With over 150 cars, from American muscle cars to a Bugatti Veyron, the Lingenfelter Collection holds some of the rarest and most pristine examples of automotive history. However, since it’s only open for corporate events, auctions and special car club showings, few people ever get a chance to see this amazing collection of automobiles. That is until now.
Unfortunately we can’t offer you an exclusive trip to go check out the Lingenfelter Collection, but we did find the next best thing. On the latest episode of Big Muscle, Mike Musto gets a personal tour of the collection by Ken Lingenfelter. Check out what Musto found in the DRIVE YouTube video above.
The name Lingenfelter is synonymous with Corvettes, especially of the rare, unique and extremely high-performance variety.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that about 40 percent of the Lingenfelter Collection is Corvettes. But it’s not just the number of Corvettes in the collection that’s impressive, it’s the one-of-a-kind cars that call Lingenfelter home.
One of these Corvettes is the 1955 Zora Duntov Test Mule EX-87, the first Corvette powered by a Chevy small-block engine. Back in 1954 before the Chevy small block debuted, the Duntov Test Mule was created in collaboration with Smokey Yunick. With a box full of experimental parts, Yunick put the Test Mule’s small block together, increasing the intended size from 265 cubic inches to 307 with a goal of reaching over 150 MPH in the car. The car was also fitted with the first grind of the Duntov 3030 camshaft.
In the Lingenfelter Collection, the Duntov Test Mule sports its original pre-production Chevy small block and the thing still runs. To say that this car is significant in GM’s development of the Corvette and the small block engine would be putting it lightly.
Another significant Corvette that calls the Lingenfelter Collection home is the ‘93 Lingenfelter ZR1 wide body Corvette.
Musto gets to drive this 610 HP beast and tool around a state park. This car is impressive and deserving of its Big Muscle appearance, but nothing beats seeing the Duntov Test Mule still able to navigate the streets in its original form.