How much puffing could one man stand? Lots, apparently. Jenkins was introduced to the outside world in the October 1973 issue of Time magazine and also in a piece in the Wall Street Journal. It was the money mostly. He’d made on the order of $250,000 that year as a
drag racer! There was levity, too, and why not? Bill told the Grump he’d be in his underwear in the centerspread of Hot Rod. Innovator Terry Cook got him to strip off everything but his silk briefs, sneakers, and cigar, and poised him face down on an animal skin. Grump the Cogitator now Grump the Coquette.
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Jenkins built his final Vega in 1974, the culmination of everything he’d learned. He introduced the MacPherson strut suspension to straight-line racing. It was lightweight, compact, and readily available for any Datsun Z. It was a tall order. The nose of the car had to be lower and the suspension had to be short enough to perform but not interfere with the body silhouette. At this point in the story, this modification was mandatory. In two years, Pro Stock performance had grown exponentially and aerodynamics were playing a much greater role in the car’s design. Bill complimented the light, compact suspension with a steering rack from an ordinary Pinto.
Then this: the lowest point of the car was the oil pan. To make it lower any lower required the advantage of a dry sump oiling system. Advantage Jenkins. He was the first to develop such a thing specifically for a drag race application. It not only made the car lower and safer; it made horsepower.
The last Vega? Jenkins in NASCAR?
To Be Continued
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How Grumpy got grumpy, PART ONE
A Peek at the Rear-Engine 
Shannon Jenkins Race Shop Tour
