Two Yenkos in my life..

[sYc]

Submitted by Jim Thoren
Photos by Mike De Torrice
1:18 car made by GMP / Licensed by Supercar Collectibles
Supercar Collectibles, Ltd.
Maple Grove, Mn.
www.Supercar1.com
763/425-3357


Two Yenko's in my life...
About a decade ago I was at home sitting on the front steps, just like a little kid waiting for his best friend to be dropped off from across town. The only difference was I was 45 years old, and I was waiting for a car to be delivered. My wife came out to sit down next to me, and noticed I was starting to rock. She tried to calm me down, but then around the corner came that big enclosed transport truck. I stood up, my lips starting to tremble, and I must have been holding my breath as she nudged me "breath you moron"... It had arrived.



What seemed to take an hour actually took a few minutes. The driver climbed down from the big rig, and we met in the street. We shook hands, and he asked if I was ready. Was I ready? I had been waiting several weeks for this day to arrive! He opened the rear liftgate and lowered it down to street level. "There's only room for one of us in here" and I backed off a bit. The wife is snapping pictures, and I'm about ready to hear the big block 427 motor come to life. The previous owner told me he nicknamed the car "hairy" as it had been a drag car at one time, and had wild hairy cam in it. The car fired up, and I immediately knew why he called it that.

Once the car warmed up a bit (that cam) the driver backed it out in to the sunlight, for the world to see. There was nothing else at all going on in the entire world for that moment. I first saw my recently purchased Daytona Yellow '69 Yenko 427 Camaro with 11,xxx miles on it... real one, no clone, no recreation, no tribute. The real deal. Now you have to realize I'm a blue collar worker putting in lots of hours, and not a rich man. My life is an open one, telling all friends everything that goes on. But not this time, as recently one gal said "I" could never keep a secret. I just had, and wait until Saturday.

That weekend I had invited fellow car club members over for a garage day and BBQ. A few hours before this, I spoke with the neighbor directly across the street, asking if I could store my new purchase in his garage until I that afternoon. It was no problem. The guests then arrived, and while hanging around in the garage and driveway, it was time for me to slip away. I enter the neighbors garage, fire it up, and look straight ahead through the now opening garage door - to see every persons eyes riveted on the noise, and my Yenko Camaro. Blipping the throttle and releasing the clutch, I crept it over into my driveway as slow as I could with those 5:13 gears. Yup, like bee's on honey. It was a feeling I'll never forget. And that gal, she winked, and said "secret huh?"...

Fast forward 10 years. It's 2008, the Yenko was sold, that wife is gone. The friends are still with me, and so is the passion for Yenko Camaro's.


This time the pictures are a bit nicer, the car is a lot nicer, and I have a new wife. This an updated '69 Yenko Camaro with a Pro Touring type look, built like some would be made in this day and age. I'm just as excited about it as the previous one. It's a GM Sunset Orange Metallic with Black stripes & Black 5 spoke 18" mag wheels. Features include 4 wheel disc brakes, directional tires, and power comes from a detailed / modified 427 big block with aluminum heads, aluminum intake, MSD ignition, 4 tube headers, a custom oil pan, backed by a T56 6-speed manual transmission. The interior is carpeted, bucket seats have the sYc on both headrests, and gauges in the console. The detailed chassis features a total custom made exhaust, beautifully hung fuel lines, brake lines, plus a fuel cell and the battery are in the trunk. These will be available to the public by middle Summer 2008.

This one is a 1:18 scale die cast car, and with an extremely high level of quality. This one, and a Midnight Blue one with white stripes are to be available in late June or early July. Look close at the photo's, and then get yourself a Yenko Camaro coming to your door. The wives seem to like small cars, more than real cars.

Backing up a little to the real Yellow one, it had been a drag car painted red-white-blue for 15 years, then restored back to Yellow 14 years before I bought it. Bangin' the gears on that car made her go sideways. No bull. I've always felt ya gotta use em'... and now it's gone. The die cast ones can sit on a shelf, and bring back some really great memories.

[SS427]

Welcome Jim,
I remember the car well and the time we talked at the GSTA show where you had a sign up and were selling the car. The price was a giveaway at todays prices. Neat car and over the years you have turned out (and sold to me and many others) a lot of nice die cast cars. Good to see the car again as well as the Pro Touring car.
Rick

[JimSC]

[ QUOTE ]
I remember the car well and the time we talked at the GSTA show where you had a sign up and were selling the car. The price was a giveaway at todays prices.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes... sold it back in 2001 if I remember, for less than what a clone goes for ($53,000?) these days. What a move...

Anyway, here is a link to a few more photo's.
More Photo's

And some more informantion on the 1:18 Pro Touring Yenko's.
Blue and Orange cars

Thanks for the read.