Chevrolet
Yenko Stinger Vega (COPO 9734)

Why it matters

Yenko's Vega was his attempt to offer a compact American performance car in the European mold, as a successor to the Corvair-based Stinger. Although it was Yenko's most prolific model, it is among the rarest of his cars today, with only 11 accounted for.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Yenko used the COPO system to have Chevrolet build 200 Vegas in June 1971 and another 200 in 1972, the latter including 50 Kammback wagons. All had the GT package (Z29), four-speed manual gearbox and Positraction axle. Chevrolet agreed to a special engine with forged pistons for a turbocharger Yenko planned to fit.

Yenko dropped the factory-turbo plan when the EPA demanded durability testing for intake and exhaust modifications; the turbo kit became a $575 option installed by the customer. A prototype turbo car impressed the press with low 15-second quarter-mile times.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Yenko added an aluminum valve cover with the Yenko crest, striping and emblems, blackout paint on hood and rear panel, rear axle traction bars, front and rear spoilers and black headlight bezels. Most of this was also sold through Yenko's catalog, and the source notes that fake Vega Stingers exist.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Viva Lost Vegas: The strange tale of the Yenko Stinger Level B Jim Koscs · Hagerty Media · 2017-08-03

   • Building 200 in each of those years
   • registry of the 11 known cars
   • 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine
   • stock Vega engine was rated at 110 hp
   • optional four-speed manual transmission
   • Positraction axle with a 3.36:1 ratio
   • live rear axle on a four-link coil-spring suspension

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   COPO.com – Yenko Stinger Vegas Level C

   • 400 COPO Vegas converted (200 in 1971, 200 GTs incl. 50 Kammback wagons in 1972)

   Accessed 2026-11-12