Finally, We Have 2024 Ford Mustang Pricing
March 2, 2023
The 2024 Mustang’s official debut is soon, set to hit the streets in the summer of 2023. We...
Car of the Week: 1968 Yenko Sunray DX Racing
[ad_1]
A barn-burning barn find, the car looks great in its No. 3 racing livery and definitely seems to have “attitude.”
Jerry Heasley
By: Jerry Heasley
The following story is excerpted from Jerry Heasley’s book, “Corvette Masterpieces” available on amazon.com and other fine online book sellers.
The Yenko name is synonymous with high-performance cars. Yenko Sportscars was a Canonsburg, Pennsylvania dealership that first became famous for its Yenko Stinger. Later, it turned out SYC Novas, Chevelles and Camaros.
Yenko started out by swapping “big-block” V-8 engines into customer cars at the dealership level. Then, Don Yenko and his father found a way they could order batches of cars with factory-installed big-block V-8s. They ordered the cars the same way police cars or taxicabs or other “fleet” cars were ordered, using GM’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) system.
To high-performance buffs, “COPO” became synonymous with factory-427-powered Camaros. However, a fleet of taxicabs with special heavy-duty seats could also have been produced as COPO cars.
The big 427 was specially tuned by Yenko Sportscars for racing and carried decals to attest to it.
Jerry Heasley
You could say Yenko’s involvement with the Corvette was much “racier.” In ’68 Corvettes, a 427-cid V-8 was already available as a factory option. No COPO ordering was required. Many private racing teams ordered Corvettes with 427 engines.
Corporately, Chevrolet had been officially out of racing involvements since the Automobile Manufacturers’ Association adopted a ban on its members promoting high performance. That was back in 1957.
In 1963, Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov had gotten his fingers slapped by the upper brass at General Motors for building five Grand Sport racing cars. By 1968, any Chevrolet racing involvement was a very secretive, “underground” effort. However, Chevrolet still offered options for its showroom cars that racing drivers could use to great advantage.
Any buyer of a new 1968 Corvette with an extra $437.10 to spend could add an L71 427-cid V-8 with three two-barrel carburetors and 375 hp to the car. An additional $805.75 purchased the L89 option, which included a pair of very neat, heat-shedding aluminum cylinder heads.
This car — built under the Central Office Production Order system — is one of only 80 made in 1968 with the L88 big-block V-8.
Jerry Heasley
These were high-performance engines, but they did not have the performance of another option coded the L88. This version of the 427-cid V-8 was pretty much off limits in “street” cars.
“You really had to know somebody to get an L88,” our favorite Corvette authority Kevin Mackay said. “These engines were for off-road use. They required at least 103-octane fuel. None of the cars ever had radios. They tried to steer the public away from these cars.”
Duntov and his group of racing enthusiasts inside Chevrolet steered the L88 engines to serious racers. One of their best conduits was Don Yenko.
There were 80 cars built in 1968 with L88 engines. One was this Sunray DX racing car that Kevin Mackay’s shop restored. Corvette Repair did the bodywork and paint and restored the car.
The stripped-down-for-racing interior has no trim items or floor carpeting.
Jerry Heasley
David Morgan and Hap Sharp drove the convertible to a first in class and sixth overall in that 12-hour endurance race. It wore racing No. 3 and a removable hardtop during the race. The car even made the cover of Chevrolet’s own Corvette News.
Ralph Morrison, the director of Sunray DX’s motorsports program placed a special order for the Polar White racing car using the “Buyer’s Key Pass Program,” which was available only to qualified Corvette racers.
There were actually three ’68 model Sunray DX racers. The first two competed at Daytona in 1968. One of these cars was built from parts. It started out as a 435-hp Corvette that had been on the showroom floor at Yenko’s dealership.
This Polar White car is the third Sunray DX racing car. It has a black interior, the M22 heavy-duty close-ratio 4-speed transmission, J56 heavy-duty brakes, the F41 special front and rear suspensions and a 4.56:1 positraction rear axle. The car was built at the Corvette plant in St. Louis.
Although federal law made a heater mandatory in 1968 (even in Corvettes with the L88 engine), this car still came through without a heater. A “delete” plate covers the dash where the heater goes. It also came without a spare tire, since it was made strictly for off-road use.
The huge side pipes were needed for racing.
Jerry Heasley
For racing use, the interior trim and carpets were removed. A roll bar was installed. The suspension was beefed up with bronze upper and lower control arm bushings. A 40-gallon fuel cell was installed. Racing seat belts were required. Many bolts used in the car’s construction were safety-wired so the nuts would not loosen. The L88 engine was left “fairly stock.” The main upgrade was a set of “Special Le Mans-type headers.”
In late ’69, Sunoco bought out Sunray DX and sold the racing cars. The No. 3 Corvette went to the Quaker State Oil racing team, which raced it under the company’s green and white colors in 1970-1973. Fred Kepler captured the N.E. Region A/P race at Watkins Glen. Privateer Joe Searies later campaigned the car, driving it until 1977.
Kevin Mackay became the car’s fourth owner in August 1990. “We found it in a barn,” said Kevin. “It still had all the original body panels, all the original interior.”
In the racing tradition, this car was never titled, registered or street-driven. It’s been a “track star” all of its life. That’s a real testament to the character of “Corvette Masterpieces” that have the L88 engine.
SHOW US YOUR WHEELS!
If you’ve got an old car you love, we want to hear about it. Email us at oldcars@aimmedia.com
*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.
[ad_2]
Source link
Categories
- “BULLY” 1972 K5 Blazer (1)
- “ENYO” 1948 Chevrolet Pickup (1)
- “STRODE” 1969 Chevy Camaro (1)
- 1954 Chicago Auto Show (1)
- 1972 (1)
- 2001 Lincoln Mark 9 Concept (1)
- 2003 Lincoln Messenger Concept Car (1)
- 30's Cars (2)
- 40's Cars (1)
- 50 Cars In 50 Days Celebrating 50 Years Of Old Cars (2)
- 50's Cars (4)
- 60's Cars (7)
- 70's Cars (1)
- 80's Cars (2)
- 90's Cars (1)
- AACA Museum (1)
- AACA Museum Inc. (1)
- Abarth (1)
- Acura NSX (1)
- Acura SLX (1)
- AMC (1)
- Aston Martin (2)
- Auction News (4)
- Audi (1)
- Audrain Automobile Museum (1)
- Austin-Healey (1)
- Auto Detailing (1)
- AutoHunter (6)
- AutoHunter Spotlight (2)
- AutoMania (1)
- B-1-B Half-ton (1)
- Back to the Future (1)
- Barn Finds (1)
- Barracuda (1)
- Barrett-Jackson (2)
- Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2023 (1)
- Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2023 (1)
- Big Sandy & The Flyrite Boys (1)
- bonhams (1)
- Bortz Auto Collection (1)
- British Motor Museum (1)
- Buick (2)
- Buick Grand National (1)
- Cadillac (2)
- Camaro Z28 (1)
- Car Culture (12)
- car design (1)
- Car Movies (1)
- Car Museums (1)
- Car News (2)
- Car of the Week (7)
- Car Reviews (1)
- Car Show News (3)
- Carlisle Auctions (1)
- Carlisle Events (2)
- Carrera (1)
- Cedar Point (1)
- Celebrity Cars (1)
- Chevrolet (3)
- Chevrolet Camaro (1)
- Chevrolet Corvette (1)
- Chicago Automobile Trade Association (1)
- Classic Cars (68)
- ClassicCars TV (1)
- Colorado (1)
- Concept Cars (1)
- Crate Engine (1)
- DeLorean (1)
- Denny Kannenberg (1)
- design (1)
- design contest (1)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1)
- distracted driving (1)
- Dodge (1)
- Dodge Charger (1)
- Drag Racing (1)
- Drive the bid (1)
- Drive the Bid podcast (1)
- Driving After Sundown: The Evolution Of Headlights (1)
- electric cars (1)
- Electric Vehicles (1)
- Enthusiast Auction (1)
- Enzo Ferrari (1)
- Events (1)
- Exotics On Las Olas (1)
- F-250 (1)
- Factory Five (1)
- Featured (1)
- Featured Vehicles (3)
- Features (16)
- Ferrari (2)
- Ferrari SF90 (1)
- Fiat (2)
- Fiat 500L (1)
- Fleetwood (1)
- Florida (1)
- Floyd Rag (1)
- Ford (11)
- Ford 302 (1)
- Ford F-350 (1)
- Ford GT (1)
- Ford Mustang (5)
- Ford Mustang Boss 429 (1)
- Ford Mustang Convertible (1)
- Ford Thunderbird (1)
- Formula 1 (1)
- Gas Monkey Garage (1)
- Gemballa (1)
- George Barris (1)
- GM (1)
- Gstaad Sale (1)
- GTO (1)
- Hagerty Drivers Foundation (1)
- Harley-Davidson (1)
- Hirohata Merc 1951 Mercury Coupe “radical custom” (1)
- Hobby News (6)
- Honda (1)
- Impala (1)
- Imports (1)
- International (1)
- Interview (1)
- James Bond (1)
- Jensen (1)
- Jim Lewis Collection (1)
- K5 Blazer (1)
- Karmann-Ghia (1)
- Kawasaki (1)
- Keystone Packards (1)
- Kustoms (1)
- Lamborghini Reventon (1)
- Lexus (1)
- Lexus LC (1)
- Lifestyle (2)
- Lucid Motors (1)
- Mach 1 (1)
- Marlin (1)
- Mecum (1)
- micro cars (1)
- Model AA (1)
- Motor Authority (2)
- Motor Tours (1)
- Muntz Jet (1)
- Museum News (3)
- Mustang (1)
- My Classic Car (1)
- National Corvette Museum (1)
- National Historic Vehicle Register (1)
- National Motor Museum (1)
- National Packard Museum (1)
- News and Events (9)
- Old Car News (15)
- Old Cars (1)
- Old Cars Out and About (2)
- Old Chevy Trucks (1)
- Old Trucks (1)
- online (1)
- Opel (1)
- Orphan Cars, ATVs, And AMCs (1)
- Patriarch (1)
- Performance vehicles (1)
- Petersen Automotive Museum (1)
- Peterson Automotive Museum (1)
- Photo Gallery (1)
- Pick of the Day (3)
- Pickup (1)
- Pickup Trucks (1)
- Pininfarina (1)
- Pinzgauer (1)
- Plymouth (1)
- Pontiac (2)
- Pontiac GTO (1)
- Porsche 911 (2)
- Porsche 911 Cabriolet (1)
- Porsche 911 Carrera (1)
- Porsche Club of America (1)
- project cars (1)
- racing (1)
- Ranchero (1)
- Rare Cars (1)
- Ratrod (1)
- Reader Wheels (5)
- REPAIR ACT H.R. 6570 (1)
- Richard Rawlings (1)
- Ringbrothers (2)
- Road Trip (1)
- Roller Coaster (1)
- Ronald Reagan (1)
- Saleen (1)
- SEMA (2)
- SEMA SAN (1)
- Silverado C-1500 (1)
- Spring Carlisle (1)
- Steyr-Daimler-Puch (1)
- Summer Road Trip Series (1)
- Supercars (1)
- survivor cars (1)
- SVT (1)
- The AACA Museum Inc. (1)
- The Grey Line (1)
- The Market (5)
- The Rhythm Shakers (1)
- The Royal Hounds (1)
- The Surfrajettes (1)
- Thunderbird (2)
- Torino GT (1)
- truck (4)
- trucks (3)
- Uncategorized (257)
- Video (2)
- Vintage Motorcycles (1)
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend (1)
- Volkswagen (1)
- We'd Buy That (2)
- Wiggins Auctioneers (1)
- Wildcat EV Concept (1)
- Wisconsin collector plates (1)
- Wisconsin Governor Patrick J. Lucey (1)
- Worldwide Auctioneers (1)
- young drivers (1)
- Zeb's Auto Salvage (1)
Recent Posts
About us
John Hendricks
Blog Editor
We went down the lane, by the body of the man in black, sodden now from the overnight hail, and broke into the woods..
Related posts
Old Cars Q&A: 2021 no. 11
June 29, 2021
[ad_1] Q. I am curious as to the purpose of a series of loops in a gravity-fed fuel...
Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1967 Ford Mustang
June 25, 2021
[ad_1] Mark Fields has us “green” with envy over his fine ‘Stang. This is what he had to...
Aaron Kaufman, builder, show host will be at the Carlisle GM Nationals Meet June 26
June 21, 2021
[ad_1] CARLISLE, PA – Carlisle GM Nationals will take center stage at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds June 25-26. The two-day...