One of the best stories I’ve ever seen on RUclips. Love the narration by original owner. I’m native to Fayette County and this hits home. Especially the goin up on I79 before it opened. My old man has a 58 Fuelie Vette he’s owned since 64. Back in the day he worked in Canonsburg and there was known to be the occasional street race on that unopened stretch of I79. But I’ve never heard that from anyone else other than my Dad. Super cool story and thank you for sharing with the world.
As the one of the few individuals there when the car was recovered, everything in this video is true. I was the one behind the camera for most of this. This car is immaculate. Straight as an arrow for the age. John is a great guy, who purchased an amazing car from Don Yenko in 1968. Doug Perry is the perfect man to have bought this car. He is going to return it to the way it was in 1968. I am very excited to see this car after it has been reassembled and restored.
Yes he was. He was trying to fix the mess he created. He realized he messed up with the red color. You have to realize that this car wasn’t a rare care to him when he tore it apart. It was just a Camaro he bought from Yenko Chevrolet.
lane: why people can't grasp that reality is beyond me? my dad bought a 56 root beet beer brown nomad wagon back in the early 70's for a few c notes. along with 55/56/57 chevy's for a c note or 2,even a candy apple red tri power 67 goat 4 speed on the cheap.heck he gave me a 51 ford 2 door victoria.orig all white interior/white wall tires/chrome rims and orig green paint that sat in a storage for 20 years.uncle had 55/56/57/58/59/60 bel airs,people would give em to you if you fixed a motorcycle,tune up there car etc. before he passed he told about a 40 something harley low mile all parted in a crate,guy begged him to get it out of the garage for months.guys just got tired of there stuff quick back,families and what not.
For those who don't "buy it", guess what, you didn't buy it. Probably weren't educated enough about a rare car that was taken apart with all the documentation to know what it was. You have interviews with prior owner. etc. etc. etc. Probably the same people that take the free drinks at an auction. Pay 25% more than what a car is worth because their buddy is telling them to "hit it one more time" ! lol Great video!!!
That is in incredible condition... seeing the original blue color under where the top was gave me the fizz. Probably one of the best condition roofs after a vinyl job, most rusted out long ago by now... the heated storage probably has everything to do with that. All that original documentation and swag is half of what will hold this cars value. Great find, thank you for sharing it with us Doug, and thank you for your work here Jerry !
You are the best. I appreciate your comments and the help of Doug Perry and of course the original owner, John Weaver. It's not often we can talk to an original owner. Weaver recalled so much history that is brand new information. It is fascinating to listen to him talk about buying this Yenko new, his test drive, his drive with Don Yenko, and driving the car on the street and at the drag strip in 1968-69.
Too bad you could not get Mr.Weaver to add some of his stories about it on here, and to tell us why he would halfway tear down a car with just over 7000 miles on it !
Thanks and very much appreciated. Getting to go to these historic sites along with the original owner and to see the paperwork he got when the car was new is a huge luxury. I could not have done this without the original owner and the new buyer. We all had fun and I am glad to bring this to video here on RUclips.
This is what dreams are made of. It's hard to believe that this rare car (even when new) still exists with so few miles and in such immaculate condition. What a find. You are a lucky man. To me its a shame that it was the light blue and a vinyl top car. I personally don't care for either. It would look so much better if it had been the darker blue they offered that year and no vinyl. Still one awesome and rare car no matter what color. I hope you upload a video of it after it is restored. Thanks for sharing,
True, I have been writing one Rare Finds story a month in 3 (and ) magazines since 1991 and this Yenko is one of the cleanest and also one of the most documented that I have ever seen - Jerry Heasley.
First I want to say I'm glad someone is finding these cars and sharing them with us. But I also want to say, not every Camaro sold by Yenko was a "Yenko Camaro".
This thing looks like a roach, but it does have the paper work. I was involved with a 1967 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro for 20 years of my life, Street raced it too, it ran deep in the 11s @119-122 mph. This aforementioned 1967 Dick Harrel Camaro turned out to be A Yenko 427 when the VIN #s were checked a few years back. It was considered to be the Real Holy Grail of Camaros according to the Yenko historians because it was one of the first two on Fred Gibb's Chevrolet car lot in 1967, a red and black model, this being the red one. The car sold for $315,000 sight unseen 2008. 6600mi 427 dual quad 4 speed with 4.88 rear gear with original paint and interior in very good condition. I don't know if this is the real deal, but if it is then congrats!
No one painted cars in that style like that back in the early 70's. Hell, even now, you want a different color, you don't strip the interior and paint UNDER the carpets! There is something funky about this story. It's a cool car, but that red paint job looks original, OR it was put on a rotisserie, and that didn't start happening till the late 80's when people realized how much they where worth.
Owner probably pulled the interior out of the car for weight-savings since it was a drag car. This would make it easy to paint the interior metal the red that you see. Does look like he's played around with it over the years and just never finished anything he started.
I'm always amazed at how these cars were enjoyed minimally over such a short period of time, parked with good future intentions, and then and up "forgotten" about, or worse the owner who at the time may have come home from Vietnam to drive it once, go back & be killed or have a father, brother or even his mother, list of options in hand, go to the deals and order it only to never live to take delivery. Heartbreaking.
It's amazing how many people think this is bogus. There were a lot weird things done during that time and to think GM wouldn't do a blue on red combination is naive. To say it would have an inch of dust from sitting that long isn't valid; he could have easily cleaned it several times over the years - he seemed to love the car and anybody that has a passion for a collector piece like this would take good care of it. My first car at age 15 was a 1969 Lemans blue Yenko Camaro that my Dad used to work on for a friend of his that was pretty heavy into drag racing - I sold it for $1550.00!!!!! I hate to even think about it. All of the information on 68 Z's noted that there were no convertibles built, but then several years ago, a documented one was found and covered in one of the major magazines. I can believe this story - cool car!
Yes, and interestingly enough I was the first to write a story on that Z/28 convertible and had uncovered it in my travels and with my contacts writing about cars. It's these same people, and more, that call me about barn finds, which I call "Rare Finds" - for my three columns.
bloodbrotherdan exactly my thoughts people are stupid and dont listen to the story straight out of the original owners mouth he wanted the car and they didnt have one at the time so they did a quick conversion on it for him and the inside being painted red isnt far fetched remember people the car was blue with red interior so im sure the dash and the inside portions that were exposed metal were prob also blue so to see the whole inside painted red isnt far fetched since he wanted the car red and for all of you saying its not real because its an auto get your shit straight they didnt all come with the 4 speed till 68 and in 69 you could get and auto or the 4 speed, this car is a 67 and he bought it in 68 it was a left over that they had not converted yet and in 67 the cars didnt have the syc on the seats or the big spoilers or the stripes they only had the emblem added on the fender the 427 turbo-jet emblem and the tach. 68 and 69 had all of that and not all of them then even had all of that on them. people get your shit straight before you open mouth and insert foot.
Honda Rider 26 and actually, many cars received all sorts of wild combinations back then. The 69's were probably more obtainable with the automatics and someone I have known for many years has an original hugger orange car with the automatic. The stripes weren't applied until that year as well. I think the point you made about them not having any (big block cars) when he was looking, is the best indicator for this oddity. Don Yenko was making a sale and this process was just getting started. It wasn't until 69' that he had a deal to order the cars with factory installed 427's verses the swaps they had to do themselves in previous years. That's one of the really cool things about this time in American auto manufacturing; you could get almost anything you wanted - it was a wild west of sorts. I was born in 66' so I of course didn't witness this stuff first hand, but was brought up in a time to see and remember a lot of this from racers that my Dad knew and from reading many articles. My last car was a low mileage 68 L89 car that was purchased just for drag racing - quite a story on the car.
yeah i grew up in my grandpas body shop that he owned and i have taken over i do a ton of restorations on old muscle cars and im actually trying to get a start on restoring my 67 400 4 speed firebird but it doesnt pay to work on my own stuff lol i will get to it once i get the 67 rs ss camaro off of the frame jig and on the rotisserie but it is in pretty bad shape i have to replace every piece of sheetmetal on the camaro. but anyways i have seen alot of the old school muscle cars and done a ton of work on them so i have learned and figured out alot of different things on them so all of the people that immediately say its bs and dont have a clue drive me nuts. and yes with them not having any 68s ready to convert and only having the one 67 there they had to use what they had available cause you dont want to turn away a paying customer
A few months ago in 2018 I did see a 1967 or 68 Camaro convertible that was blue with red interior . It looked horrible and I asked the owner what the deal was with the color combo and he said it was original. The red inside would have been painted in the factory. I buy the story.
It’s a Camaro bought from the Yenko dealership with a few options and a dealer engine upgrade. It’s not a “Yenko” .... with that being said it’s a beautiful car and a rare find... please restore to original and then enjoy.
@@Kill-Dozer Some people just don't get it do they? Yenko's are not production cars. they were cars modified by The Yenko dealership. LOL Original poster needs to go back and look at his own post. There is the clue for him right there. Yenko dealer just modified the car but its not a Yenko?....lmao Original owner even said that was what he was at the dealer for. He wanted a 68 Yenko, but they were not being produced yet. Don Yenko spoke to him about a 67 camaro they had out back and they would gladly do the "CONVERSION" to a Yenko camaro on it. The conversion took 12 days.
It looks like it originally had a vinyl top that once removed revealed the original blue over spray. The blue paint is so thin on the roof it rusted as you often see under vinyl roofs. That is the only way you can explain the total change to red including behind the entire interior trim while leaving the roof with blue paint remnants. Show us some pictures of it 50 years ago. Long-term owners usually have a couple of vintage pictures stashed somewhere.
I have a 1967 factory 4 sp Saginaw with the 12 bolt limited slip w 307 gears. It has the traction bar as well, Square tubing. It is a 327. Butternut yellow w blk vinyl top. flat hood no spoiler. no W/O mldg no rocker mldg. Blk int.
For GM ...4 speed cars received the square traction bar....automatic cars received the round traction bar...but of course any assembly line production vehicle can have mistakes
Some crazy stuff went on at GM even into the 80"s. I have my first car a 1981 formula firebird (bought in 86). Is a burnt orange t-top car. Very rare for a formula to have t-top. Car has a sticker in back glass that says gm personal executive vehicle. Rally wheels even orange. How did it get a color that was not offered then. Figure the executive had enough pull to get that color and drive for awhile before it was sold. A top level judge at trans-am nationals told me he had never seen that sticker in glass before and it as a very rare car. Still have car stored in my garage all these years later. It will never be a big money car but i can relate to the story.
Yeah I knew two brothers that dad had money so he bought one a Yenko Camaro and one a Yenko Chevy II both were badass street racing every weekend oh the good old days, my 66 Chevelle SS couldn't play with them.
Painted red but the original blue is still there on the roof but the 7k mile roof metal shows lots of exposure to the elements but the car has been garaged and the paint shop that changed it from blue to red stripped the car all the way down to the bare metal tub so they could paint it under the carpet pads. Sure they did. Now let's park it because I didn't realize I didn't like the color red AND in order to change the color again gut the entire car again. Oh and all of the original parts in the bins look like they have 700,000 miles on them. This car is a multicolored mishmash of parts that don't seem to fit very well plus some paperwork to which car exactly? It's all too "produced" like someone is trying to land a reality tv show.
I mean honestly the photos don't do this car justice. The paperwork is amazing. No one here wants a reality show. All we wanted to do is show this AMAZING find. This car certainly needs some work, but when its done its going to be beautiful. The paperwork is very explicitly to this car? do people on here not know how to read or something?
I'd knock the little part about being a building contractor out- why? It's like when the GC is trying to get your business and they pull up in an F350, quad-cab, jacked-up, turbo-diesel, 6" exhaust on custom wheels and Dick Cepek tires. On a Friday. Pulling an off-shore boat. There is $150K sitting there...not getting my business, he obviously charges too much because of the image he projects. Pretty stock F-150, not too flashy, but not beat to death- and the guy has a good rep? That's my man. Dude buying up Yenkos? Same thing if I saw him pull up after seeing this video. My mind would say "Obvious going to soak me so he can buy his next Yenko, so not interested." Rightly or wrongly, I'm closing the door
So the original owner raced it and modified it not knowing or caring about originality but then used new (un-tarnished) factory correct center post hose clamps (instead of generic) , new brake booster, radiator etc. Why replace the radiator? Why remove the interior in the first place on a 7,000 mile car. Even the dash is torn apart. Why are there holes in the front fenders for emblems when the original dealer paperwork says the 396 emblem holes were filled in.
Yes, America - and so is this '69 Camaro 427 - watch this one, too and I think you will agree this is America ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=7_uJJUwvm4M
If he raced the car would have removed interior for weight savings and would have been easy to repaint the interior areas red to cover the blue. So that part is believable. Vinyl top removed shows the original color.
You wish you had a 7200 mile car. You’re just on here crying because you didn’t even get the chance to buy this car or better yet, you blew your chance 😉
Some assembly required - owner wanted to paint it back to its original Nantucket Blue and disassembled, then did not have the time to put it back together..
Not every owner preserves classic cars in the way they should be. I see stuff like this and just hang my head. Put the money in it, get it done... its a fking Yenko. Takes a real special person to look at a new Yenko (future classic) and do this.
I’m not far from the yenko dealership but never visited the address . What’s there now ? Probably a sheetz lol I need to get out there and check it out
If you are implying that it is a fake Yenko. Did you fail to watch the video or somehow failed to see the original paperwork in the video? Not to mention the cost at final sale. $5200 plus. Making it the single most optioned and highest priced Yenko ever sold. Yenko's could also be option with an automatic transmission instead of the 4 speed. I would prefer the 4 speed myself though.
The speakers in the rear package tray were added by Yenko Chevrolet and John Weaver went back to the dealership and had the stereo system added including the amplifier that mounts below the glove box door . The speakers were replaced at some point in time by John.
So many young people questioning in the comments why the car still had the blue roof if car had been painted. I can clearly see where the chrome trim for the vinyl top has been removed on the base of the driver's side "C" pillar.
Cowl tag decode suggests car was originally equipped as OP has described in the video. I noticed several things that look odd though, so I understand comments of others who question authenticity. For instance, if owner understood the potential collectibility of this unit to the point of putting it away in ‘73, why did he disassemble and repaint it? (If one understands the collectibility, wouldn’t he decide instead to keep it bone stock?). Also I noticed red overspray in the trunk on hinges, yet the original black/grey spittle paint appears unmolested. I would have expected to see some blue in the trunk area somewhere instead of red. Also cowl tag has signs of red paint but I don’t remember seeing any red elsewhere in engine bay area? Why would someone disassemble an original Yenko with only 7400 miles, and why do all the interior parts shown look like they were used far more than 7400 miles? Is it possible this car wrecked at some point and was then repaired and painted red to better compliment the interior? If the car was raced and streeted every week during ‘68 and ‘69, how on earth can a person living in the rural Pittsburgh area possibly put only 7400 miles on the odometer? I’m not calling BS, I’m just saying input does not fully compute.
MyAss Izitchy: it supposedly was a June ‘68 build (5th week) at Norwood. I guess it’s possible that fenders switched over to ‘68 style by then, IDK. Also possible that fender was replaced.
From the story given by the original owner,it sounds like this car was being used as a parts car by the dealership.Because of the awful color combo nobody wanted anything to do with it.The original owner actually got bent over by that dealership.68's were coming in,and this' 67 should have been offered with a sizeable discount,even with the converted 427.He must have wanted that 427 real bad to accept that deal.
Plus interest! I commend the original owner for keeping it safe for all these years. How many others of these cars that Jerry shows are a mere shadow of their former glory?
john dillinger exactly, who would want a blue on red camaro with a 3.07 rear end, wanted him to pay for a hood too. He could have probably bought a 68 Z28 orYenko model cheaper. Just shows dealers have always “obliged” when someone wants something, That being said it still is a good story.
Probably 72 thousand miles, I have a 67 that I bought in highschool in 73 for 775.00 dollars with 89,000 miles on it at that time and was junk at 110, 000 miles ( 327 two barrel ) . Wish I had this one. Mine is a plane Jane red with black interior and in almost new condition because it hasn't been out of the garage for 35 + years With 110,000 thousand miles. Bought a 65 convertible GT mustang in 73 , bought a 71 AMX 401 in late 73 that bitch would run made 5 horses less than a trans am 455 , TA didn't have a tork flight Auto trans From Mopar, see ya , don't have the last two. It was a mark Odahue series one of around 415 built. At least I saved 1.
OK with marina blue on the sales paperwork and the person speaking saying Nantucket blue I'm confused. Are they the same color or does someone not have their story straight? The floor is red??? Why??? Was tilt steering on the option list? If this is a true Yenko, It was built by the guys at the gas station. Not built by the men in the service department. I'm not sure what to think. It may have been a converted 396 RS. But If it was built by the guys at the gas station is it a real Yenko? Hell I don't know. It is a rust free 427 camaro with a hell of a story. lol $$$$$$$$$$$
At 7200 miles why is the car torn apart with half ass painted undercarriage and red paint job. The original blue paint on roof is in very rough shape for milage and storage in heated garage only 4-5 years old. Im confused????
Eric, you and most everybody else in this comments section (myself included) lots of inconsistencies with the story and the car. Makes you wonder. Or at least should if you are a thinking person at all.
They need to get their information right...1968 yenko camaros where at dealerships in March of 1968...I bought a new one from Jay Kline Chev..mpls .. Minnesota. In March..68.. ralley green 4 speed ..ys# 8016.. still on the internet... look up Mike Guarise 1968 yenko camaro ys#8016... and in 68 yenko only made 64 total...
Unless there’s something wrong upstairs , if you had this car as twenty something year old,you would be out bragging & driving the hell out of this car. Something is way off. Maybe 107,000 miles & then he parked it. You listen to him talk he put more miles on just going to the track & back,
Having some familiarity with other collectibles I will say this, always be cognizant of the fact that dollars trump truth very frequently, and anything worth big dollars can be replicated, fabricated or modified to appear as the more/most desirable item. Iv'e seen it done with coins, currency, stamps,firearms/weapons ,armor, antique furniture,toys, cars, motorcycles and fine art. Proper paperwork and provenance can also be reproduced/forged or manipulated by skilled craftsman/individuals. I am not saying that is going on here, only that it occurs frequently and that this car does have some question marks hovering around some aspects of it. Be wary, be smart. All is not always as it appears, and I have seem many experts in many fields fooled.
Jerry Heasley Many of the question marks are cited below in the comments section. Some by very knowledgeable viewers I am sure. What appears to be new front clip. Paint inconsistencies i.e. floor pans under carpet, deep behind back seat, rear window defog area repainted too,? Assembled at the Sunocco service station? Marina blue, Nantucket blue, which is it? Underside of car and differential painted black, at what point? Protecto plate perfect, trim tag all beat up? New radiator, new brake booster? Why gut the car and have everything in boxes if mileage is so low? Car was sitting around under a tarp at the dealership and they were pulling parts off it? Etc. etc On and on. Not saying car is not what it is being said it is, and I am sure when finished being 'restored' it will be even more convincing and perfect. New owner now has vested interest in making sure this car is certifiably 'Yenko' now doesn't he? Just reiterating that, as previously stated ,when big money is involved watch out.
There are a lot of inconsistencies in this car. The paperwork including the Protect-O-Plate is immaculate, not dogeared or aged at all. But the car itself has been treated poorly for only 7K miles. Usually meticulous paperwork savers are meticulous with the car too. Why was the trim tag treated so poorly? Why scratch it all up? This is not an untouched car; it is totally molested. This is an assemblage of really nice parts like the interior seats. It looks like it had been wrecked in the front early on and then parked hence the low miles and extra-nice sheet metal. At some point a new front clip was installed indicated by the primer front end. Otherwise, why just prime the front? The tires on the car look newer than 1973 when it was parked. Anyway, those are my thoughts if I was looking strictly at the car without hearing the story.
YS means that when the car was at Yenko Chevrolet it was given a stock number of 760 ...in the Yenko world if a car was converted it was given a YS number ...that’s why this car is number 760
One of the best stories I’ve ever seen on RUclips. Love the narration by original owner. I’m native to Fayette County and this hits home. Especially the goin up on I79 before it opened. My old man has a 58 Fuelie Vette he’s owned since 64. Back in the day he worked in Canonsburg and there was known to be the occasional street race on that unopened stretch of I79. But I’ve never heard that from anyone else other than my Dad. Super cool story and thank you for sharing with the world.
That's why I love interviews with people back then.
As the one of the few individuals there when the car was recovered, everything in this video is true. I was the one behind the camera for most of this. This car is immaculate. Straight as an arrow for the age. John is a great guy, who purchased an amazing car from Don Yenko in 1968. Doug Perry is the perfect man to have bought this car. He is going to return it to the way it was in 1968. I am very excited to see this car after it has been reassembled and restored.
Thanks Lane!!
Is John the great guy that put this car in boxes?
Yes he was. He was trying to fix the mess he created. He realized he messed up with the red color. You have to realize that this car wasn’t a rare care to him when he tore it apart. It was just a Camaro he bought from Yenko Chevrolet.
lane: why people can't grasp that reality is beyond me? my dad bought a 56 root beet beer brown nomad wagon back in the early 70's for a few c notes. along with 55/56/57 chevy's for a c note or 2,even a candy apple red tri power 67 goat 4 speed on the cheap.heck he gave me a 51 ford 2 door victoria.orig all white interior/white wall tires/chrome rims and orig green paint that sat in a storage for 20 years.uncle had 55/56/57/58/59/60 bel airs,people would give em to you if you fixed a motorcycle,tune up there car etc. before he passed he told about a 40 something harley low mile all parted in a crate,guy begged him to get it out of the garage for months.guys just got tired of there stuff quick back,families and what not.
For those who don't "buy it", guess what, you didn't buy it. Probably weren't educated enough about a rare car that was taken apart with all the documentation to know what it was. You have interviews with prior owner. etc. etc. etc. Probably the same people that take the free drinks at an auction. Pay 25% more than what a car is worth because their buddy is telling them to "hit it one more time" ! lol Great video!!!
That is in incredible condition... seeing the original blue color under where the top was gave me the fizz. Probably one of the best condition roofs after a vinyl job, most rusted out long ago by now... the heated storage probably has everything to do with that. All that original documentation and swag is half of what will hold this cars value. Great find, thank you for sharing it with us Doug, and thank you for your work here Jerry !
You are the best. I appreciate your comments and the help of Doug Perry and of course the original owner, John Weaver. It's not often we can talk to an original owner. Weaver recalled so much history that is brand new information. It is fascinating to listen to him talk about buying this Yenko new, his test drive, his drive with Don Yenko, and driving the car on the street and at the drag strip in 1968-69.
Too bad you could not get Mr.Weaver to add some of his stories about it on here, and to tell us why he would halfway tear down a car with just over 7000 miles on it !
It looks like he was in the middle of repainting the car.
Oh my God! Another one off super rare barn find. It is amazing that there are more one-off barn finds than were actually ever produced.
You are right..fake
Sweet Yenko..!! Highly optioned with tilt, wood wheel, rear window defogger, AM/FM Stereo. Very Unique..!! NO RUST..!!
And all B.S....
That is just amazing car and find. I have learned a lot from your videos, Love it.
Thanks and very much appreciated. Getting to go to these historic sites along with the original owner and to see the paperwork he got when the car was new is a huge luxury. I could not have done this without the original owner and the new buyer. We all had fun and I am glad to bring this to video here on RUclips.
This is what dreams are made of. It's hard to believe that this rare car (even when new) still exists with so few miles and in such immaculate condition. What a find. You are a lucky man. To me its a shame that it was the light blue and a vinyl top car. I personally don't care for either. It would look so much better if it had been the darker blue they offered that year and no vinyl. Still one awesome and rare car no matter what color. I hope you upload a video of it after it is restored. Thanks for sharing,
Absolutely incredible how clean that badboy is! Wow!!
Thanks for sharing. 👍
True, I have been writing one Rare Finds story a month in 3 (and ) magazines since 1991 and this Yenko is one of the cleanest and also one of the most documented that I have ever seen - Jerry Heasley.
@@thewriter2549 this car seems to be extremely rarer then the other yenko models
First I want to say I'm glad someone is finding these cars and sharing them with us. But I also want to say, not every Camaro sold by Yenko was a "Yenko Camaro".
Good to hear that it's going to be put back together as it was in 68 awesome find
Being from Johnstown, PA, this beast sat a short drive from home. Damn.
The spare tire is awesome! I collect old Firestone tires because I can't afford the vehicles that they once went on.
Now that's funny. I don't care who ya are, that there's funny.
I have an ORIGINAL Firestone spare from my 69 Z11. Will gladly sell it if you are serious.
This thing looks like a roach, but it does have the paper work. I was involved with a 1967 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro for 20 years of my life, Street raced it too, it ran deep in the 11s @119-122 mph. This aforementioned 1967 Dick Harrel Camaro turned out to be A Yenko 427 when the VIN #s were checked a few years back. It was considered to be the Real Holy Grail of Camaros according to the Yenko historians because it was one of the first two on Fred Gibb's Chevrolet car lot in 1967, a red and black model, this being the red one. The car sold for $315,000 sight unseen 2008. 6600mi 427 dual quad 4 speed with 4.88 rear gear with original paint and interior in very good condition. I don't know if this is the real deal, but if it is then congrats!
No one painted cars in that style like that back in the early 70's. Hell, even now, you want a different color, you don't strip the interior and paint UNDER the carpets! There is something funky about this story. It's a cool car, but that red paint job looks original, OR it was put on a rotisserie, and that didn't start happening till the late 80's when people realized how much they where worth.
Perhaps he was paranoid about rusty floorpans?
Owner probably pulled the interior out of the car for weight-savings since it was a drag car. This would make it easy to paint the interior metal the red that you see. Does look like he's played around with it over the years and just never finished anything he started.
That was definitely an original red car..what's the vin say the. upper and lower color was. I missed it
I bet that car looked SOOOOOO good in Blue/red
Wow, what an amazing find.
No photos of it back in the day? This Camaro came with the rare ‘BS’ package
BS because they didn't show any pictures? Lol okay man.
I'm always amazed at how these cars were enjoyed minimally over such a short period of time, parked with good future intentions, and then and up "forgotten" about, or worse the owner who at the time may have come home from Vietnam to drive it once, go back & be killed or have a father, brother or even his mother, list of options in hand, go to the deals and order it only to never live to take delivery.
Heartbreaking.
Incredible story!! Wow
From some angles, the body and paintwork looks just factory fresh. It's uncanny.
It's amazing how many people think this is bogus. There were a lot weird things done during that time and to think GM wouldn't do a blue on red combination is naive. To say it would have an inch of dust from sitting that long isn't valid; he could have easily cleaned it several times over the years - he seemed to love the car and anybody that has a passion for a collector piece like this would take good care of it. My first car at age 15 was a 1969 Lemans blue Yenko Camaro that my Dad used to work on for a friend of his that was pretty heavy into drag racing - I sold it for $1550.00!!!!! I hate to even think about it. All of the information on 68 Z's noted that there were no convertibles built, but then several years ago, a documented one was found and covered in one of the major magazines. I can believe this story - cool car!
Yes, and interestingly enough I was the first to write a story on that Z/28 convertible and had uncovered it in my travels and with my contacts writing about cars. It's these same people, and more, that call me about barn finds, which I call "Rare Finds" - for my three columns.
bloodbrotherdan exactly my thoughts people are stupid and dont listen to the story straight out of the original owners mouth he wanted the car and they didnt have one at the time so they did a quick conversion on it for him and the inside being painted red isnt far fetched remember people the car was blue with red interior so im sure the dash and the inside portions that were exposed metal were prob also blue so to see the whole inside painted red isnt far fetched since he wanted the car red and for all of you saying its not real because its an auto get your shit straight they didnt all come with the 4 speed till 68 and in 69 you could get and auto or the 4 speed, this car is a 67 and he bought it in 68 it was a left over that they had not converted yet and in 67 the cars didnt have the syc on the seats or the big spoilers or the stripes they only had the emblem added on the fender the 427 turbo-jet emblem and the tach. 68 and 69 had all of that and not all of them then even had all of that on them. people get your shit straight before you open mouth and insert foot.
Honda Rider 26 and actually, many cars received all sorts of wild combinations back then. The 69's were probably more obtainable with the automatics and someone I have known for many years has an original hugger orange car with the automatic. The stripes weren't applied until that year as well. I think the point you made about them not having any (big block cars) when he was looking, is the best indicator for this oddity. Don Yenko was making a sale and this process was just getting started. It wasn't until 69' that he had a deal to order the cars with factory installed 427's verses the swaps they had to do themselves in previous years. That's one of the really cool things about this time in American auto manufacturing; you could get almost anything you wanted - it was a wild west of sorts. I was born in 66' so I of course didn't witness this stuff first hand, but was brought up in a time to see and remember a lot of this from racers that my Dad knew and from reading many articles. My last car was a low mileage 68 L89 car that was purchased just for drag racing - quite a story on the car.
yeah i grew up in my grandpas body shop that he owned and i have taken over i do a ton of restorations on old muscle cars and im actually trying to get a start on restoring my 67 400 4 speed firebird but it doesnt pay to work on my own stuff lol i will get to it once i get the 67 rs ss camaro off of the frame jig and on the rotisserie but it is in pretty bad shape i have to replace every piece of sheetmetal on the camaro. but anyways i have seen alot of the old school muscle cars and done a ton of work on them so i have learned and figured out alot of different things on them so all of the people that immediately say its bs and dont have a clue drive me nuts. and yes with them not having any 68s ready to convert and only having the one 67 there they had to use what they had available cause you dont want to turn away a paying customer
A few months ago in 2018 I did see a 1967 or 68 Camaro convertible that was blue with red interior . It looked horrible and I asked the owner what the deal was with the color combo and he said it was original. The red inside would have been painted in the factory. I buy the story.
People missing this but on page 1 of the Dealer Contract it shows he traded in a 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS , wow , guy wanted a Yenko for sure
It’s a Camaro bought from the Yenko dealership with a few options and a dealer engine upgrade. It’s not a “Yenko” .... with that being said it’s a beautiful car and a rare find... please restore to original and then enjoy.
Umm that's exactly what a Yenko Camaro is.
@@Kill-Dozer Some people just don't get it do they? Yenko's are not production cars. they were cars modified by The Yenko dealership. LOL Original poster needs to go back and look at his own post. There is the clue for him right there. Yenko dealer just modified the car but its not a Yenko?....lmao Original owner even said that was what he was at the dealer for. He wanted a 68 Yenko, but they were not being produced yet. Don Yenko spoke to him about a 67 camaro they had out back and they would gladly do the "CONVERSION" to a Yenko camaro on it. The conversion took 12 days.
Love the format, content was excellent as well. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks J.
With 7200 miles it should be immaculate condition. Should be a crime to treat a bueaty like that
Normal condition for a car taken to the track and raced.
Can someone tell me what an ORIGINAL MILE IS???? could they possibly mean ACTUAL MILES
Rollan Batts the mileage is actual which is also the same as original
It looks like it originally had a vinyl top that once removed revealed the original blue over spray. The blue paint is so thin on the roof it rusted as you often see under vinyl roofs. That is the only way you can explain the total change to red including behind the entire interior trim while leaving the roof with blue paint remnants. Show us some pictures of it 50 years ago. Long-term owners usually have a couple of vintage pictures stashed somewhere.
My dad had a Yenko and has a bunch of stories. I should do a video of him and his glory jams
I have a 1967 factory 4 sp Saginaw with the 12 bolt limited slip w 307 gears. It has the traction bar as well, Square tubing. It is a 327. Butternut yellow w blk vinyl top. flat hood no spoiler. no W/O mldg no rocker mldg. Blk int.
For GM ...4 speed cars received the square traction bar....automatic cars received the round traction bar...but of course any assembly line production vehicle can have mistakes
Beautiful brother enjoy
Some crazy stuff went on at GM even into the 80"s. I have my first car a 1981 formula firebird (bought in 86). Is a burnt orange t-top car. Very rare for a formula to have t-top. Car has a sticker in back glass that says gm personal executive vehicle. Rally wheels even orange. How did it get a color that was not offered then. Figure the executive had enough pull to get that color and drive for awhile before it was sold. A top level judge at trans-am nationals told me he had never seen that sticker in glass before and it as a very rare car. Still have car stored in my garage all these years later. It will never be a big money car but i can relate to the story.
Right on ! Preserve it keep it inside and watch the value increase !! kICK Gas
Nice information
INCREDIBLE FIND! WOW!
Great video of a beautiful car.
i'd be nice to see this car put all back together again.
I'm awestruck. Incredible. It's historical importance vs. raw emotional longing makes me nauseous....in a good way.
Yeah I knew two brothers that dad had money so he bought one a Yenko Camaro and one a Yenko Chevy II both were badass street racing every weekend oh the good old days, my 66 Chevelle SS couldn't play with them.
What a weird combination , Blue car that came with red seats. Black seats would have been so much more appropriate.
Yes, very strange indeed. Something smells fishy
Why would someone tear apart a camaro with such low miles? I dont by it.
Didn't you see all the paperwork in the video, its real and as documented as you can possibly get.
The original owner painted it red and then realized he hated it. He was in the process of tearing it down to get it repainted the original color.
Painted red but the original blue is still there on the roof but the 7k mile roof metal shows lots of exposure to the elements but the car has been garaged and the paint shop that changed it from blue to red stripped the car all the way down to the bare metal tub so they could paint it under the carpet pads. Sure they did. Now let's park it because I didn't realize I didn't like the color red AND in order to change the color again gut the entire car again. Oh and all of the original parts in the bins look like they have 700,000 miles on them. This car is a multicolored mishmash of parts that don't seem to fit very well plus some paperwork to which car exactly? It's all too "produced" like someone is trying to land a reality tv show.
I mean honestly the photos don't do this car justice. The paperwork is amazing. No one here wants a reality show. All we wanted to do is show this AMAZING find. This car certainly needs some work, but when its done its going to be beautiful. The paperwork is very explicitly to this car? do people on here not know how to read or something?
The people that don't get it are not car guys, must be trolls that live in their parents basement that don't have a Muscle Car.
I'd knock the little part about being a building contractor out- why? It's like when the GC is trying to get your business and they pull up in an F350, quad-cab, jacked-up, turbo-diesel, 6" exhaust on custom wheels and Dick Cepek tires. On a Friday. Pulling an off-shore boat. There is $150K sitting there...not getting my business, he obviously charges too much because of the image he projects. Pretty stock F-150, not too flashy, but not beat to death- and the guy has a good rep? That's my man.
Dude buying up Yenkos? Same thing if I saw him pull up after seeing this video. My mind would say "Obvious going to soak me so he can buy his next Yenko, so not interested." Rightly or wrongly, I'm closing the door
What an amazing find! She is a holy grail barn find
Wow. This is an incredible car. I'd love to drive it around the block. Wink, wink:) Thanks.
You can drive one of the plastic totes around.
Beautiful
I double dare anyone to play the drinking game and take a drink every time he says "original"......
He's a scammer
BEAUTIFUL !!!
Lucky find there, sure u had to pay the man for it!! Would like to see it when it's done with rebuild!
So the original owner raced it and modified it not knowing or caring about originality but then used new (un-tarnished) factory correct center post hose clamps (instead of generic) , new brake booster, radiator etc. Why replace the radiator? Why remove the interior in the first place on a 7,000 mile car. Even the dash is torn apart. Why are there holes in the front fenders for emblems when the original dealer paperwork says the 396 emblem holes were filled in.
I'd give my first born for this car!
No ... it's a fake....
I'd give your first AND second born.
man thats a great car
I watch this whole video b/c THIS CAR IS AMERICA! 🚗
Yes, America - and so is this '69 Camaro 427 - watch this one, too and I think you will agree this is America
ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=7_uJJUwvm4M
If he raced the car would have removed interior for weight savings and would have been easy to repaint the interior areas red to cover the blue. So that part is believable. Vinyl top removed shows the original color.
Wow ! Bad ass car !!
Sounds like it was converted for Yenko by a local Sunoco station unless i heard wrong. I guess the paperwork makes it a Yenko.
They picked the car up at a Sunoco station. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Very nice car! Was the vinyl top owner or factory installed? Also, did you receive the original carburetor as well? Thanks for sharing.
That building in initial pictures looked like a hoarder’s nightmare, anything but a barn, therefore Not “Barn Find” , tell it like it is, a gem...
Barn Find is a general term.
Jerry Heasley well, that is therefore a generic word, catch all, even if it is not true...
Never knew that they made a 67 I thought they only made 69 yankels never knew they made a 67 Yenko
Yeah they made 67,68s and 69 Yenkos
The 69 had a factory installed L72 427 V8...
It was all good until I saw it was an automatic instead of a manual.
You can really make a very fast automatic gearbox nowadays faster may be
Automatic transmission is faster than an standard
Why would 11 people thumbs down a Yenko Camaro video?
I'd like to know, too.
They have the Ford disease
Because sadly, only morons have owned this car.
A moron owned a 1967 Camaro?
Listen to what's said. This is a 7200 mile car. What the fuck?
Nice! Are you planning on posting the restoration progress? These cars are getting harder and harder to find...
Yes we plan on posting progress photos
Let me get my 7200 mile car out of the boxes and we can go for a ride.
You wish you had a 7200 mile car. You’re just on here crying because you didn’t even get the chance to buy this car or better yet, you blew your chance 😉
The Holy Grail car for me! I Christen thee, The Holy Grail! It hould be manual!
My question is, 7200 miles , why is it in boxes?
Some assembly required - owner wanted to paint it back to its original Nantucket Blue and disassembled, then did not have the time to put it back together..
somebody did a lot of work on that car changing it to red.
john dillinger I know everything is red, inner doors etc
Not every owner preserves classic cars in the way they should be. I see stuff like this and just hang my head. Put the money in it, get it done... its a fking Yenko. Takes a real special person to look at a new Yenko (future classic) and do this.
I’m not far from the yenko dealership but never visited the address . What’s there now ? Probably a sheetz lol I need to get out there and check it out
The Yenko dealership was in the old building we showed.
All in western pa! wow!
Theres a old saying with chevys that their more SSs on the road today than were produced originaly and i think that goes for yenkos ect.
If you are implying that it is a fake Yenko. Did you fail to watch the video or somehow failed to see the original paperwork in the video? Not to mention the cost at final sale. $5200 plus. Making it the single most optioned and highest priced Yenko ever sold. Yenko's could also be option with an automatic transmission instead of the 4 speed. I would prefer the 4 speed myself though.
do you have more to show how the cars come along
HELL OF A Fine!!✌
oh my god dont even use the tires just hang them on the wall lol
My friends mom has an old Plymouth in her garage with only 6k Mile's, herd em say they're their thinking of donating it.
How old is old? Send me info on make and model - jerryheasley@gmail.com
I would get the interior livable. Get it purring. New rubber. Buff and wax- as is. Drive. ..
That's just me -I'm not rich.
Any comments on them speakers in the rear parcel shelf ?????????
The speakers in the rear package tray were added by Yenko Chevrolet and John Weaver went back to the dealership and had the stereo system added including the amplifier that mounts below the glove box door . The speakers were replaced at some point in time by John.
So many young people questioning in the comments why the car still had the blue roof if car had been painted. I can clearly see where the chrome trim for the vinyl top has been removed on the base of the driver's side "C" pillar.
Is the 427 that is in this car the aluminum 427the same aluminum block that was in the 1969 camaro ZL1?
Yenko used the Corvette's L72 427 engine. Iron.
Those speakers in the package tray look way newer than 1973 or before.
At 21:55 it looks like someone patched in a side marker light. 1967 did not have one. Seems odd to me.
I saw that. Like it's a 68 fender
Cowl tag decode suggests car was originally equipped as OP has described in the video. I noticed several things that look odd though, so I understand comments of others who question authenticity. For instance, if owner understood the potential collectibility of this unit to the point of putting it away in ‘73, why did he disassemble and repaint it? (If one understands the collectibility, wouldn’t he decide instead to keep it bone stock?). Also I noticed red overspray in the trunk on hinges, yet the original black/grey spittle paint appears unmolested. I would have expected to see some blue in the trunk area somewhere instead of red. Also cowl tag has signs of red paint but I don’t remember seeing any red elsewhere in engine bay area? Why would someone disassemble an original Yenko with only 7400 miles, and why do all the interior parts shown look like they were used far more than 7400 miles? Is it possible this car wrecked at some point and was then repaired and painted red to better compliment the interior? If the car was raced and streeted every week during ‘68 and ‘69, how on earth can a person living in the rural Pittsburgh area possibly put only 7400 miles on the odometer? I’m not calling BS, I’m just saying input does not fully compute.
MyAss Izitchy: it supposedly was a June ‘68 build (5th week) at Norwood. I guess it’s possible that fenders switched over to ‘68 style by then, IDK. Also possible that fender was replaced.
From the story given by the original owner,it sounds like this car was being used as a parts car by the dealership.Because of the awful color combo nobody wanted anything to do with it.The original owner actually got bent over by that dealership.68's were coming in,and this' 67 should have been offered with a sizeable discount,even with the converted 427.He must have wanted that 427 real bad to accept that deal.
50 years later the original owner cashed in.
Plus interest! I commend the original owner for keeping it safe for all these years. How many others of these cars that Jerry shows are a mere shadow of their former glory?
john dillinger exactly, who would want a blue on red camaro with a 3.07 rear end, wanted him to pay for a hood too. He could have probably bought a 68 Z28 orYenko model cheaper. Just shows dealers have always “obliged” when someone wants something, That being said it still is a good story.
Probably 72
thousand miles, I have a 67 that I bought in highschool in 73 for 775.00 dollars with 89,000 miles on it at that time and was junk at 110, 000 miles ( 327 two barrel ) .
Wish I had this one.
Mine is a plane Jane red with black interior and in almost new condition because it hasn't been out of the garage for 35 + years
With 110,000 thousand miles.
Bought a 65 convertible GT mustang in 73 , bought a 71 AMX 401 in late 73 that bitch would run made 5 horses less than a trans am 455 , TA didn't have a tork flight Auto trans
From Mopar, see ya , don't have the last two. It was a mark Odahue series one of around 415 built. At least I saved 1.
The speedo only.showed 7200 sumn
OK with marina blue on the sales paperwork and the person speaking saying Nantucket blue I'm confused. Are they the same color or does someone not have their story straight? The floor is red??? Why??? Was tilt steering on the option list? If this is a true Yenko, It was built by the guys at the gas station. Not built by the men in the service department. I'm not sure what to think. It may have been a converted 396 RS. But If it was built by the guys at the gas station is it a real Yenko? Hell I don't know. It is a rust free 427 camaro with a hell of a story. lol $$$$$$$$$$$
Look under the hood, if it doesn’t have the brass medallion attached to the firewall near the brake master cylinder it not real.
Wow !
Looks like it also came with the RS package
Yes.
Car definitely is not in immaculate condition if it’s torn apart... it’s so easy to alter history
Cool
Only 120 speedo? My 68 Firebird had a 160 speedo kind of odd being this is an SS Yenko awesome car thow!
At 7200 miles why is the car torn apart with half ass painted undercarriage and red paint job. The original blue paint on roof is in very rough shape for milage and storage in heated garage only 4-5 years old. Im confused????
I agree Eric doesn't make sense .
Eric, you and most everybody else in this comments section (myself included) lots of inconsistencies with the story and the car. Makes you wonder. Or at least should if you are a thinking person at all.
Wtf only 7.4K & ripped down to bare bone only 6 years after new owner was a rare breed
build sheet says chevelle marina blue 1965 malibu = ? and so why .
that's the one he traded in if you read it fully.
Stolen Cars and In Parts from someybody else's Steel Bard..
The car is B.S. and so is the guy who found it...
They need to get their information right...1968 yenko camaros where at dealerships in March of 1968...I bought a new one from Jay Kline Chev..mpls .. Minnesota. In March..68.. ralley green 4 speed ..ys# 8016.. still on the internet... look up Mike Guarise 1968 yenko camaro ys#8016... and in 68 yenko only made 64 total...
I'm sure that garage was not heated everyday it was cold for 40 plus years.
Unless there’s something wrong upstairs , if you had this car as twenty something year old,you would be out bragging & driving the hell out of this car. Something is way off. Maybe 107,000 miles & then he parked it. You listen to him talk he put more miles on just going to the track & back,
Wish they had pictures from its hayday when new and in drag config
Same here.
Didn't last long enough. The moron owner took it apart at 7200 miles!
Having some familiarity with other collectibles I will say this, always be cognizant of the fact that dollars trump truth very frequently, and anything worth big dollars can be replicated, fabricated or modified to appear as the more/most desirable item. Iv'e seen it done with coins, currency, stamps,firearms/weapons ,armor, antique furniture,toys, cars, motorcycles and fine art. Proper paperwork and provenance can also be reproduced/forged or manipulated by skilled craftsman/individuals. I am not saying that is going on here, only that it occurs frequently and that this car does have some question marks hovering around some aspects of it. Be wary, be smart. All is not always as it appears, and I have seem many experts in many fields fooled.
If you have question marks, why you don't cite them instead of casting aspersions?
Jerry Heasley Many of the question marks are cited below in the comments section. Some by very knowledgeable viewers I am sure. What appears to be new front clip. Paint inconsistencies i.e. floor pans under carpet, deep behind back seat, rear window defog area repainted too,? Assembled at the Sunocco service station? Marina blue, Nantucket blue, which is it? Underside of car and differential painted black, at what point? Protecto plate perfect, trim tag all beat up? New radiator, new brake booster? Why gut the car and have everything in boxes if mileage is so low? Car was sitting around under a tarp at the dealership and they were pulling parts off it? Etc. etc On and on. Not saying car is not what it is being said it is, and I am sure when finished being 'restored' it will be even more convincing and perfect. New owner now has vested interest in making sure this car is certifiably 'Yenko' now doesn't he? Just reiterating that, as previously stated ,when big money is involved watch out.
Is this car finished now?
How come there was no shot of the Yenko tag in the door jamb? I thought Yenko numbered all of his cars with a tag in the door jamb.
The tag in the door only came in 1968 it was not offered in 67 or 69 ...
The car really is a bastard. Took a car off the lot and converted it to what the buyer wanted - a Yenko.
There are a lot of inconsistencies in this car. The paperwork including the Protect-O-Plate is immaculate, not dogeared or aged at all. But the car itself has been treated poorly for only 7K miles. Usually meticulous paperwork savers are meticulous with the car too. Why was the trim tag treated so poorly? Why scratch it all up? This is not an untouched car; it is totally molested. This is an assemblage of really nice parts like the interior seats. It looks like it had been wrecked in the front early on and then parked hence the low miles and extra-nice sheet metal. At some point a new front clip was installed indicated by the primer front end. Otherwise, why just prime the front? The tires on the car look newer than 1973 when it was parked. Anyway, those are my thoughts if I was looking strictly at the car without hearing the story.
If I bought that new it would have been driven till the wheels fell off.
I live close to Latrobe!
when do you plan on restoring it?
SEAN BENWARE the car will be completely restored within 16 months
are you gonna film it ?
i know where another yenko camero is that has been sitting for years in a garage, about a mile from my house. i live about 15 miles from cannonsburgh
email me - jerryheasley@gmail.com - another great adventure?
You mean Canonsburg?
What does the YS 760 mean at the beginning of the video?
YS means that when the car was at Yenko Chevrolet it was given a stock number of 760 ...in the Yenko world if a car was converted it was given a YS number ...that’s why this car is number 760