A Vicious ‘Vette

Let’s turn things on their head and start this one with a cliché “Anyone can restore a car, but it takes a real man to cut one up.” You’ve heard this before. And you know that either path will be a long, sometimes difficult, but ultimately rewarding journey that will result in one more bitchin’ 20th century automobile on the road, track, show circuit, etc. You get the picture.

More often than not, I associate this old adage with Chevrolet’s Golden Boy of the sports car market—the Corvette. From the mid-’50s to present day, the early ’Vettes have been desirable for both their performance and pedigree. Stock, they’re gorgeous. But when they’re modified, they’re downright brutal.

For my money, the Corvette you see here was one of the most ferocious of them all. Take a look for yourself. Straight black lacquer. Nose-up stance. Fully polished Americans. Radiused rear wheelwells. Piecrust slicks. Moon tank in the grille. VHT white weedburners. Enderle birdcatcher. 6-71 supercharger. And perhaps the best of all—full street equipment.

The car was built and raced in the Pacific Northwest by Art and Carol Yenter. Initially campaigned in the B/Modified Sports ranks, they dropped in a blown Chrysler in the mid-’60s to run AA/MSP. Most of the time you could find Carol behind the wheel.

By 1966, the couple added nitro to the mix, making this vicious ’Vette even more of a handful. Unfortunately, that was its last hurrah—it was soon replaced by a ’glass-bodied Mustang. That’s just how things seem to go.

I’ve long held “Big John” Mazamanian’s candy red terror at the top of my Corvette list, but after re-discovering the Yenters’ ’Vette, I’m going to have to rethink that decision. With any luck, you’ll be hearing more about his car at some time down the road. But for now, imagine this car storming off the line with the Hemi howling and slicks ablaze.

—Joey Ukrop

P.S. If you’re itchin’ for more ’Vettes, head on over to this thread here. 

Photo from Vince Putt