oil filter bracket broke and I drove it another couple blocks to the next bar and seized it up. I kept it around for over a year and never got around to repairing it so I sold it to a Corvair enthusiast that kept after me about buying it. He was a mechanic at the local Chevy garage so I knew he would rebuild it right. I saw it driving around for a few years and then after he passed I don't know where it went. I loved driving it and wish I still had it today for a daily driver. They are just a cool looking and driving car. The first one that I ever drove was a new 1961 station wagon, 4sp. I was 9 yrs old and my uncle let me drive his on a country road, I had been driving the farm truck around (on the farm) for a couple years with a pillow under me and behind me thanks to my grandfather who taught me how to drive. I haven't seen any Corvairs on the street for a few years, the last one I saw was in a parade last year. I sure miss them.
@@JT-SE-OHIO VW had the requirement for lower psi in the front tires as well. If the tire psi got out of wack the handling got strange.
Lee Iacocca was the one who created the ( UNSAFE At ANY SPEED ) story because he wasn't allowed to help with the engineering and was part of the Camaro engineering team
@@JT-SE-OHIO The front tire pressure thing wasn't just a Corvair thing. My Boxster (which I love dearly) is 29 front, 36 rear.
Pretty rare piece of GM Yenko machinery. Couldn't keep my base model from spitting the belt off regularly back in the 70s. Fun car though , and didn't feel any less safe than other cars on the road at the time.
That was the main problem my friends car had, that 90° bend and twist. Could always tell when it pitched, you instantly gained noticeable hp.
mine too!
IECO made a kit to convert the idler pulley to be spring loaded. I put one on my '63 Spyder after losing the belt a couple times, and that was the end of the problem.
Great video! Love the 2nd gen Corvair. My son and I built a '65 up. Want to get another one. Rear-engine, air cooled, crazy fan belt. He gave up when he realized his Corsa had less horsepower and was slower than his stock '04 Camry.
Sometimes it isn't about the horsepower!
Growing up, my father bought a new '64 Monza Spyder, black on red with the turbocharged engine. This was his fourth Corvair having owned and traded in a '60, '61, and '63. In the Michigan winter, he would tie a rope to the rear bumper and pull us on a bobsled on snow-covered back roads. The traction was amazing, but would occasionally get hung up on snowdrifts. He traded it in the second time it blew a head gasket and scorched the cylinders (as he described it). The replacement was a '68 sport coupe, red on black, with the 140HP engine as they no longer offered the turbo. This was the car I learned to drive a manual transmission in. I also learned that to round a corner on icy roads it was prudent to downshift and release the clutch in order to shift the weight to the front wheels to make it turn! He drove it for ten years and parted with it when the engine threw a connecting rod. He later owned a Honda CRX which drove like a go-kart, but he swore that he never drove another car that handled as well as his Corvairs.
I had a 66 monza and loved it. A stinger would be beyond cool to have now
Soooo hard to find.
@@tommccallan8802 Yes. Correctly restored Stingers with documented history (original bodies) are commanding close to or over $100,000 today.
Late 80s...as a young teen one of my 1st jobs was mech. apprentice in a shop...mop boy most the time! lol
Got to drive a customers Turbo corvair my boss just rebuilt the carbs, adjusted valves etc.
I was super impressed .Had NO idea that little car could move out as well as it did .
Actually loved the car, front felt light, drove real nice and the engine sounded killer from inside
I wouldnt mind having one today. ALways wondered how long those fan belts lasted though kinda goofy all twisted up
Air cooled....little fear of ever overheating. More and MOre I want one...or another early 12v bug.
Awesome read boys. I owned a 1st gen with the almost-killed-me swing arms. My intent was mid-engine 327, but gave up on it due to lack of resources. I remember the dash board was cool looking.
These videos are just great! So much great history
Thanks for watching them! We appreciate the support!
I owned 3 Corvair Monza coupes (1963, 1965, 1967). All of them were fun and reliable.
I used to have my Yenko Camaro serviced by a local racer. One day a Stinger came in for his magic. The way they were set up was very good, he did get more out of it and I got to go for the shake down ride. Was interesting
Corvair was a cool car to drive. I learned to drive a 4 speed in a 1967 Corvair 140hp engine. I was 16 in 1971. It was my friend's Corvair and it handled the turns great. On the highway the front steering felt sloppy on center until you hooked it into a turn. I had to double clutch to downshift the shifter was crap. I had to keep the windows cracked open with the heater on because of CO poisoning. Yet, I have fond memories of that car - lots of fun. edit: GM should have put rack-n-pinion steering on the Corvair and Corvette.
When I had a '63 Spyder, I bought aftermarket steering arms that quickened the ratio, as well as a kit that shortened the throw of the shifter. Since the steering was so light to start with, you didn't really notice the extra effort with the fast ratio arms. A good set of radials makes a night and day difference on these cars.
We had a first gen. Corvair station wagon, our family was moving from northern Minnesota to Lakewood, OH. My dad and older brother were driving it across MI, U.P. In a spring snowstorm and when they arrived at the Mackinaw bridge, the car wouldn’t turn, until they chiseled out the frozen slush the built up around the front tires. (No engine heat)
Latter we bought the two door with the 102 hp engine (90 hp was standard) one Friday night my friend and I gave ride home to a girl that wanted to get away from her date that had a Ford with police interceptor V8, leaving Rocky River drive-in. The straight road’s he’d out run me, I went toward the lake and took all the curvy streets I could and gained him at every corner. We were sitting with her mother on the porch when he came around the last corner, and smoke was coming out of everywhere on that car. She lived just west of Lakewood Park.
I'm in the process of building a Corvair engine for my '65 and hope to get close to that 240-250HP mark - naturally aspirated, of course. Turbos are fun, but add unnecessary complications and fuel system requirements I don't want to deal with. I pushed my Corvair hard, when it was driving and never felt out of control. This engine upgrade will really pep my baby up and give me the power I want - enough to use and abuse. gg
Awesome! Turbos are cool but sometimes you just can’t beat a NA setup
are you installing bigger pistons with VW jugs?
@@aliassmithandjones9453 I decided not to go that route and went with a set of Clark's aftermarket jugs and a max overbore. Not quite 3 1/2" bore.
@@rarecars3336 - The turbo Corvairs were at their best when cruising on the highway - punching the throttle at 60 mph and suddenly you gained a couple more cylinders of power! They were also great at high altitudes as their power didn't fall off above 4,000 feet like most NA engines. But the 4-carb 140s were a lot more tractable for the type of driving 90% of the public normally does.
The Spyder (Corvair turbo) ran on regular gas and did not have a waste-gate or pop-off valve, relying on back-pressure to keep the turbo in check.
Very cool. I didn’t know any of that, thanks!!
Glad you enjoyed!
My dad had an army buddy with a corvair, who gave him the opportunity to drive it once. After that drive, he was never invited to drive it again, but Dad always spoke highly of the corvair's handling. 🤣
I have always loved this car ever since I first saw one
Awesome vid, thanks for posting!
I saw a corvair a few years ago not stock/ sound like it had a smb Chevy tucked in. Very nice rumble while going down the road.
Thank you for a vid that tells the *truth* about Corvairs and Yenkos! I found no errors in your presentation, except for the class that Stingers raced in. As a guy who has not been without a Corvair or Corvair powered car since early 1970, I really appreciated this!
Yes, I agree the video was 99% accurate...great job. But as usual, this comments section is absolutely filled with folk-lore and misinformation about Corvairs. This is one of the reasons I don't show my Ed Cole Award winning '69 Corvair...so freaking tired of none Corvair people reciting BS as if it was the gospel.
I took a 65-6 Corvair for test purchase ride, in believe 70s, came up to stop sign and nothing happened when applying brakes flew through intersection. dodging cars in light traffic. When we got back to the seller he pointed out, new brakes were in trunk in boxes. My college buddy brought me along cause he had no knowledge of cars, but he bought it anyway and was happy with it.
Don't really understand what "new brakes" in the trunk (which I assume would be new pads) have to do with brakes that are completely non-functional. The fix for that isn't pads. I'd look to see if there was any fluid as a starter.
@@williampotter2098 True , the car was due a complete brake job.
A friend of mine had one for racing back around 1970. Cool car. I wanted a Corsica in 69, but funds were tight and I never got it.
Love my 66 corvair dragged it out of 30year nap.runs great now
I owned a Stinger sure wish I had not traded that one in for something less.😢😢😢😢😢😢
That is awesome that you owned one of the ~100 though, what Stage did you have?
@@rarecars3336 I was a long time ago sorry. Should never have sold that one for sure
As a kid, a friend had a corvair spider.
290+hp, once you got used to rear engine(dif kind of driving from front engine car) was a beast.
The Spyder was rated and advertised at 180 h.p.
@@markmailander9571 not stock
@@briansharp4388 No s**t, Sherlock. What engine, pray tell, especially since the 'Vair engine rotated opposite to every other Detroit power plant.
@Mark Mailander 30+ years ago, so my dear whatson, was a cam, turbo, believe to6 Rajay (maybe t04)
Go to mid(he didnt) you flip the ring gear, same as a vw. You must belong to a corvair club, don't know where the hell you are coming from.
@Mark Mailander ps. We had 5 hour machine technology class instead of regular school....access to more machines than any other shop I have ever worked at, and after required projects we had 5 hrs a day too work on making our cars better. I was into Toyota 22r.
GT350 killer? LOL. They aren't even in the same class. The Gt350 Mustang's was in the same class as 327 Stingrays and beat them. Videos like this and the ones about the Cheetah being a "Cobra killer" are just so the Chevy guys don't feel bad about not having cars as legendary as the GT350 Mustang and the Cobra
🤪
My nephew is actually rebuilding 2 corvairs rn an 1 works! Im so proud of him an he hasn't even graduated yet:)
That's Awesome!
The Yenko Stinger has grown to be my favorite car and I’ve never driven one! 😂
Sounds like you need to build your own!
@@rarecars3336 Man! I would love to do that! I’ve owned 2 Miatas; one was a turbo, GT-500 and was looking at a 2016 GT-350 but my dream car would be the Yenko Stinger. The car won me over.
if you look at the silhouette top of the finders all the way to the rear cropping off the roof line of the corvair it is the basic shape of the camaro
You are right it kinda does!
They are such pretty cars.
240HP Corvair. Insane.
Right!? that's a quick car!
Nice video. I believe Yenko ordered the stripper version "500" model with the 140 and 4 speed as a starting car.
The Yenko Stinger started as a Corvair Corsa with the factory standard "140 hp" engine. They were built to Don Yenko's specs even adding a custom installed dual master brake cylinder from a Cadillac.
IMHO Don Yenko >should< have ordered the "500" with an optional 4 speed (the 4 speed was also optional on the Corsa!) It would have been a lighter weight coupe to start with. Don may have been thinking about selling all the Corvairs that would not become racers. For those the Corsa had a stronger appeal for customers of a sporty street Corvair.
I'd love to have a Corvair. Yenko Stinger or not. They're just cool cars
My brother had a 66 Corvair with a 4barrel quadrojet carburator on each side of the engine..I think it was called a spider but I don't remember what horsepower it had
I bought a new Corvair in 1968. It was a 500 body with a bench seat, but had the 140 engine, HD suspension, brakes and quick steering with the 355 rear.
It would eat 912s for lunch. I put 14" station wagon wheels on the rear and the first Mickey Thompson wide ovals on the front.
It was amazing.
Sold it when I went into the outside sales business. Always regretted it.
The Corvair was a wonderful car, the problem with it was the nut behind the wheel. A person should know how to drive before driving one.
Thanks for this. Learned to drive at 14 with a 65 convertible where I took my driver's test. Then bought a 68 blue coupe with a a 4 speed and positraction. Given I was a teenage driver and full of it these cars saved my life more times than I can count. It was only after owning subsequent cars like front engine rear drive and turbocharged front drivers was able to appreciate the amazing road handling of these late model Corvairs.
Love hearing these stories from people! Thanks for sharing!
It doesnt worry me if it was competitive or not. These later Corvairs are my absolute dream car, you never see them here in Australia. First one i ever saw was on the screen in the movie "Fear"
They were very competitive. 10 divisional championships in 1966 and National Championship in 1967 D production SCCA racing.
Had 2 monza's and they leaked oil if the tube seals wore out ,cracked.. Change the tube seals and you get about 25,000mi, then smell the oil ,repeat..Loved it..
Nice video, just subscribed. Like several people here, I had a 66 in high school and loved it.
Being designed and actually doing it is two different stories 😂😂😂😂
LOOKS LIKE A CORVAIR TO ME! HAD ONE, 6CYL, MAROON CONVERTIBLE, LOVED THAT CAR .. SO DID MY EX! DIVORCE LOSS!
A car that was described as “unsafe at any speed” by Ralph Nader was used as a (highly modified admittedly) racing platform. Uh huh. Sure, Ralph.
Early example of the feeding frenzy the media perpetrates when they're going after their favorite targets. Back then, GM was hated for being the largest corporation in the world. The VW Beetle had the same issues as the Corvair, but the media never went after them. (Until Diesel-gate.)
Again, Nader was talking about the swing-axle earlier cars, not he car Yenko built from. Read the book "Unsafe At Any Speed".
It should be noted that GM sold millions of corvairs, they were a great success at the time.
Chevy built a couple of dream cars in the late sixties called the Monza GT. They would be a good baseline to build from.
Our neighbor bought a new 1967 Monza when I was a kid. . I was 14 and he took me for a ride in it and it hauled ass.
I loved my Corvair monza spyder...
Good video, I've had my '67 Monza since college. Corvairs are great, used to be cheap but no more. Prices have spiked, parts are RIDICULOUS and quality is dropping. No way I'd suggest anyone get into Corvairs today, go Camaro instead. You won't lose any money.
Apparently they assembled some Corvairs here in Switzerland
It was nice that you didn't give any acknowledgment to that guy who help set back the American car industry. After the problem with the early Corvairs was solved, we would have been on track to compete against the Japanese cars.
The Japanese cars bet the American cars by trying to make good cars, not pieces of shit Detroit pawned off on us in the eighties. Example, a four door Mercury Cougar. All Detroit was concerned about as profit not good cars.
@@danapicray9040 That was the point in my comment. Detroit was about making money and they built a few sporty versions for PR to make it, but Porsche and other European companies built race cars because they loved cars. Porsche did it better and longer than the others so they won in the end.
The ONLY problem with any Corvairs was the use of basic rubber o-rings on the push rod tubes, that heat-hardened, cracked, and spewed oil like Exxon Valdez. There was NO problem as described by the non-practicing lawyer, as was proven four years AFTER Corvair's demise.
@@markmailander9571 You did not read Nader's book. He had no problem with the gen-2 Corvairs.
@@philipethier9136 Apparently you did not read what I wrote or your reading skills and comprehension are very weak. Nader's criticism was of what MIGHT happen to the Corvair in a very specific stuation but was instead presented as "what DOES happen", under which virtually any car of any era might possibly roll over. Which is the point published by the University of Texas study in 1973.
Nice summary of the Yenko. As a 66 Monza owner I’ve always had a soft spot for the Corvair. Unless you owned and driven one you should keep your poor opinions to yourself. I’ve chased down Gen2 Corvettes before. The Corvette owner was not very happy I rained on his parade. The car would carve a.corner like nobody’s business. I’d die to have one with 220-250 hp.
GM got the Year Suspension sorted out on the last Generation of Covair..
buddie had one of these, everytime we took a right turn at over 30mph we would get a batman smoke cloud out the back.. Every time i rebuilt one of these flat 6's years later for aircraft, I would think of those moments.
awesome story, thanks for sharing!
Not built to compete with GT350, nor even Sunbeam Tiger, further down the food chain in D Production (i.e., not a “big bore” production Sports Car).
As a VW fan they look like America's version of a karmen Ghia type 3 love to see one in person but I'm in Australia so probably won't.. very cool
I had a 67 GT-350 which I time trialed.
Riding in it gave my wife headaches so I traded it for an Abarth OTS 1000, she totaled it a month latter :(
I got a Corvair with 4 carbs, handling package, quick steering and Posi rear.
At Northhampton race track on LI I found the Corvair was quicker thru the corners than the Shelby.
But coming out of the corners I could open the Shelby up, the Corvair was already at it's red line :(
I really wish Chevy had gone forward with the OHC ASTRO concept engine with 2 3 barrel carbs and a the squirrel cage fans.
Indeed the Astro I Corvair engine was also Overhead Camshaft design - As far as we know only one was built and it has not been found - yet! I can't imagine they would cast OHC heads for just one engine.....
Some dude had one in college. Never saw the driver but i would see the car all over ft.collins CO when i was delivering pizza
Wow that is a rare car to spot, its sick that you saw one!
Wish I still had one of the three I owned back in the 70s, a 65 base, a 65 Monza Conv. and a 66 Corsa 180hp.
In the 70s I had a65,66, and a67corsa. All convertibles. My last was a 69 coupe retrofi/ed with everything from the 67 Corsa. Modified with a 4 barrel Holley carb, cam and headers. Also a lot of mods to brakes and suspension. Lots of fun
When I was in college I bought a 1965 Corsa Turbo. It was great fun, with a manual 4 speed. After a few months the headers blew out and with the turbo and all it would have cost a fortune, so my dad suggested we get stock headers and bypass the turbo. It worked. It developed an oil leak so the clutch was bathed in oil. It still worked but not well, but I just drove it, buying oil by the gallon. Then one winter on an icy road it spun out and plowed into a phone pole nose first. The front was pretty mangled, but nothing mechanical was damaged so I kept on driving it. I think my dad eventually drove it to the junkyard. Not proud of what I did to that car. One more thing, I lost my virginity in the back seat.
Love hearing these stories of people's experiences with the cars in the videos, makes the entire process so cool!
😂 you rock bro!
love that styling. especially in race trim.
imagine a new interpretation of it.
right!? These were good looking cars
In a way, Chevrolet killed their Corvair with their Camaro. How sad, The Corvair was a neat car that still could be the American Sports Car.
Thanks for the opportunity to learn more about my Favorite Yenko. The only glitch I seen was you show a picture of a 427 L-88 as what went in the Yenko Camaro. I'm sure he'd put one in the Camaro but that's an Expensive Engine and was not Standard.
Back in 2012-13 I daily drove a 64 Corvair Monza. Everything worked on it and never had an issue. It was sure fun to drive. Except getting even an oil filter to do regular tune-ups took planning because no local stores had any oil filters or basic parts in stock 😂
NAPA Wix 1038 is the oil filter that is easy to find and a great filter as well.
Actually the Corsair was designed to directly compete with the Ford Falcon & Chrysler Valiant
Corsair was a Ford Edsel model, not designed to challenge Ford's Falcon or the rebodied Falcon called Mustang.
@@markmailander9571 Sorry that’s one of those bloody auto correction mistakes, I’m meant the Chevy Corvair
@@markmailander9571 that S should be a V
Chevrolet did the same thing to the Fiero.
Being super light a tuned 6 cylinder was faster that the Corvette. Oh can't have that, bye bye Fiero. Insurance was ghastly too.
Is this Mike Musto running this channel. Voice sounds very familiar
This is not Mike Musto, but I am flattered people think I sound like him
Corvair also had a couple of optional power packages you could order stock from the factory. One was the four down draft carbs, another was a twin turbo with two carbs and also a four barrel with a x shaped intake manifold. They were pretty creative back in those days. 😊😊😊
Only the four single-barrel Rochester carburetors were available from the factory. That was the 1965-1969 140-hp engine, upon which Yenko Stingers were based. The turbocharged option (1962-1964 Spyders and 1965-1966 Corsas) only had one turbo and one Carter YH carburetor. The four-barrel x-shaped manifold was a purely aftermarket item and was never a factory option.
LOL. We had a 1964 Corvair in 1968 and that motherfucker could not even get up the grade to go to Mill Creek Camp with my stepmother and 12 kids. That is Hwy 101 in northern California. We actually had to stop and turn around and she took us to Baskin and Robbins for ice cream instead. It was the single worst motor vehicle till the Yugo was marketed.
I would assume 12 people in a corvair is well above its desired payload hahah
@@rarecars3336 Yeah these days my stepmom would be arrested for child endangerment I am sure, we were three deep.
Sounds more like the lack of common sense was at fault.
My father owned 4 Corvairs. He said they were the best that Chevy ever built.😊
certainly one of their most unique cars
I am 63 years old and I have been an ASE Certified Automobile Technician for most of my life. I think the Chevrolet Corvar was and still is, an excellent automobile. The closest car to a Porsche 911 is actually a Corvair. Both vehicles are the same mechanical configuration. My parents owned one as my grandparents also owned one and I have drove and worked on many. Unsafe at any speed? NOT A CHANCE! Please reply. Dave...
I think the corvair got an unfair treatment, people need to understand the physics of driving a rear engine car!
Productio
@@Kevin-b2p3v What do you mean by Productio?
Years after Nadar's "Unsafe" book The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) conducted a thorough independent study of the handling of the Gen 1 swing-axle rear suspension design. It was found to be equally as safe as any other contemporary compact car produced at the time.
Corvair - proven safe by U.S. government tests!!!
Ralph just hated that!.
@@rarecars3336 Absolutely!
Definitely wasn't the Camaro was a Mustang but I always thought the Corvair had a great look to it and it has some Innovative features or just come out and be too❤❤ the video man thanks for the information
I read somewhere that the Corvair was the first production turbocharged car. ?
Actually, the turbocharged Oldsmobile Cutlass beat it by two or three months, but it was plagued with problems that made it unreliable.
A friend of mine had a John Fitch Corvair, that I got to drive once. AWESOME handling. The guy my friend bought it from also had a Porsche and said the Corvair would out-handle the Porsche.
I read an article about th Fitch It had a unique body built on a Corvair underpinnings. John Fitch was a race car driver and also became notable for designing highway safety crash implementation.
Bought a new Corsair convertible in 65 Loved it got married then kids Sold it Yes wish I had it today
The standard engine displacement was 2.7 not 2.6. Shocks were changed to Koni and springs were not “Yenko” they were part of the copo package from GM. GM sold an HD suspension package with the Corvair with stiffer springs. Yenko just cut 1.5 coils in front and 1 coil in rear. In 66 Yenko Stingers won 10 divisional championships and in 67 won the National SCCA title.
Chevrolet did make one experimental late model v8 Corvair but the performance characteristics were such there was no way GM was going to unleash that for public consumption. Ted Trevor of Crown Mfg. started offering ‘CorV8’ conversion kits in 1967. Trevor unfortunately did not get a dealers affiliate with Chevrolet as had Don Yenko which why Trevor’s not more well known even though he ordered 15,000 transmission out-put shafts from the factory to build his mid-engine trans-axles. Yes fifteen thousand, that’s not a typo...
Mid-engine V8 Corvairs were raced heavily in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s from CanAm to the 24hrs. at Riverside. Team Macintosh-Levine won their 1st SCCA race in a Big Block Corv8 at Road Atlanta starting from 17th. The car on the pole was a McLaren. Frank Gardner raced a John Player sponsored mid-V8 Corvair in Australia and won 41 out of 49 races in a single season...
Why are CorV8’s not more well known? Carol Shelby hated Corvairs. A Myers-Manx-Crown beat his 427SC Cobra at Pikes Peak in 1966 and any time a Cobra went head-to-head with a CorV8 the Cobra lost. In 1967 Road and Track called the Crown CorV8 ‘A street legal group 7 race car...’ Shelby went on a vendetta and informed all the car magazines if they did not stop talking about the mid-engine V8 Corvair not only would he pull his advertising and support but he would get Ford to pull their’s. Shelby’s threats muzzled the entire automotive magazine community from further discussions about CorV8’s...
The 2nd generation Corvair was a great car for its time.
Sad that it was killed by a dishonest book, and fear of innovation on the part of GM management.
Yeah Nader really did these cars a disservice
IMHO, the Corvair was on it's way out after the Mustang was introduced to record-breaking sales - the all-time most successful automobile model introduction! 1965 Mustang model year sales topped out at 419,000, far exceeding expectations. Chevrolet moved only 235,528 Corvairs in 1965 even though it was the Gen 2 major upgrade improved models.
GM saw the writing on the wall and began the development of the Chevy II based Camaro. V8 anything was outselling the Corvair by the middle of the '60s so the "economy 6 cylinder" era was pretty much over...
Always looked like a Baby '66 Chevelle to me.
- When I finished installing the full stiffening roll-cage and 620HP turbocharged V8 in the back seat area, flaring the fenders and adding a designer Whale-Tail,
I custom made new nomenclature for the front fenders and trunk sporting the name: *_Turbo-Corvaira_*
...then I awoke, made coffee and thought to myself; "What a dream"
LOL, it does sort of look like a mini 66 chevelle you are right!
Interesting video.
It was no 911 though, and shouldn't be compared to one.
Too big, too heavy, and not really a sports car at all. On a proper circuit, you know, one with actual corners and undulations, where the 911 shines, it wouldn't stand a chance.
This was a heavily modified track car, and the 911 was a standard road car, no comparison at all.
They were not even successful, 22 races 3 wins. If they were so great, they would have continued to race and be developed.
Porsche however, had hundreds of race wins, starting in 1956, often against much bigger and more powerful opposition.
I had the opportunity to drive the 4 speed 180 hp Corsa. It was fun
For a “Rare Car” please research the first “factory muscle car”, the 1957 Rambler Rebel.
Oh, yes, the car you referenced is pronounced “Por-SHA”, not “Porsh”.
Yenko chief mechanic Bill Hartley built his Corvair to road race on back road's of western Pa.He made extra money match racing.Don thought he could do customer car's using Bill's car as a test bed. The Stinger is born.
Hey there's a early model mid pack at 6:43 a well sorted early model can be a real sleeper.
Looks like a 1970s Holden Monaro from the side, but with an extra long trunk.
I was just watching the Jay Leno clip from 10 years ago.
Great video!
Jay loves his Corvairs and Yenko 054 A great ambassador for our car hobby for sure. Love his videos.
Had a 64 turbocharged Corvair. Rear axle kept pulling out of the differential.
Rear axle bearings need to be replaced. Every car needs maintenance after many miles of use and abuse. I had a '57 Chevy truck that got that work done for the same problem.
Well you skipped,.... Fiberglass deck lid, manufactured in California by the same company that did the sail panels. Forget the name right now, Upgraded exhaust headers, 3:55 or 3:89 posis, Some racers added/ doubled up a second front sway bar, (Like early vette racers did). Stiffer valve springs, some guys put in solid lifter cams, (Been there, seen it).
Had a girlfriend in Vancouver with a second-gen Spyder (Monza) ragtop. It was a quantum leap from my TR3, but I never admitted that publicly.
“Never admitted that publicly” 😂😂😂
What an incredibly HOT car. I love how that vehicle looks. And that motor! Wow!
"Capable" racer yes....."Crush" the GT-350?....not even close. The deserves a stand alone video like this without the comparison to the Mustang, but you over hyped the concept and soured the message.
Those were pretty pricey for the time, the gt350, Corvette, a loaded gto, hemi, or fairlaine 427 were all less expensive, 911's were really pricey nearer to $7K, a little later even the boss 302 was cheaper in '69.
Absurd stupid article no such challenge was ever imagined. First, the Shelby version of the Mustang was a serious performance car with a new light weight V8 engine and a serious race team to develope the suspension & engine! The Yenko was powered by the very weak poorly designed air cooled flat 6 engine known for it’s failures! Secondly it was backed by a single car dealership Yenko Chevy in PA who had little money compared to Ford who was backing Shelby to defeat Corvette.
POR-sche Thank for the info!
This video popped up in my feed and I have not seen this channel before. This is a great video about a car I didn't even know existed despite being very fond of the Corvair. Excellent work. You've got yourself a new subscriber.
I am glad you enjoyed it, thanks for subscribing!