Vehicle Description
IMSA Yenko/Thompson Corvette
Call it a barn find, time capsule or race ready piece of American
produced race car history, there is no question this one off
Corvette is the most documented vintage race car being offered in
some time. With just one owner since the purchase from Jerry
Thompson and Don Yenko in 1976, the year after its participation in
the 24 hours of Daytona where it ran as high as third against the
likes of Peter Gregg, Brian Redman, and Al Holbert in their factory
Porsches and BMWs. The Corvette now stands as it rolled off the
trailer in 1975, with meticulous detail paid to the preparation on
that day.
Jerry Thompson, a noted Corvette racer from the early 1960s and
driver of the famous Owens-Corning Corvettes of the late 1960s as
well as Don Yenko, the legendary Chevrolet dealer of
high-performance street cars, combined on the project to build this
"skunk works" version of the racing model. Thompson, a General
Motors engineer and Yenko, who supplied the motors through his
high-performance connections at GM, constructed the car with the
help of the GM tech center in Detroit.
With the assistance of GM design engineer, Randy Wittine, who
created the unique "boxed" flares to accommodate the newly approved
wider tires, the Corvette provide a silhouette never seen in a
production racing Corvettes. Wittine's flares were the second set
produced, as the first set went to the factory supported John
Greenwood IMSA Corvette.
Power was supplied by a 454 cubic inch engine bored 60 over to
produce over 650 horsepower. The engines came directly from
Chevrolet's performance department and dyno'd at the factory. The
Corvette now has an all new 454 bored and prepared to the exact
specifications for which it ran in Daytona in 1974.
The documentation provided by the owner is comprehensive. Included
with the car are the original bill of sale from Jerry Thompson, all
racing results and historical documents relating to its entry and
participation in numerous IMSA sanctioned events throughout the US,
a notarized statement from Thompson as to the authenticity and
history of the car, as well as numerous photographs of the car in
its various racing liveries throughout its lifespan.
Offered for sale for the first time since its purchase in 1975, the
Corvette is now prepared to pristine condition and attention to
detail. The car's historic value, given its factory participation
and association with legends Jerry Thompson and Don Yenko, make
this Corvette a serious piece of American produced racing car
history. Other than the famous Cunningham Corvettes of the late
1950s, the Grand Sports of the early 1960s and the Greenwood cars
of the 1970s, this Corvette is a one of one in the registry of
legendary racing Corvettes.
*Estimate $
