1968 Chevrolet Camaro Drag Racer

Drag racer and Chevy engine builder maven Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins heard about an orphaned and ignored Trans-Am Camaro. He reasons that while the 'milled' -- hot rodders' team for acid dipping - Camaro might be a bit too flexible for 200-mile bursts of road racing, it would probably be tough enough for NHRA Super Stock racing with 12 or so second blasts of full-throttle acceleration. And the orphan ex-Penske Trans-Am Camaro became part of Jenkins new drag racing operation. This 1967 Camaro - built on December 29, 1966 - was 'converted' into a 1968 Camaro to satisfy the NHRA rulebooks: side vent windows were removed and '68 door glass was installed. Hidden headlights from the '68 model were installed. Side marker light trim and lenses were glued to the front fenders. Chevrolet's performance chief Vince Piggins gave Jenkins access to the 'Heavy Duty' -- Chevy-speak for 'racing' -- parts inventory. Grumpy's Toy IV was born. At the 1970 NHRA Nationals in Pomona, California drag racing legend Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins' 1967/68 Z-28 Camaro GRUMPY's TOY IV, won the first race of the NHRA's new Pro Stock class becoming the NHRA's first Pro Stock winner with the sport's first sub-ten second pass by a stock-bodied car. Jenkins' 427-powered ex-Penske Camaro blew through Pomona Raceway's lights in 9.99 seconds at 139.53 mph making drag racing history.