Oh Smokey,say it ain't so!

[Z51JEFF]

I've been reading the Smokey Yunick Autobiography when I read something that was like a knife to the heart. In one chapter he's talking about his friendship with Vince Piggins,as Smokey puts it at the time the ZR-1 was underdevelopment.on Smokeys own words:HE WAS GENERAL MANAGER THE YEAR THEY PUT THAT HIGH-BUCK,PIECE OF $HIT,JUNK ENGLISH ENGINE IN THE CORVETTE ENGINE IN THE CORVETTE. the guy goes to tell him how much a mistake it was and it was going to cost him his job bla,bla,bla. For one thing,wasn't Jim Perkins G.M. of Chevrolet when the Z came out? And in all the years,all print I've read on this car I've never heard the name Vince Piggens in regards to the ZR-1, never. Camaro yes but never the ZR-1. Smokey Yunicl was one hell of a race car builder and a legendary cheater but when it comes to facts the guy don't know his head from his a$$. Just had to share with ya'll.

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by Z51JEFF

I've been reading the Smokey Yunick Autobiography when I read something that was like a knife to the heart. In one chapter he's talking about his friendship with Vince Piggins,as Smokey puts it at the time the ZR-1 was underdevelopment.on Smokeys own words:HE WAS GENERAL MANAGER THE YEAR THEY PUT THAT HIGH-BUCK,PIECE OF $HIT,JUNK ENGLISH ENGINE IN THE CORVETTE ENGINE IN THE CORVETTE. the guy goes to tell him how much a mistake it was and it was going to cost him his job bla,bla,bla. For one thing,wasn't Jim Perkins of Chevrolet when the Z came out? And in all the years,all print I've read on this car I've never heard the name Vince Piggens in regards to the ZR-1, never. Camaro yes but never the ZR-1. Smokey Yunicl was one hell of a race car builder and a legendary cheater but when it comes to facts the guy don't know his head from his a$$. Just had to share with ya'll.

Yunick sounds like he was working for GM Powertrain. Piggins was the guy that came up w the 302 back in the 60's if I recall correctly.

[Jagdpanzer]

Smokey was one of greatest generation in more ways than one can imagine.
Perhaps later in life he sometimes was prone not to let facts stand in the way of a good story.

[Paul Workman]

That comment still applies in many circles. I love it when a GM "guy" comes to understand the error of there opinoins...heh, heh, heh.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

I've been lucky to have either driven or owned about everything in a Corvette, prior to the C7, and the LT5 is the best looking and most fun engine I've ever driven. I'll take that piece of crap any day!!

[Z51JEFF]

Originally Posted by Jagdpanzer

Smokey was one of greatest generation in more ways than one can imagine.
Perhaps later in life he sometimes was prone not to let facts stand in the way of a good story.

I'd have to agree.The guy was,is a legend no getting around it. He was all about making a buck,even figured out a way to sell more books but above all he was a world class shuckster,always looking for the loophole.There are some parts in the book that had me rollin on the floor laughing so hard at some of the crap these guys did. I haven't gottin to the part in the book where he gets disqualified from a race when it was discoverd he was filling the rollbar in the car with gas.��

[Mystic ZR-1]

Originally Posted by Jagdpanzer

Smokey was one of greatest generation in more ways than one can imagine.
Perhaps later in life he sometimes was prone not to let facts stand in the way of a good story.

Damn, Smokey was my idol!
I can forgive him though. You know he would have stuck an LT5 (if it had been invented at the time) in the 7/8ths scale Chevelle race car he built and gotten away with it!!!
I'm sure the tech inspectors were thinking, "There's something about that Chevelle but I can't quite put my finger on it" Now they've got body templates...
Who else could get 25 gallons of gas in a 22 gallon fuel cell?
Hint: a very long 1 inch diameter fuel line...
They didn't come any cleverer than Smokey.

[Z51JEFF]

Originally Posted by Mystic ZR-1

Damn, Smokey was my idol!
I can forgive him though. You know he would have stuck an LT5 (if it had been invented at the time) in the 7/8ths scale Chevelle race car he built and gotten away with it!!!
I'm sure the tech inspectors were thinking, "There's something about that Chevelle but I can't quite put my finger on it" Now they've got body templates...
Who else could get 25 gallons of gas in a 22 gallon fuel cell?
Hint: a very long 1 inch diameter fuel line...
They didn't come any cleverer than Smokey.

I believe it was the Chevelle that had the -extended range- rollbar.

[Mystic ZR-1]

Probably both!
They might find one but not the other...

[KILLSHOTS]

Apparently, being a good mechanic doesn't prevent one from having diarrhea of the mouth. An engine "genius" who thinks the LT-5 is a junk engine? Uhhhhhh...