Yenko Corvette goes to Stage II packing 1,000 horsepower

Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE), a New Jersey-based tuner, has followed up its 800-horsepower, Yenko-badged Chevrolet Corvette with an even more potent, Stage II version with 1,000 hp.

The heart of the car is a 6.8-litre LT1 V8 with ported LT4 heads and a larger throttle body, topped with an enormous supercharger. All that mojo is good for 850 poundfeet of torque.

Just like a real muscle car from the 1960s, all that power contends with stock brakes and suspension and SVE recommends that you splurge for the Z07 brakes and suspension for added control.

The Yenko Corvette will not come cheap and you can expect to pay a full US$68,99 for a manual version, or US$77,995 with the automatic. This, of course, does not include the cost of the Corvette Grand Sport required for the conversion. Options include a host of paint and dress-up options, including a $1,195 painted supercharger.

SVE hasn’t released any performance specs, but we’re inclined to consider the zero-to-100 km/ h time as “rapid” and production will be capped at just 25 units. If you live in California then you better keep shopping, because the Yenko Corvette is not certified for California’s stricter emissions laws.

Yenko was a dealership in the 1960s and 1970s that became famous for offering hopped-up muscle cars, both through official GM channels and by simple hot-rodding. Most famously (or infamously), Yenko wedged the COPO (Central Office Production Order) system in its favour to circumvent the GM rule that allowed only Impalas and Corvettes to have 427 engines, giving enthusiasts 427-powered Camaros, Chevelles and a few Novas.