#13 1967 Chevrolet Camaro - Smokey Yunick - Bonneville Record Holder

Out of Stock
$149.95

"How Smokey Yunick Broke More Than 300 Bonneville Records With a 'Stock' 1967 Z/28" Smokey Yunick always thought big. With access to Chevy’s brand-new 1967 Camaro—and liking its wind-cheating body and the availability of both small-block and big-block power—Yunick thought it the perfect vessel to conceivably smash hundreds of Federation Internationale de l’ Automobile (FIA) time-trial records and also have some fun at the expense of Ford’s Trans-Am efforts. Looking over the U.S. Auto Club (USAC) speed records, he saw more than 300 production records he could break in both the 305–488ci displacement “B” production class and the 183–305ci “C” production class. Yunick loved to absorb rulebooks and specifications, then outthink or otherwise beat the sanctioning body and competition between the pages. He built a stock-bore 445hp small-block and 540hp big-block that contained “optional heavy-duty parts” that were production components available from Chevy, which they had to be for eligibility. Both used solid lifters. Muncie four-speeds and Positraction 12-bolt rearends suspended from stock leaf springs completed the drivetrain. The three Camaros he built were said to be Z/28s, though they may have started out as pedestrian Camaros with Z/28 markings. Smokey stressed that he deviated from stock by only adding rollbars, magnesium American Racing wheels, and 10.00-15 rayon racing tires. This must have been where the term “Smoke[y] and mirrors” originated. Says Vic Edelbrock, who owns the restored car today, “The front suspension points were relocated and the subframe Z-cut and rewelded to allow for a lower floorpan. The entire body was acid-dipped, the hood and front fenders are reshaped and are wider and lower, and every surface under the body was made smooth and reshaped to reduce drag. The windshield was laid back and the drip rails pulled in flush with the body.” On their way to Bonneville, Smokey called HOT ROD’s Jim McFarland to come meet him at Riverside Raceway, where the Bud Moore Mercury Cougar team was practicing for the upcoming Mission Bell 250. Smokey flat towed one of the Camaros for this detour. When he got there somehow he was allowed to unload the Camaro at the track, where this shot was taken. With Lloyd Ruby driving they broke the Trans-Am qualifying record, sending the Moore team into fits. Smokey was immediately kicked out of Riverside, with a big smile on his face. At Bonneville in October 1967, a 10-mile course was marked off on the salt, and with driver Mickey Thompson and stock car drivers Curtis Turner, Bunkie Blackburn, and Johnny Patterson, they spent 12 days breaking hundreds of flying-mile records, some more than once.

  • ModelYear - 1967
  • Availability - Out of Stock
SKU: 18901 Category: . Tags:

"How Smokey Yunick Broke More Than 300 Bonneville Records With a 'Stock' 1967 Z/28" Smokey Yunick always thought big. With access to Chevy’s brand-new 1967 Camaro—and liking its wind-cheating body and the availability of both small-block and big-block power—Yunick thought it the perfect vessel to conceivably smash hundreds of Federation Internationale de l’ Automobile (FIA) time-trial records and also have some fun at the expense of Ford’s Trans-Am efforts. Looking over the U.S. Auto Club (USAC) speed records, he saw more than 300 production records he could break in both the 305–488ci displacement “B” production class and the 183–305ci “C” production class. Yunick loved to absorb rulebooks and specifications, then outthink or otherwise beat the sanctioning body and competition between the pages. He built a stock-bore 445hp small-block and 540hp big-block that contained “optional heavy-duty parts” that were production components available from Chevy, which they had to be for eligibility. Both used solid lifters. Muncie four-speeds and Positraction 12-bolt rearends suspended from stock leaf springs completed the drivetrain. The three Camaros he built were said to be Z/28s, though they may have started out as pedestrian Camaros with Z/28 markings. Smokey stressed that he deviated from stock by only adding rollbars, magnesium American Racing wheels, and 10.00-15 rayon racing tires. This must have been where the term “Smoke[y] and mirrors” originated. Says Vic Edelbrock, who owns the restored car today, “The front suspension points were relocated and the subframe Z-cut and rewelded to allow for a lower floorpan. The entire body was acid-dipped, the hood and front fenders are reshaped and are wider and lower, and every surface under the body was made smooth and reshaped to reduce drag. The windshield was laid back and the drip rails pulled in flush with the body.” On their way to Bonneville, Smokey called HOT ROD’s Jim McFarland to come meet him at Riverside Raceway, where the Bud Moore Mercury Cougar team was practicing for the upcoming Mission Bell 250. Smokey flat towed one of the Camaros for this detour. When he got there somehow he was allowed to unload the Camaro at the track, where this shot was taken. With Lloyd Ruby driving they broke the Trans-Am qualifying record, sending the Moore team into fits. Smokey was immediately kicked out of Riverside, with a big smile on his face. At Bonneville in October 1967, a 10-mile course was marked off on the salt, and with driver Mickey Thompson and stock car drivers Curtis Turner, Bunkie Blackburn, and Johnny Patterson, they spent 12 days breaking hundreds of flying-mile records, some more than once.