Smokey Yunick's infamous 1966 Chevelle. The car was heavily modified.
To start, the big block Chevy wasn’t actually a 427.
It was de-stroked to rev higher, actually make it a “416”.
There were sheet aluminum heat deflectors above the headers to keep hot air from rising up to the air box.
There were reinforced brake shoes, done by welding on small rods to prevent bending.
He mounted shocks and springs as close to the wheels as possible.
The front bumper was altered and set back into the bodywork to improve the aerodynamics as well as deepened 2 inches in order to keep the air out from under the car.
The top of the car features a subtle flap up near the rear edge to generate downforce at the rear of the car.
The chassis was stiffened to keep the car planted to the track.
The frame rails were designed to hold extra fuel, about 5 gallons in total.
And the Pièce De Résistance, the car’s underbelly was completely smooth.
There were no rules against any of this, it was completely legal....which is the unusal part as Smokey was well known for enhancing his race cars.
click to enlarge
To start, the big block Chevy wasn’t actually a 427.
It was de-stroked to rev higher, actually make it a “416”.
There were sheet aluminum heat deflectors above the headers to keep hot air from rising up to the air box.
There were reinforced brake shoes, done by welding on small rods to prevent bending.
He mounted shocks and springs as close to the wheels as possible.
The front bumper was altered and set back into the bodywork to improve the aerodynamics as well as deepened 2 inches in order to keep the air out from under the car.
The top of the car features a subtle flap up near the rear edge to generate downforce at the rear of the car.
The chassis was stiffened to keep the car planted to the track.
The frame rails were designed to hold extra fuel, about 5 gallons in total.
And the Pièce De Résistance, the car’s underbelly was completely smooth.
There were no rules against any of this, it was completely legal....which is the unusal part as Smokey was well known for enhancing his race cars.
click to enlarge
