Johnson Stinger - THE MEAN MACHINE – The first ‘hot orange’ Stinger 65 was introduced in 1972 on NBC’s splashy national TV special “Discover Wet” hosted by Johnny Carson’s sidekick Ed McMahon at Cypress Gardens. By the early 1970’s, Johnson styling had become a bit conservative - and certainly not flashy!, So the introduction of a screaming orange outboard was quite jarring...if not daring from a marketing standpoint. Launched as a “1972 Limited Edition” model - just in case screaming orange was too daring - the 65hp Stinger was an instant hit. The 1972 / 1973 model, shared identical mechanicals with the standard 49.7 cu. in. Johnson 65 looper producing its BIA certified horsepower at 5000 rpm.
Playing off that initial success, an upgraded 70hp Stinger followed in 1974 with a massive ‘70’ on its flanks. Its additional 5 horses were credited to refined tuning and improved carburetion. Doubling down on performance, horsepower increased again in 1975, now to 75. Again, festooned with a bold horsepower ID on its sides announcing its presence. Those extra 5 horses came from new exhaust ports, a redesigned combustion chamber and a new, low restriction air-intake silencer with a BIA certified 75hp rating at 5500 rpm. A high-compression cylinder head was optional.
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