Yenko on Mecum dealmakers

[GTO_DON]

Just watched mecum dealmakers tonight and a hugger orange yenko went thru and Dana professed that this was the best yenko in the world!. Is this true? I also saw that Colin bought it for a customer at 285k.... looked like it had headers on it and I thought there were some real low mileage survivors out there that would trump that car....Just trying to learn a little something.

[John]

.... I think you are probably correct....

.... If this is the car you are talking about [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img]

1969 Hugger Orange Yenko Camaro - Dallas Mecum Auction

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Description from the Mecum website:

A specialist in the automotive paintless dent repair trade, Jim Pearse came to know of this 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro in a rather serendipitous manner. And at first, he didn’t know exactly what sort of treasure he had found.
The prior owner of the car would come to Pearse for parts, and Pearse began to notice some curious things about the car, such as a 140mph speedometer that he had never seen in a Camaro before. He also recalls signs that the car was a big block, but not an SS. When the owner eventually chose to sell in 1980, Pearse’s curiosity convinced him to buy it. It didn’t run, but with a $2,000 price tag, Pearse figured he could fix it himself. So he did some bodywork, painted it and got it running, and then he sold it, still not knowing exactly what he’d had.
Pearse managed to keep in contact with the car’s new owner, and through joint research, they eventually discovered the car’s true identity. They contacted Vince Emme, the Yenko guru of the time, and after combing through his extensive Yenko records, Emme was able to verify the car. He even pinpointed it as one that had been damaged in delivery from Chevrolet to Yenko with a dent to the driver’s side door.
Another fortuitous turn of events came in 1989, when the person that Pearse sold the car to nearly a decade ago, called to offer Pearse the first right of refusal.
He bought it back, and in the winter of 1993 he began a full restoration. It was put on hold time and time again for work and other projects, and wasn’t until the spring of 2008 that he finally finished it. It may have languished unfinished even longer had a friend not given Pearse the nudge he needed to wrap it up with a phone call to let him know that he had registered the car to take part in that year’s Chevy VetteFest; and it was just six weeks away.
Pearse had built a rotisserie specifically for the car, and he gave it the full treatment, doing most of the work himself. He kept as much original to the car as possible, while remaining determined to bring the car to a state of near-perfection, which meant that bringing in new, but as-original parts was a must. He had the motor built by a shop in Highland Park, Illinois, designed to reflect the factory installed unit, complete with correctly dated block. The transmission and rear end were rebuilt as well, to ensure impeccable performance. The rest of the work was mostly Pearse’; he massaged the exterior until it shown in all its resplendent Yenko glory.
Since completion, the car has won several awards and accolades. It received the Gold Spinner award in 2008 at Chevy VetteFest scoring a 995 out of 1,000 points. In 2012, it was invited to take part in the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals Yenko display featuring roughly 65 cars and received the “Celebrity Pick Award.” Then in 2013, Pearse was invited to show it at the Barrington Concours d’Elegance where it won Best Restoration in Show and was one of three finalists for Best Car in Show. The car was also featured in Muscle Car Review in the fall of 2013 and even graced the cover in all its muscular brilliance.
This 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro presents today fully prepared to continue winning awards and gracing various concours, and it would most certainly take on a starring role in any outstanding muscle car collection.


HIGHLIGHTS

- Gold Spinner award at Chevy VetteFest in 2008 scoring 995 of 1,000 points
- Celebrity Pick Award at MCACN in 2012
- Best Restoration and 1 of 3 finalists for Best Car at the 2013 Barrington Concours d'Elegance
- Featured in Muscle Car Review in Fall 2013
- Purchased by the current owner in 1980, sold and repurchased in 1989
- The rotisserie restoration began in 1993 and was completed in 2008

- <span style="font-weight: bold">Pro built correctly dated 427 CI V-8 </span>

- 4-speed manual transmission
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Winters aluminum intake manifold
- 140 MPH speedometer
- Stewart Warner tach
- AM radio
- Spare and jack in trunk
- Hugger Orange with Black interior