While Don Yenko was a Chevy guy, this render of a Yenko edition Mustang seems perfect for muscle car supremacy in the late 1960s
In the battle of American sports cars, the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang are rivals dating back decades. Over the years, noteworthy special editions of both cars have gotten the attention of gearheads looking for both power and speed.
One notable example is the Yenko edition Chevrolet Camaro, in which the modified sports car got its name after racecar driver Don Yenko. In a render that imagines an equal treatment for the Camaro’s rival, the Ford Mustang, designer @jlord8 creates the Yenko Mustang, giving the classic pony car its own Yenko version. Given the celebrated history of the Yenko Camaro, it’s an entertaining scenario to imagine identical versions of both cars.
The Yenko Ford Mustang Arrives
The green Mustang used for the image incorporates the same racing strips found on the Yenko Camaro as well as badging that uses Yenko’s name. Emblems designating both the engine and the Yenko logo are present on the Mustang as well, staying true to form from the styling on the Yenko Camaro. The post contains a single image so there are no shots underneath the hood or of other angles of the car but given the styling details, it’s safe to assume other elements of the modified car would follow the Camaro closely.
When the Camaro initially made its debut, Chevrolet did not offer the Camaro with an engine any larger than the 6.6-liter V8. This limitation put the Camaro at a disadvantage to crosstown rivals including the Ford Mustang and Plymouth Barracuda since neither Ford nor Plymouth had such limitations. Don Yenko, familiar with Chevrolet vehicles and an experienced driver of them, knew demand existed for a more powerful version of the Camaro and found ways around the ceiling GM put on power for the car.
A More Powerful Chevrolet Camaro
Production of the Yenko Camaro commenced in 1967 and ran through 1969 with limited numbers. Don Yenko started with stock Camaros from Chevy with the 427 engine, which produced 425 horsepower. Adding a pair of headers and a freer-flowing exhaust, Yenko upped the power and torque of the 427 engine to 450 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Modifications additionally included a custom ducted hood, two exhaust systems, more cooling capacity, and a modified suspension.
From a cosmetic standpoint, Yenko applied two white racing stripes to the Camaro hood’s inverted hood scoop. Additionally, he put a “sYc” decal, short for “Yenko Super Car,” to the front of the hood with Yenko/SC imprinted onto the thicker portion of the thin white pinstripe that runs down the side of the Camaro and grows thicker on the rear quarter panel, similar to @jlord8’s render.
While Ford may not have restricted power to the Mustang in the same manner that Chevrolet did, a more-powerful Yenko Mustang still feels like an appropriate addition to the muscle car heyday of the late 1960s.
The Dodge Charger Daytona: The Best Among A Rare BreedThe Dodge Charger Daytona: The Best Among A Rare Breed
Ben Hardy takes a new Dodge Charger Daytona for a spin and is impressed with how well the car stacks up as a performance-forward daily driver
YouTuber Ben Hardy takes a Dodge Charger Daytona from Larry H Miller Dodge in Sandy, Utah for a test drive and goes over the car in detail inside and out. While we know that the Charger’s days as a naturally aspirated, gasoline powered V8 muscle car are not long for this world, you can still obtain a Dodge Charger in that form for 2023 and Ben goes over some of the things that make a Charger worth your consideration. Check out the video to see why Hardy says “All Hail The Hemi!”
The Dodge Charger Daytona
The Dodge Charger Daytona comes with a 5.7L V8 engine alongside an 8-speed transmission that achieves a combined 16 city/25 highway MPG fuel economy rating. The Charger outputs 370 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the few cars that outputs high power but priced reasonably enough and designed practically enough to also function as a daily driver for most people. Hardy elaborates on the Charger’s surprising practicality, thanks to its spacious trunk and generous overall cargo capacity. He also comments that despite not undergoing a major re-design in close to a decade, the Charger’s styling still holds up today.
Getting inside the car, he’s particularly impressed by the leather and alcantara seats, solid rear legroom, rear heated seats and rear USB outlets, all pointing towards a car that is both fun to drive and comfortable for longer trips. He starts the Charger Daytona and you can hear an audible slight rumble from inside the cabin before Hardy discusses the electronic and safety features the Charger has. The backup camera has good resolution and the heated and ventilated seats along with dual zone climate control are all handled on the responsive touch infotainment screen.
Impressive Inside And Out
The cost of this Charger is a $52,760 MSRP, which includes the Daytona package and a long list of added features. The Charger’s price tag can be much lower or higher depending on the engine, trim level and configurations the buyer chooses. Ben starts up the Charger and does some engine revving, and once on the road comments that the car drives smoothly considering that it is primarily a muscle car above anything else.
Hardy comments that at a time when most cars are deriving power from smaller turbo engines, the Charger’s naturally aspirated V8 is a welcome tradition to keep in tact, and it is increasingly difficult to find cars with that powertrain on new car lots today. The Charger is among the last V8 powered sedans from a non-premium brand, with Stellantis’ own Chrysler 300 being one of the other standouts. While full-size cars remain a fixture among the lineup of most premium automakers like Genesis, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW and others, the Charger is in a class of few from mainstream brands, with the 300, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon as well as its upcoming successor the Toyota Crown and the Kia Stinger being some of the few buyers have to choose from, but the Charger has the distinction of being one of the few ones with a V8.
Watch This Hemi Swapped V8 Challenger Take On A JDM 300ZX
In a battle over classic muscle car vs JDM on the drag strip, YouTube channel No Bolts Left Behind pits a 1970 Dodge Challenger against a 1995 Nissan 300ZX. The two cars have taken each other on at the drag strip before but previously, the Nissan raced under less than ideal circumstances. With some repairs made to the sports car, it’s a more fair fight to the finish line. Check out the video to see if the Nissan can earn a victory over the Dodge or if it continues to be the muscle car’s race to win.
Dodge Challenger vs Nissan 300ZX
The Challenger beat the Nissan pretty badly in previous races, but at the time, the 300ZX had a bad transmission and power delivery issues from the engine due to years of neglect. With those issues taken care of as well as addressing the tuning, a tune up for the car and a manual transmission swap, the Nissan delivers more power than it did before. The Nissan 300ZX has a 3.0L V6 engine, outputs 222 horsepower and a 5-speed manual transmission with rear-wheel drive. The car weighs 3,350 pounds, giving it a weight advantage over the older Dodge in addition to better traction thanks to the Nissan’s performance tires.
The Challenger was a desert rescue with a 5.7L HEMI engine swap from a Dodge Durango, the Challenger also has a swapped manual transmission. The Challenger outputs 430 horsepower, a 6-speed manual and rear-wheel drive. The Challenger is heavier than the 300ZX, weighing in at 3,560 pounds and has old school radial tires which he expects to make some smoke. Before racing either car, they take each on a practice run, so they are ready to deliver their best performance on the strip.
The Challenger Defends Its Victory
In the first run, the Challenger takes an immediate lead over the Nissan off the line and maintains the lead throughout the distance of the race. The result is the Dodge Challenger keeping its record of winning with a 8.59 second time and 83 mph top speed. The Nissan reaches the same distance in 10.07 seconds with a 67 mph top speed. He does note that while the Nissan lost to the Challenger again, it is an improvement over its previous times.
In the second run, the Challenger does a burnout before lining up and as expected, the tires make some smoke. The Challenger again takes an immediate lead and wins over the 300ZX with a time of 8.96 seconds and an 81 mph top speed vs the Nissan’s 10.52 second finish and 67 mph top speed. In the third and final run of the video, both cars start off with a burnout, the Challenger’s being much smokier than the Nissan’s is. At the onslaught, the Nissan takes an immediate lead off the line by a small margin, but the Challenger almost immediately closes the gap and then passes the Nissan. The Challenger again wins with an 8.54 second finish time and an 83 mph top speed while the Nissan finishes in 9.92 seconds, under 10 seconds, which was the goal for the day for the car, in addition to a top speed of 70 mph. In a future video, he’ll race the 300ZX against a LS swapped Dodge pickup truck.
The New Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 Finally Gets To Challenge A Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Speed Phenom brings 2 of the most impressive American sports cars in recent years to the drag strip to settle the score once and for all.
The YouTube channel Speed Phenom showcases what they say to be the first ever Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 race to find out how the two cars stack up side by side against each other in terms of acceleration and overall racing abilities on the track.
It’s noted that there are some differences between the two cars as the C8 has nearly 100 less horsepower but also weighs less than the GT500 among other factors. Check out the YouTube video to see how these two of the most impressive American sports cars in recent years do against each other.
Shelby GT500 Vs C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Race Comparison
The Ford Mustang GT500 has 760 horsepower and by comparison, the C8 Corvette Z06 has nearly 100 less horsepower. However, the C8 weighs in at about 500 pounds less than the GT500.
There are additional differences considering that one car is mid-engine and the other is not. It’s also worth noting that the cold weather at the track when the comparison gets filmed affects the launch ability of the cars and is likely to lead to slower launches for both vehicles.
The first race is the Corvette Z06 against a modified Ford GT500 which outputs 926 horsepower, an obvious horsepower advantage against the Z06 but there is a desire to see to what extent the C8 can still compete against the extra-fast GT500.
Off the line, and unsurprisingly, the GT500 takes off much faster than the C8 does and puts a massive gap between the two cars. The C8 doesn’t ultimately lose any ground during the race but it doesn’t manage to narrow the gap. It’s also notable that the GT500 managed to get a much faster launch.
Data And Comparable Top Speeds
In the next competition, the C8 Z06 goes against a stock GT500, and from the camera angle inside the C8, you cannot see the GT500 on the screen, a clear indication that the GT500 isn’t overtaking the Corvette during the race.
The C8 got the jump off the line and maintains it throughout the length of the strip and again, launch conditions are not perfect for either car. From a data perspective, the GT500 has a top speed of 157.12 mph compared with 144.55 mph in a standard C8 Stingray.
When the C8 Z06 speed gets taken into consideration, it achieves 154.43 mph, a difference of only 3 mph less than the GT500. From a perspective of competitiveness, is very minor but in some cases could make the difference between a win and a loss.
When comparing the 60-130 mph times of both cars, the times come down to 7.5 seconds in the Corvette and 7 seconds in the GT500. Notably, some modifications did get made in order to reduce drag and increase aerodynamics in the already powerful GT500. As a result, the conclusion is that the primary difference comes down to aerodynamics and these cars are extremely competitive with one another. As the Z06 gets added to more garages, such comparisons are sure to continue to determine which is the superior Detroit-based sports car.
After Appalling Service, RacerX Is Cancelling His Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06 Order
With the dealer asking for a giant donation to meet the terms of what he was initially told and lack of action from GM, he’s decided to walk away.
RacerX on YouTube has reached a point where he will no longer pursue the purchase of a new Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 after receiving the runaround from his local Chevrolet dealership and repeated inaction from General Motors on the issue.
While prepared to pay the hefty price for the sports car, the dealership’s unexpected $50,000 demand over the MSRP was unacceptable to him.
Not only has he walked away from the pursuit, he’s started a petition to prevent dealerships from doing the same thing in the future.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Inflated Prices
The whole process started 2½ years ago, when he put in a deposit for a new C8 Corvette but with the Covid-19 pandemic complicating things, he opted to let someone else buy his reservation and wait until later for the C8 Z06 with the promise he could buy it at sticker price.
His goal was to be one of the first owners of the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and to promote the car on his YouTube channel.
However, it now looks as though that goal is one that will not come to fruition.
Despite the assurance he could buy the Z06 at MSRP, the dealership called four months ago and said that he could still buy the car at MSRP but under the condition that he also made a $50,000 donation to a charity of the dealership’s choice.
Given that the cost of the Z06 was significantly higher than he planned to spend anyway, the terms of this deal were simply unacceptable.
In his observations, markups for the Z06 have been anywhere from $40,000 – $100,000 on average.
GM’s Bad Customer Service And No New Corvette Z06
Following the news from the dealership, he reached out to General Motors directly who initially seemed concerned and assured him they would assist him in obtaining the C8 Z06 at the price he got promised.
He also began receiving messages from other people who have had similar experiences to him over the last several months, inspiring him to create a petition on change.org.
Despite a slew of reassurances and promises, he did not hear back from Chevrolet, and they actively began ignoring his calls or refusing to return them.
At this point, he has become “unbelievably frustrated” at the process and feels disappointed that what General Motors told him initially from corporate is not what he is experiencing now with GM saying it is back to the dealership to decide how to proceed with the purchase process.
In his opinion, the runaround from General Motors has cemented to him that they simply do not care about assisting him and therefore, he has decided that he will no longer pursue the purchase of a Z06.
A Dealer Tried To Sell A 2023 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06 For $100,000 Over MSRP
A new video by Street Speed 717 shows a Chevy dealer offering a $100,000 markup on the car after first saying it would be available at MSRP.
The Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06 is one of the highly anticipated sports cars for the 2023 model year, partly thanks to its powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine. Ever since order books opened, buyers are flocking to dealerships for the new American sports car.
Dealerships are more than happy with this high demand for the Corvette Z06. Aside from not having to experience a difficult time selling the sports car, they could also turn a good profit. One of these dealers got in touch with Street Speed 717, offering him a new Corvette Z06 at a tag that’s $100,000 more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price or MSRP.
Updated October 2022: With the new C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 being such a popular enthusiast topic online, many YouTubers are talking about their journey to getting the iconic American sports car. In the past few months, Street Speed 717 has been dealing with another dealership that canceled his Corvette Z06 order. Read on below to see the updated story on the situation with him finally getting a 2023 C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 at MSRP.
Charging $100,000 Above MSRP For New Corvette Z06
It’s not really unusual for dealerships to add a premium above the MSRP. They can, actually, because the MSRP is just a suggested tag. Dealerships will practically take advantage of any high-demand product – whether new or not – and treat them as cash cows.
Potential customers trying to get ahead of others are usually willing to pay more than what carmakers suggest, even if it means getting squeezed out of their dollars.
This is what is currently happening with the 2023 C8 Corvette Z06. A dealer from outside Street Speed 717’s home state called the YouTuber and Corvette enthusiast to inform him that they can bump him up the waiting list.
To do that though, Street Speed 717 has to add at least $100,000 to the sports car’s MSRP. According to the YouTuber, he inquired through this dealership because they offered MSRP for the new Z06. However, it appears the dealership changed its mind to cash in on the high demand for the new Z06.
Since a Corvette Z06 starts at an MSRP of $105,300 (excluding destination), the price the dealership was asking would exceed $205,300 at minimum.
GM Had Fired Warning Shots, Some Dealers Don’t Care
Interestingly, it seems General Motors is already making moves to minimize, if not stop, these overcharging practices. It’s not really that very effective, though, since there are still dealerships trying to charge way beyond MSRP – just like the one that called Street Speed 717.
Corvette Blogger obtained in January a letter from GM North America President Steve Carlisle telling dealers to stop charging way above MSRP as such practice would not support a positive sales experience for customers. Dealers who continue to do so would risk having their vehicle allocation redirected.
The warning from Carlisle’s letter applies not only to the C8 Corvette Z06 but also to several high-demand new GM vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, the GMC Hummer EV, and the Cadillac Lyriq.
Street Speed 717 Is Finally Getting A C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 At MSRP
With all the drama going on with Chevrolet Corvette Z06 markups, it seems someone from Chevrolet listened and reached out to the popular YouTuber. Recently, a local dealership canceled Street Speed 717’s Corvette Z06 that he had. He essentially gave up hope that he would get one this year and moved on.
Out of the blue, someone from Chevrolet reached out to Street Speed 717 and let him know that a car would be available to him at MSRP. Even though it is not the exact spec that he wants, he is just happy that it is a Z06 without any crazy market adjustments.
Source: Street Speed 717 on YouTube, Corvette Blogger
The First 2023 Corvette Z06 Sold For $3.6 Million At Auction For Charity
The money raised will really help Operation Homefront, which courses on building strong, stable and secure military families.
The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 certainly got us excited when it was finally shown off in 2021, with its dramatic looks and amazing soundtrack. Even a few months after its launch, the Corvette has grabbed headlines thanks to the auction of the first 2023 Corvette Z06. The car recently went under the hammer at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, and sold for some $3.6 million, which is a record sale for a charity vehicle donated by a manufacturer to Berrett-Jackson.
Highest Horsepower Figure For A Naturally-Aspirated V8
The Corvette Z06 does of course have the highest horsepower figure for a naturally aspirated V8 engine, with 670 hp at the driver’s disposal. Former Corvette racing Oliver Gavin was on hand to drive the car onto the block at the auction. The charity the car raised the money for was Operation Homefront, and representatives of the charity were there at the auction to experience the sale of the car first-hand. The winning bid was from none other than Mr Rick Hendric, the founder and CEO of Hendrick Companies, and 100% of the money he paid for the car will go to Operation Homefront.
A Special Package For A Special Car
The Corvette Z06 VIN001 is a very special car. The car has the 70th Anniversary Edition package on it, and this comes with Ceramic leather two-tone seats, which also have suede seat inserts, steering wheel plus special anniversary branded luggage. There are some other special features as part of the package, such as a unique set of wheels with red edges plus the anniversary center caps. Chevrolet has supported Operation Homefront since 2017, and in the past has provided seven Silverado pickup trucks for the organization for them to use at their headquarters and six regional offices.
A Highly Beneficial Amount Of Money
The money raised will really help Operation Homefront, which courses on building strong, stable and secure military families. Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr, president and CEO of Operation Homefront said “We are deeply grateful to our friends at Chevrolet and Barrett-Jackson for choosing Operation Homefront as the beneficiary of this incredible auction.” Chevrolet Vice President Steve Hill said, “It’s truly a privilege to support our military members and their families through Operation Homefront.” The auction of the car has certainly helped Chevrolet’s funding support for Operation Homefront.
Source: Chevrolet
