‘69 YENKO

This 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro will be offered at Seattle, June 5-6, 2015For more information visit Mecum.com // 262-275-5050

Writ ten by Kane RogersPhotography by John Hollanswor th Jr.

‘69 YENKO

This 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro has all the right qualities for the highly discriminating collector, among them unimpeachable documentation, magazine-feature coverage and high-caliber accolades.

The Yenko Camaro story begins with Chevrolet product promotions-manager Vince Piggins, who developed a network of Chevrolet dealers not only willing, but anxious to help him spread his brand of high-performance gospel. One of his most avid partners was Don Yenko, hot-rodder extraordinaire and owner of Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Frustrated by Chevrolet’s refusal to produce a 427-powered version of its new Camaro, in 1967 Yenko took delivery of 60 Camaros and replaced their engines with the 1966 Corvette’s L72 engine, a 427 CI brute underrated at 425 horsepower (Dick Harrell of St. Louis actually converted the first 25 cars in 1967 with Yenko-provided equipment). When those cars sold out, he made similar modifications to 64 SS396 Camaros, which were also quickly snapped up.

The impracticalities of performing the work, however, were compounded by the problem of disposing of the more than one hundred engines in Yenko’s inventory, so in 1969 he presented Chevrolet with a proposal: build 500 427-powered Camaros at the factory and sell them across the country through Piggins’ network. It was a bold plan, but after witnessing the success of such specials as the Royal Oak Pontiacs and the Hurst/Olds, Chevrolet took up the challenge, producing Camaros with factory-installed L72 427/425 HP engines and other modifications to Yenko’s specs using the Central Office Production Order 9561 Package.

The factory conversion included the cowl-induction hood, curved-neck four-core radiator and high-performance suspension. Additionally, the COPO 9737 Sports-Car Conversion Package could be used for such items as mandatory power disc brakes, a 13/16-inch front sway bar, BE-code special heavy-duty 4.10:1 Positraction rear end, 15x7-inch Rally wheels and a 140 MPH speedometer. Eventually only 198 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaros were built, and the remaining cars represent the top strata of collector Camaros.

This Hugger Orange 1969 Yenko Super Camaro is one of the first 50 ordered by Yenko under the COPO 9561 program. Sold new at Joseph Chevrolet in Cincinnati, Ohio, it was also delivered with the COPO 9737 Sports Car Conversion equipment.

Rotisserie restored and magnificent in every detail, the car wears the distinctive graphics, front and rear spoilers, cowl-induction hood, American Racing wheels and Goodyear Wide Tread GT tires that visually identify it as a Yenko Super Camaro. The drivetrain, composed of the L72 427/425 HP big block, Muncie M21 4-speed manual transmission and 12-bolt 4.10:1 Positraction rear end, uses correct date-coded components throughout, including the A.I.R. (Air Injection Reactor) smog control system.

The purposeful nature of the COPO 9561 package is evident in the car’s no-frills Black standard interior. A floor-mounted Hurst shifter and the famous SYC headrest insignia accompany bucket seats, a 140 MPH speedometer, column-mounted Stewart Warner tach, trouble lights, below-dash gauge cluster and a simple AM radio.

The car’s impressive credentials include a 2007 class win at the prestigious Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance and a cover feature in the October 2007 issue of Camaro Rumble Magazine. It is well documented with the original Protect-O-Plate from Yenko supercar dealer Joseph Chevrolet, an invaluable Certificate of Authenticity from the COPO Connection and a vintage photo of Don Yenko himself with this same car in the background.

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