Ranked 8th on the NHRA's Top 50 Drivers list, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins is arguably one of the most popular Chevrolet drag racers of all time. With only 13 wins and one championship to his credit behind the wheel, Jenkins certainly isn't the winningest driver in drag racing, but his contributions to the sport, both as a driver and engine builder, are legendary. One of his greatest achievements was influencing the birth of the NHRA's heads-up Pro Stock division in 1970, along with the help of fellow United States Drag Racing Team members Ronnie Sox, Buddy Martin, "Dyno Don" Nicholson, and "Dandy Dick" Landy.
Not only has Jenkins been credited as one of the founding fathers of Pro Stock, but he made further history by recording Pro Stock's first nine-second run and winning the NHRA's first Pro Stock national event title at the 1970 Winternationals, defeating the Sox & Martin 1970 Barracuda behind the wheel of his aluminum ZL-1 427 powered 1968 Camaro, better known as "Grumpy's Toy IV". Jenkins was again enjoying the sweet smell of victory after driving his 68 Camaro to win his second consectutive Pro Stock title at the 1970 Gatornationals, taking the first two national event titles in the innaugural year of Pro Stock racing.
Supercar Collectibles has teamed up with the Exact Detail division of Lane Automotive to deliver a remarkable 1/18-scale replica of Grumpy's history making match racer, based on Lane's dated but engaging 67/68 Camaro mold. From the stance to the precisely reproduced race day graphics to the signature "Grump lump" hood scoop, this miniaturization has captured the look and feel of the real deal with incredible accuracy. The overall fit and finish is quite impressive and the realistic chrome trim around the front, rear, and side glass is still as attractive now as it was when this mold was new. The 5-spoke Cragar wheels are equally striking, wrapped in meatier slicks out back and skinnies up front.
Beneath the Camaro's lift off hood, you'll find a faithful reproduction of the aluminum ZL-1 427 power-plant that played an integral role in Grumpy winning back to back Pro Stock national event titles. The engine is plumbed and fully wired (including wire looms) and features a pair of beautiful chrome plated valve covers that shoulder a newly tooled tunnel ram intake. Atop the intake sits a steel plate supporting a pair of sideways mounted four barrel Holley carburetors, surrounded by a foam rubber seal which altogether ranks high on my "cool-o-meter". The Camaro also features a pair of white painted open race headers (big-block or small-block, you decide) and a pair of Lakewood traction bars hitched to a 12-bolt rear.
The interior of Grumpy's Toy IV is rather spartan, as it should be. A newly tooled 3-point roll cage now stands in the space once occupied by the back seat and the center console has been properly deleted, leaving behind the only tool needed to run this Camaro through the gears on its way down the quarter-mile. The wired tach perched atop the dash is a nice touch and once again, the exceptional fit and finish shows in the beautifully rendered bucket seats and chrome trim around the gauge pods and 3-spoke steering wheel. One area where this model does show its age is in the dogleg door hinges which are fairly obsolete by today's standards. Even so, this is an older mold and the costs to engineer and retool more realistic hinges for this replica would have been exorbitant. On the upside, the doors now feature all-new windows in the rolled up position, which is a neat detail and one that has been lacking on many other drag car replicas to date.
Rounding out the list of features on the Grumpy Camaro is an opening trunk, complete with an authentically patterned trunk mat and a detailed battery, along with "The Old Reliable - Ammon R. Smith - York Penna" appropriately tampo'd on the rear of the decklid spoiler.
All in all, the paint quality, level of detail, and craftsmanship of the 1/18-scale Grumpy's Toy IV 1968 Pro Stock Camaro from Supercars and Exact Detail are everything you'd expect in a replica of this caliber and the twenty-something parts tooled specifically for this project further sweeten the deal. If you're a fan of Grumpy Jenkins, his toys, or the early years of the Pro Stock era in general, then this piece of drag racing history is a hands down must have. Given the popularity of past Grumpy's Toys replicas and the fact that this Camaro's limited production run of 3,000 copies is selling fast, you better be quick to secure your copy before it's too late.
Happy Collecting,
DetourDave
Supercars/Exact Detail
#227SC Grumpy Jenkins 1968 Pro Stock Camaro
Photography & Review by Dave Nicholson
Supercars/Exact Detail
#227SC Grumpy Jenkins 1968 Pro Stock Camaro
Photography & Review by Dave Nicholson
