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1970 Yenko

10K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  mbuenavides 
#1 ·
Anyone remember the story going around in 2012 about the Red Yenko being found in a trailer in Pa? Appears that car is up on Ebay now..
 
#2 ·
He was a hoarder. Had hundreds of muscle cars and hot rod parts stored in barns out buildings and parked semi trailers. He died before he was able to buy every car and car part and his wife decided she wanted some of the money he had spent back again for her retirement. Sold everything at auction. Was covered in most of the then Primedia car magazines. Coverage contained color shots of Hemi Cudas and Z/28's with 14,000 mile odometers that were rust free. Mountains of tunnel rams with carbs and full linkage as well as heads and blocks stacked like cord wood.

I know a similar hoarder that had 56 first gen Camaros he owned crushed by the county government as an illegal junk yard. He still has the warehouse full of NOS and barely used hot rod parts.

Big Dave
 
#4 ·
Don's wife verifies Yenko car authenticity based upon records that she kept of expenditures. If Don bought the car from GM then the VIN and what was done to it was recorded in her book keeping journals. Pretty cut and dry, and eliminates any cars that are found in barns, or off of recently landed space ships piloted by Elvis or big foot, that show up sixty years after the fact looking a for a big score at Meachum's.

Big Dave
 
#7 ·
Don was an engine builder. I bought one of his engines, and one or two BBC engines from as many other better known engine builders that I could afford to learn any trade secrets they might have had. I was also building engines back then, and what the builders didn't put into their books they carved into their heads. (and I wasn't above the "flattery" of copying their development work).

My point is if you have $200K why not build a Pro Stock car and paint it red (red ones are faster). By comparison to a 2015 COPO Camaro a 1970 Yenko Nova or a 1969 ZL-1 Yenko COPO Camaro is a slug. Only costs a a fraction of the price of the Yenko Camaro and it can be road raced, drag raced, and painted red with big YSC decals all over it if that is what you truly want.

If you want to collect something; try late 19th century impressionist art as it seems to double in value every year.

Big Dave
 
#12 ·
As a retired Honda Auto Parts mgr/Warranty Administrator for 37 years in Erie Pa., I attended quite a few AHM Pittsburgh District Meetings with other Honda Dealer Managers. Don Yenko also had a Honda Dealership and the parts manager who's first name was Bill (last name escapes me), had been the manager at Don's Chevy store during the time when COPO didn't yet exist, and I remember Bill telling me that there was absolutely no room in his parts department because of all of the take out drive trains lying all over the place! Don was quite a nice guy and his passion for racing and marketing were very memorable.
 
#13 ·
Don not only had a contract with Chevy for his COPO orders, but with Caterpillar in Mapleton Illinois to cast his own personal BBC block at their foundry. His block is easily identified by his name above the timing chain cover. It was cast with the same high nickel content nodular iron metal used in Cat truck engines. At the time it was the strongest block available.

I had one of his 427 L-88 engines in my '67 Camaro back in 1970.

I knew of him through my SCCA association with racing Corvairs. I loved my Corvair more than my '67 Chevy II at the time as the Corvair was actually fun to drive. Couldn't say that about 194 six three in the tree econo box.

Big Dave
 
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