1000-horsepower Yenko Camaros are back

If a 650-horsepower ZL1 Camaro isn’t powerful enough for you, the 1,000-horsepower Yenko Camaro might be right up your alley. Yenko just posted the brochure for the limited production run of 50 Camaro Stage II SC models on deck for 2020, and they look ready to take on all comers.

In 1967, Don Yenko and his Yenko Chevrolet dealership did what Chevrolet wouldn’t and installed the brand’s biggest engine, the 427 big-block, in a Camaro. Today, just like 50 years ago, Chevrolet offers the Camaro with all but the most potent of their V-8 engines, leaving the 755-horsepower LT5 in the realm of the Corvette. For Special Vehicle Engineering, the company formerly known as Street Legal Performance and the current steward of the Yenko trademark, that just wouldn’t do.

Rather than installing Chevrolet’s 6.2-liter LT5 and settling with 755 horsepower, the Stage II Yenko starts with an SS 1LE and all of its road-course-ready cooling and traction and removes the 455-horsepower LT1. Using the LT1 block, displacement is bumped up with a unique rotating assembly made up of a forged 4340 steel stroker crank, forged steel rods, and forged aluminum pistons to deliver 413 cubic inches. The block is topped with ported LT1 heads and a 2.9-liter Whipple twin-screw supercharger to deliver 1000 horsepower.

Because it’s based on the 2020 1LE, the potent Stage II engine is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. The package also includes a carbon-fiber hood with exposed carbon-fiber center stripe, Torq Thrust-style five-spoke wheels, and Yenko badging inside and out. California shoppers, take note—the Stage II package isn’t emissions legal for road-going cars, so your Yenko would be relegated to track-only use.

With 10 exterior color options and nine stripe options, it’s possible that no two Stage II Yenko Camaros will be the same.