Yenko Silverado Packs 800 Supercharged Horsepower
Specialty Vehicle Engineering has created a wicked Silverado inspired by a monstrous modern Camaro.
It has been many moons since Don Yenko’s Chevrolet dealership in western Pennsylvania turned out a high performance street machine, but New Jersey-based Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) has acquired the rights to the Yenko name and they are making good use of it. After reintroducing the world to the Yenko Camaro, the company has applied some of the same upgrades to the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, creating an awesome 800-horsepower sport truck.
The Heart of the Yenko Silverado
Like the modern SVE Yenko Camaro, their in-house-built Silverado is powered by a supercharged version of the LT1 V8, but they don’t just slap on a blower and call it a day. The 6.2-liter engine is stroked to 6.8-liters and fitted with a forged 4340 steel crankshaft, forged H-beam connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, ported LT1 cylinder heads, an upgraded fuel system with larger injectors, stainless steel headers, a 3.5-inch exhaust system and a performance tune to bring everything together. The result is a 416-cubic inch LT1 that delivers 800 horsepower – nearly double the 420 horsepower that comes with the Silverado’s stock 6.2-liter engine.
Other Performance Upgrades
In addition to the built engine, the Yenko Silverado 1500 includes a handful of other go-fast upgrades to make this the ultimate Chevy performance pickup. Six-piston Brembo brakes up front clamp down on 16.1-inch vented rotors and those big brakes are tucked under unique 22-inch wheels wrapped in 305/40 Michelin Defender LTX performance tires.
Finally, this Silverado features a new suspension setup with Rancho shocks and progressive-rate lowering springs, dropping the truck a total of five inches compared to stock.
Appearance Upgrades
SVE didn’t go overboard with appearance upgrades, but to give the Yenko Silverado a distinct look, the company adds a sport hood, graphics from front to rear and lots of package-specific badging with the Yenko logo on the outside. Inside, the Yenko Silverado sports the SVE logo embroidered on the headrests, Yenko doorsill plates, Yenko key fobs, embroidered floor mats and a power badge with the vehicle number out of 25.
Price and Availability
SVE plans to produce just 25 examples of their 800-horsepower Yenko Silverado and with a price of $46,995, they shouldn’t have any problem selling them all. Figure that a regular cab, short bed, rear-drive 2018 Silverado with the base engine has an MSRP of $29,695. If Yenko is building their high performance half-ton trucks on the base model, adding all of the key go-fast goodies during the build process, the buyer ends up paying around $17,300 for the 800-horsepower package installed.
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