When auto fans buy a Camaro SS, they're look for power and speed. But the purchasers of a Yenko Camaro are eying something more -- an "outrageously fast" muscle machine with, count 'em, 1,000 horsepower, and just 25 of the vehicles built for 2018.
The powerful vehicle is a prime attraction of the specialty engine and accessories market. Retooled by machine shops or niche manufacturers, the models are championed by the original car maker such as Camaro's builder Chevrolet, while offering an outlet to customize, trick out and soup up new and classic cars.
Toms River, N.J.-based Specialty Vehicle Engineering Inc. supplies the 2018 YENKO/SC Stage II Camaro, which rolled out earlier this month.
Powered by a the 6.8 liter supercharged LT-1-based engine that also cranks up high-end Corvettes, the limited edition sports cars are based on the 2018 Camaro SS 1LE "to take advantage of all the great performance features the 1LE offers," and properly balance the engine's "awesome" power, Specialty Engineering notes.
High-end features are vast, including:
- Magnetic Ride Control
- Electronic Limited-Slip Differential
- Performance-Tuned suspension with unique bushings, springs and stabilizer bars.
- Heavy-duty cooling system with dual outboard radiators; and engine oil, transmission and rear differential coolers.
- Brembo Brakes with six-piston front calipers and 14.5 inch rotors and four-piston rear calipers with 13.3 inch rotors. They give the sports car "precise braking, while resisting fade," according to the YENKO builder.
- A 1LE front splitter and rear spoiler that increase down force to keep the vehicle planted at speed.
- Recaro Performance Seats, keeping the driver from sliding around.
- Exterior and interior graphics, YENKO badging, and 20 inch Torque Thrust wheels. They're are reminiscent of the original YENKO/SC cars "back-in-the-day" -- first appearing in 1968.
Each of these 25 vehicles will be numbered and include a manufacturer's certificate of origin. Go to Specialty Vehicle Engineering at www.specialtyvehicleengineering.com or call 732-240-3696 ext. 173.
In a 2013 article for the blog of duPont Registry magazine, enthusiast Matthew Bessette highlighted 10 leading aftermarket manufacturers in the guide -- geared to aficionados "who look at the best vehicles in the world and find ways to make them better."
The list includes AC Schnitzer, which focuses on BMW, Minis and motorcycles; AMS Performance, a 17-year-old company launched to develop the AMS 2.3 Turbo Ford Cam; BRABUS, which focuses on high-luxury, high-performance vehicles; Carlsson Tuning, which "tunes cars for Mercedes owners who want a luxury car that stands out as much as they do," Hennessey Performance, best known for a Venom GT that held the world record for the quickest 0-60 mph time as it beat out a Bugatti Veyron; Kaizen Motorsports -- based on the Japanese word for "improvement," that strives to improve Toyotas and Lexuses from suspension to turbos; Lexani, which converts vehicles into some of the top executive editions in the world; RTW Motoring, which distributes tuned up supercar parts through aftermarket firms such as Mansory and Lorinser; and STARTECH, which since 1999 has been enhancing Jaguars and Land Rovers to be even more sophisticated.
Then there's TECHART, a tuning company for Porsches: "The brand is well known and respected for the high-grade raw materials used to craft the fantastic architecture found in every one of their works of art," Bessette says.
