Yenko Clone appreciation...or not? - Page 2

**John** · #11 01-09-2011, 05:18 PM

Got any photos of the '55 Gasser you sold?

We like those too! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/burnout.gif[/img]

**tom406** · #12 01-09-2011, 10:51 PM

I'll weigh into these murky waters. I will speak with the experience of someone who always wanted a Shelby and always found them just out of reach. And as someone who bought a mostly cloned '66 GT350H and put my own finishing touches on it.

Turns out I'm not a clone guy. I understand the frustration you had with the whole its-not-really-yours '55 gasser deal. Trouble is, I doubt you will enjoy the constant buzzkill of "Is it real" any more than you enjoyed the references to the previous owner of the already-restored gasser. It's basically a similar deal, people's perception lessening your pride of ownership in a car you are proud of.

And while I'm in the camp that thinks real parts belong on real cars (Shelby clones are pretty easy with repop stuff), I'm not going to verbally beat you up for your choices. HOWEVER, I will say that real parts on a clone are a foolish investment. I have a friend who bought a painstakingly sourced and replicated (all NOS, all the time) GT500 for little more than what the parts on it were worth. And that's why he got it, a parts car to restore his REAL GT500.

I understand that you will be able to do this work yourself, but how many of us have seen the receipts for these "correct" clones exceed the market value of a real car? I know of another GT500 clone that sold for $50K, it had total receipts for something like $125K. Hey, that's what a good (not great) real-deal car goes for now.

If you have everything you need to accurately clone a '69 Yenko, then by gosh, you have everything you need to RESTORE a '69 COPO, don't you? That's a much better investment of your time and resources IMO.

Good luck with whatever you do,
TOM

RAIIIT/A · #13 01-09-2011, 11:29 PM

Not trying to be a jerk... if I happen to sound like one... I am sorry... but...I am not a big fan of clones, tributes etc... Why make a car something its not? Why be fake and try and fool people into thinking a car is something that it is not? If I was in possession of a bunch of rare parts... I would by all means install them.. but I would not put any misleading identifacation (SS emblems, Yenko stripes etc.) on the car. I personally would rather have a thrashed original than a restored clone.... but I'm kinda weird I guess... JMO

BTW - I have a good friend that has 2 Shelby clones, a very very correct '66 and a '67 that he has owned for 30years, a fake Cobra and a CAV GT-40..... and I am forever harrassing him

**Fast67VelleN2O** · #14 01-10-2011, 12:21 AM

Screw what people think and build it! 99% of the people at "car shows" don't have a classic car and shouldn't give anyone a hard time about a "real" or "fake" car. To be honest, who cares! The only way to tell a real car from a fake is to check all the numbers and to have documentation. Most average car show people don't know what to look for when it comes to COPO's. Just tell them its "real" and that ends the questioning or the guys who like to give a hard time.

**John** · #15 01-10-2011, 12:21 AM

.... Maybe build a camaro....
..........with NO Yenko Stripes or EMBLEMS

.....Put a 'Singer "hood on it ....and no emblems at all!

....Then when you lift the Hood....WOW!

...."A Big Block"

...By not putting any emblems including SS, Z/28, Yenko, ETC.

.....You would not be "cloning" anything...

....and you could still show off your attention to detail...

...... I have always wanted a BLACK 1969 Camraro with a big block and Stinger Hood.... with a Gold Stripe on the Stinger portion of the Hood....Hmmmm?
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/Can-I-Have-It.gif[/img]

#16 01-10-2011, 01:07 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fast67VelleN2O</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Screw what people think and build it! 99% of the people at "car shows" don't have a classic car and shouldn't give anyone a hard time about a "real" or "fake" car. To be honest, who cares! The only way to tell a real car from a fake is to check all the numbers and to have documentation. Most average car show people don't know what to look for when it comes to COPO's. Just tell them its "real" and that ends the questioning or the guys who like to give a hard time. </div></div>

I agree totally. Build what <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">You</span></span> want. It's your car. I once saw a sign in a car window at a show. IIRC it went this way: "To my Critics: If you're checking, none of the numbers match and I don't care. I built this car my way for me. I like it and thats all that matters. Have a good day

"

By the way, I could never (ever) afford a "real" car on the $$$ I make. I have a reasonably equipped shop with a pretty good collection tools and I really like working on my own stuff. My only option is to build away, and like the guy with the car show sign, I build stuff for me. That's what is important. Not what others think.

Take care man. And for one, I'd like to see progress on your build. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

Wayne

**PxTx** · #17 01-10-2011, 01:12 AM

No matter how you spin it, calling your hard work a clone does have a tendency to devalued things.

A lot of hard work went into collecting all of those hard to find parts. Sometimes the thrill of the hunt is the most fun part. Even after the car is done, I would still look for other nice additional items, like an old pair of Motor wheel Spyder mags.

You may want to consider building a "period correct" car and switching out parts as your mood dictates. one weekend you could have a stockish COPO look then the next maybe a little more Day 2 with some mag wheels and an L88 hood. I think you would be surprized at how much less negative attention you'll find going that route. You can always add the Yenko specific items if you aren't happy. I think it might be harder to subtract the negative stigma of being the guy who clones a Yenko, then deleted it to go a slightly different direction.

Like others have said, build what you want. If you asked me 15 years ago if I wanted to build a clone, I would have said yes. Maybe my tastes have changed and maybe I am a little wiser. I just feel that the collection of all those old parts should be sweet enough to stand on their own.

**markjohnson** · #18 01-10-2011, 01:43 AM

Don't forget that even the people with REAL cars often get asked that exact same question...."Is is real?" Ahhh....I long for the days back when the most important question was "How fast is it?" and the most important numbers happened to be the ones on a hand-written (remember those?) dragstrip timeslip?

**markjohnson** · #19 01-10-2011, 01:51 AM

Hey, here's a comparism for 'ya.......when you're in janitor closet with a beautiful woman at your company Christmas party are you really concerned with "are those real?" or "are those fake?" At that point, who cares and it really doesn't matter anymore because it's an enjoyable moment regardless of the answer. Real cars and well-done clones/tributes should be viewed the same way.

**tom406** · #20 01-10-2011, 06:01 AM

Hmmmm, although your image of handling the office pump is a compelling one, I offer another example. If you go and see the best Beatles tribute band you can find, no matter how good they sound, they'll never be John, Paul, George and Ringo. Its an imitation, and you have to decide for yourself if that's good enough.

Dedicated to the Promotion and Preservation of American Muscle Cars, Dealer built Supercars and COPO cars.