Chassis No. 124378N412417

Yenko No. YS8013

With an IQ of 140, Don Yenko was the quintessential Renaissance man. He was an accomplished sculptor and jazz pianist who learned to fly at age 14. He also served in the Air Force as a meteorologist, then earned a degree in Business Administration from Penn State University. He accomplished all this before turning 30, when he joined his father's Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and began to create the legend that we continue to associate with him today. First came SCCA A-Production national championships in 1961 and 1962, racing Corvettes. Then, after he "got tired of looking at the rear bumper of Mark Donohue's Mustang GT350" he developed the "Yenko Stinger" Corvair.

When Chevrolet finally introduced their Mustang rival, the Camaro, in the fall of 1966, Yenko turned his attention to creating a vehicle that could challenge Carroll Shelby's new-for-1967 GT500 Mustang. But GM's restrictive mandates prevented installing Chevy's excellent 427 engine in anything other than Corvettes or Impalas. That year Yenko built 54 Super Camaros by ordering 350- and 396-powered cars, replacing the factory engine with an L72 427 crate engine, and modifying the suspension to accommodate the increased power. That was terribly inefficient and expensive, so for 1968 he only bought L78 396 Camaros for conversion. Instead of replacing the entire engine, Yenko purchased just L72 427 short blocks. Now his mechanics could reuse the original cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, and engine accessories. Instead of modifying the factory suspension in his shop, after the first 20 1968 Super Camaros were built, Yenko utilized the little-known Central Office Purchase Order (COPO) route he had taken with his Stinger Corvairs to order special 396 Camaros with the needed equipment. COPO 9737, better known as the Sports Car Conversion option (named for Yenko Sports Cars), included upgraded cooling and brakes, along with a 140 mph speedometer, heavy duty springs, larger anti roll bar, M-21 close ratio four speed transmission and a 4.10:1 Positraction differential. Since much of the work was now done by Chevrolet, Yenko's mechanics could concentrate on the engine conversion and styling touches that included Pontiac 14x6 inch Rally II wheels with a special "Y" in the center caps, Firestone Wide Oval red stripe tires, "Yenko" and "427" emblems and a unique fiberglass hood. Also added were Stewart Warner gauges, a Yenko emblem on the glovebox, and a contrasting stripe across the hood and front fenders.

Dealer records show approximately 64 Super Camaros were created in 1968 making them extraordinarily rare by Detroit standards. But it was Yenko's use of the 427 cu-in L72 engine that made his Camaros legendary, the same fabled powerplant optional on the 1966 Corvette originally rated at a staggering 450 horsepower.

Chassis YS8013 is one of the 64 1968 Yenko Super Camaros, and one of only two known to have been ordered in Code "D" Grotto Blue. While 1968 Yenko Super Camaros with air conditioning or automatic transmission used the L68 410 hp engine, YS8013 is a genuine COPO 9737 Camaro with the 450 hp L72 engine and four-speed combination. It has a Certificate of Authenticity issued in March 2020 by Camaro expert Jerry MacNeish, who stated, "It is in my professional opinion that this Camaro is one of the original 1968 Yenko conversion Camaros," while noting the engine and some other components were replacements. It is also listed in The Supercar Registry hosted by Yenko expert Charlie Lillard, a former owner. Showing 49,120 miles at cataloging, this Yenko was once part of wrestler Bill Goldberg's noted collection, and later featured in the American Muscle Car Museum Collection in Melbourne, Florida. YS8013 was awarded at the Concours d'Elegance of America at the Inn at St. John in Detroit, and included in the book COPO: Camaro, Chevelle, and Nova - Chevrolet Ultimate Muscle Cars. Magazines including Muscle Car Review, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and most recently Sports Car Market have covered YS8013. This rare Yenko Super Camaro is offered with its original factory and dealer documentation.