Corvair

[oldtransamdriver]

According to  ultimateracinghistory.com  Tony d was listed as a co-driver with Don Eichstaedt in the 66 Marlboro T/A race - 23rd o/a.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Then I stand corrected. Thanks, Robert. I was confident that Tony hadn't raced his own Corvair in T/A but hadn't thought about him being a co-driver in someone else's car.

[yenkomark]

      Just a few additions to this discussion....Donna Mae Mims entered a Corvair in a TransAm once ....I think in Missouri ...DNF   ...I recall Brock Yates in that race in a Dodge Dart.  Tony D's Corvair was a 1965 , ran as an A/ Sedan..he told me it gave him his first of many race wins..I think at Nelson Ledges.. As a favor , Don Yenko gave him a Yenko Stinger ID tag later and Tony traded the car to his dentist for dental work ! That car now belongs to a friend in Maryland...who also has a red/red  ( rare combo )1969 COPO Camaro.    The Sebring Stinger referred to was raced by Russ McGrotty, a Chevy dealer in N Y ..co-driven by Art Riley,  ( better known as a superb Volvo racer ) and a close friend of Don Y.

[Jon Mello]

Mark, Donna raced at Marlboro in '66 as a co-driver in Spurgeon May's Corvair. Some results show William "Bill" Clay as his co-driver but I think that was an error for that particular race. Donna does not show up in results for the Missouri race, at least the ones that I found anyway.

[Jon Mello]

An interesting single overhead cam experimental Corvair engine seen in the May, 6, 1967
issue of Competition Press & Autoweek. Cool looking piece. (Jon Mello Collection)

[SMKZ28]

While not an official SCCA Trans Am race, a Yenko Corvair Stinger did run in Les 4 Heures du Circuit Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.  This  was a four hour race for Trans Am type cars held on May 21, 1967 at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada.  According to the race results clipping, originally posted by Jon Mello in the 1967 season review thread, Donna Mae Mimms was the driver. The car did not finish the race, stopping on lap 18 due to ignition and clutch failure. 

You can see the rear end and the striped roof of the white Stinger parked behind the Camaro in the first picture. 

The front end of the Stinger can be seen at the top of the second picture above the roof of the Mustang.

The front end of the Stinger can also be seen to the upper right in the third picture above the hood of the Falcon.

The pictures can be seen here: http://www.autocourse.ca/photos/saison1967/transam/transam/transam.html

[Jon Mello]

Scott, Donna's car was pink and the one you can barely make out in the top picture is her car but the white car in the other two photos is not.

[SMKZ28]

Scott, Donna's car was pink and the one you can barely make out in the top picture is her car but the white car in the other two photos is not.

Sorry 'bout that.  I should have known her car was pink.  In addition the white car does not even have the traditional Stinger stripe.  It's probably just a regular street driven Corvair.  Thanks for the correction Jon. 

Here is a picture of her car from a race at Mid Ohio.  I found it here: http://classicmotorsports.net/forum/classic-cars/donna-mae-mims-vintage-photos/24781/page1/

[Jon Mello]

Nice article from SCCA's Sports Car magazine on the introduction of the Corvair Stinger and written by no less than Don Yenko himself.


Jon Mello Collection

[yenkomark]

  All Corvairs, including Stingers were classified  as sedans under FIA rules when raced in Canada... Touring group II.

[jwmoore]

Then I stand corrected. Thanks, Robert. I was confident that Tony hadn't raced his own Corvair in T/A but hadn't thought about him being a co-driver in someone else's car.

Hello Jon,

Actually Tony DeLorenzo DID race his 1965 Corvair 500 Coupe in the 1966 Marlboro 12hr Trans Am in 1966. Don Eichstaedt was his co-driver and they did finish the race in 23rd position after having a flat tire that had to be changed on course and then damaged wheel studs had to be replaced at a later pit stop. They lost about 45 minutes with these two problems but still took the checkered flag. After Tony sold the car in 1967 to his friend John Dirnbauer, Don Yenko supplied John with Yenko tag YS121 so he could race the car as a Stinger in D-Production.

I recently acquired the car from Dave Edsinger who initially purchased the car in 1974. The car had been apart for about 25 years languishing in Dave's shop. I have the bare body shell mounted on my rotisserie with restoration work underway. The original body tag, VIN tag, and Yenko tag are with it and the two matching Federal VIN numbers stamped into the right front frame rail. My plans are to restore it back to it's August 1966 Marlboro 12hr Trans Am livery. I have been emailing back and forth with both Tony and Don in order to gather as much history as possible. It will be a joy to put it back on the track in historic racing events.

One other thing about the car is that Tony purchased it directly from the Chevrolet Central Office. It's nice when your dad is a GM V-P. As per the body tag, the car was completed the last week of June 1965, Tony was on the track at Nelson Ledges winning his first race one month later.

[group/7]

Interesting thread, the Delorenzo Corvair is a significant car, it will be great to see it on track again !

Here's a photo I have in my files of the Delorenzo & Mim's Corvairs in the pits at Marlboro in 1966.

Mike

(photo:  unknown)

[MO]

Great find and story. Hope to hear more.

[Jon Mello]

Congrats on getting Tony's old car.  That's awesome that it's still around.  I love the black on red color scheme.  Best of luck restoring and racing it.