One of six 1969 Yenko Camaros with an Automatic Transmission up for Grabs
The 1960s was the golden era of the muscle car. There is one name that stands out amongst the rest to muscle car collectors and enthusiasts. That name is “Yenko”
Yenko Chevrolet was a Chevrolet dealership located in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania that was in business between 1949 and 1982. Yenko is best known for selling customized muscle cars in the late 1960s that are today, amongst the most collectible of all 1960s muscle cars.
Impressed with the handling of the Chevrolet Corvair, Yenko made over 100 “Yenko Stingers”. The engine and suspensions were upgraded to certify the Yenko Stinger for SCCA racing.
In 1967, Yenko turned his attention to the Camaro by transplanting Chevrolet’s 7 liter, 427 cubic inch L-72 engine, creating the Yenko Camaro. The program was so successful that in 1969 Yenko started using Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) system to have L-72 engines installed in Chevrolet Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas on factory assembly lines. This was the event that gave Chevrolet’s COPO program the legendary status that is has today.
Legend has it that Yenko sold 201 Camaros through the COPO program in 1969.
When a Yenko Camaro comes up for sale, it is a big deal.
Yenko COPO 8651
A 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro is coming up on the auction block that is rare amongst the rare. It is one of 30 vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and one of six 1969 Yenko Camaros with an automatic transmission.
Known officially as the Yenko COPO 9651, the heart of this vehicle is an L72 427 cubic inch 7-liter big block V8 engine. The engine produces 425 horsepower and has more than enough torque thanks to a high-lift kit, a high-duration solid lifter cam, aluminum intake manifold, a compression of 11.0 to 1, and an 800 CFM Holley 4-barrel carb.
The Yenko COPO 9651 was ordered with the COPO 9738 Sports Car Conversion Package which adds power disc brakes up front, a 140 mph speedometer, and a 3-gauge cluster under the dashboard. Visual enhancements include a black vinyl roof, D80 front and rear spoilers, a Hurst Dual Gate floor shifter and Torque Thrust wheels with Yenko caps wrapped with F70-15 Goodyear Polyglas rubber.
If you want to bid on this extremely rare bird, it will be going to auction at Mecum’s in Indianapolis between May 17 and May 21, 2016. You can expect a fierce bidding competition for this vehicle with a final bid amount having six or seven zeroes in it. It is not often that a classically correct muscle car icon goes to auction.