Win On Sunday,Lose On Monday

**Mr70** · #1 05-21-2003, 01:52 AM

Reading the April/May 1995 issue of MCR,I found this interesting article in the "Yenkos Incredible Cars" section.
As most of you know,it was 1969,and Don Yenko was able to get the Factory (COPO) to do the 427 engine Installation,and Warranty them as well.Here is where that Paid off,as Colonial Chevrolet was one of their Competitors in the Marketplace.

"Norfolk,Virginia was a hub of the U.S.Navy.Sailors with Lump sums of money burning a hole in their Bell bottomed pockets,bought many a Hot Chevy from Colonial Chevrolet in Norfolk,Va.
Gung-ho buyers would show up at the drag strip on Sunday for fun and games despite being in Gross violation of their Cars Warranty.
Also present at the track was the Local Chevrolet zone Rep. who would photograph the cars,Vin#'s, and License numbers.
Back at the office on Monday,he would start the Paperwork to Cancel thier warranties-This was an Important Yenko selling point".

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #2 05-21-2003, 11:35 AM

That is a funny story, one that Josh Darden told me was just magazine rhetoric!

Colonial sponsored their own Yenko Deuce race car, at the suggestion of Don Yenko, since they were not selling too well in late '70. The racing trick was not working, and a lot attendant was stealing parts off of the car, so Colonial returned the car to the sales inventory. I've wondered how that car was sold with a warranty, but from the guys I've talked to in Norfolk and those that worked at Colonial, there was nobody from the Zone office sitting in the stands at Suffolk County Raceway.

Keith Tedford · #3 05-21-2003, 06:50 PM

Those stories about GM reps in the stands circulated around here as well. Personally, I never heard of anyone being cut off their warranty for racing, although it could have happened. I had headers on the Chevelle and the fact was never questioned during warranty work. The dealers weren't going to complain as long as GM paid the warranty costs. Now, a grenaded engine might have been a problem to explain although GM new that dropped valves were all too common with their disastrous results. Our L78 car has a CE motor for this very reason.

#4 05-21-2003, 11:10 PM

I can say that as the performance car manager of Hechler Chevrolet (Hechler Motor Co of ZL1 fame) druing the mid '90's that we didn't care. The zone reps would come by the dealership and look around, but I never saw them deny warranty claims. Hell, we even had one look at a Z28 with slicks on it, and enough rubber on the quarters to make a new set of tires get warrantied for a broken 6spd. Maybe there were some over zealous zone reps, but from what I saw/heard as long as the dealership didn't get flagrant with it, no big deal. Just my experience anyway.

MY70SS396 · #5 05-22-2003, 12:35 AM

My dad used to drag at Suffolk back in the day. He told me that insurance company reps would be in the stands and would write down the plates of cars that ran and would cancel there policy. I have pics of his 57 Chevy with the plates taped up at the track for this reason.
Mitchell

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #6 05-22-2003, 11:14 AM

Insurance guys maybe, but I've never heard of the zone rep's cancelling warranties that way. I think the insurance guys were trying everything to get out of insuring the performance cars.

**Mr70** · #7 05-22-2003, 12:54 PM

That sounds more realistic.
Here is another Paragraph taken from the same magazine article.
Quoteing Don Yenko:
We did extremely well for about the last eight months of the Year.Then the Insurance Companies caught up with us and started flatly refusing to insure the cars at any amount of Money.This turned the last 100 or so cars into really Distressed Merchandise.We had a heck of a time Selling them.I'll tell you,we'd take anything for them,even to the point of losing Money.We even Seriously considered transplanting our leftover 396's into the COPO cars just to try and get rid of them.Luckily,they did finally sell".

Can you imagine today,trying to negotiate and dicker with the salesman on a Brand New Yenko!

SuperCars · #8 05-22-2003, 01:18 PM

Anyone have any of that distressed Yenko Merchandise I can take off their hands Cheap? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif[/img]

T Billigen · #9 05-22-2003, 09:06 PM

I never had a problem with warranty work. The problem came from insurance. When I bought my 68 Camaro my insurance company checked my record and found out I had some speeding tickets. My insurance went from 200.00 to 850.00 a year. GMC had there own insurance back then so I applied for it when I bought the car and the funny thing is I received two letters in the mail on the same day, one said I had the insurance, when I opened the other letter it said I was cancelled! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif[/img]

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #10 05-22-2003, 10:05 PM

Tom;
I know you still bought the Camaro, so what did you do for insurance?

I remember having the same insurance problems when I started driving, but I had no record at all - just a young guy with his own car made my insurance $3,200 a year! My '71 Nova with a 6cyl. only cost me $700, go figure!