Yenko Super Camaro
The Forgotten Performance Pony Car
By Louis Misciasci
Depending on which generation you’re from, hearing the name COPO, you will probably think of a Camaro. Younger generations will think of the newest model with its massive optional 9.4 liter 572 cubic inch Big Block. A more seasoned gear head thinks of the first gen 1969 Camaro with its (for the day) equally impressive 427 cubic inch big block.
In the late 1960s’ inventive dealers were able to take advantage of a loophole in the COPO program. COPO, or Central Office Production Order, was designed for dealerships to order specially modified vehicles for local municipalities. The loophole once discovered allowed dealers to option the “Truck Block” 427 into a wider range of cars. Prior to the COPO program, dealers like Yenko, Berger, Gibb, and Nickey Chevrolet would order the blocks and install them into the cars at their respective dealerships.
Since these dealers had been selling modified cars off their lots; As well as performance parts out of the service department. They knew the advantage of having Chevrolet do the heavy lifting for them. Another bonus for the dealers was not taking up space in the back rooms with extra engine blocks or transmissions; To the detriment of the techs. They would no longer have new, barley used performance parts for them to purchase. For some dealers this could add up to 100 plus extra engines a year.
A good example of a pre-COPO car is the Yenko Super Camaro. These were purpose built in 1968 to be a head turner on the street or track. Don Yenko chose to order the car with the largest engine offered the 396 big block. He then swapped in the 427 short block. Once the heads, headers and aluminum intake were bolted on, a low-rise Ram-Air fiber glass hood concealed it from the competition. If the vehicle was a M-21 4-speed, a stouter clutch would also be added upon customer request. An automatic transmission was offered in the way of a stout, Turbo Hydra-Matic 400. No matter what transmission you optioned, the Super Camaro had a Saginaw 12-bolt out back. Customers also had a choice of gear ratios, most common being 3.73:1 for the manual and 3.31:1 for the automatic. The Big block option also came with the heavy-duty suspension, which added a sway bar. Yenko would add traction bars to the rear. Power disc brakes in front and drum rears were a must to bring these cars back down to high-way speeds.
The exterior and interior got the Yenko treatment as well. As mentioned before Yenko used custom Ram-Air style hoods. The nose, fenders, and doors would get a mixture of a bumblebee and hockey stick vinyl stripe. He added badges to the fenders, grille and rear taillight panel so there was no doubt it is a Yenko. Early cars had a rear spoiler made for Yenko, while the later cars got factory spoilers front and rear. Yenko also used stock Pontiac Rallye II 14x6 wheels on most cars. The wheels even got their own special Yenko center caps. You could go with cheaper 14 inch steelies or option up to an Atlas alloy wheel, if steelies weren’t really your style. In my opinion the Ram-Air hood and factory Pontiac wheels do give it more of a Pontiac look than a Chevrolet look. But it works none the less. Don couldn’t stay out of the interior either. The headrest got his now famous Yenko crest. The stock speedo was replaced by a 140 mph unit. A Stewart Warner tach was added to keep you from adding any windows to the 427’s block.
Approximately 64 cars were built for 1968. The number of survivors is unknown. Some say there are maybe 20 or less. One that has survived is a Fathom Blue manual which sold at Mecum’s Las Vegas auction in 2017 for $600,000. Setting a record for all Yenko Camaro’s at the time. Another in red crossed the Mecum auction block in May of 2021. This one was even more rare as it is 1 of 11 RS/SS built. The American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Fl. believe they have the lowest milage car. It is Sequoia Green and has 1,304 original miles on it. Though these 1k mile were not easy as this car was built to run NHRA’s “new” Pro Stock class. The American Muscle Car Museum has a couple others; one is Grotto Blue and has less than 50k miles on it. Another, we have featured on our website, is Rally Green. This is the odd ball as it still has the Chevrolet installed 396. The contrast of the green body, white stripe, and red line tires really grab your attention. Lastly the Corvette Bronze with black vinyl stripe. This car sports a factory style hood with the optional steelie wheels with hub caps.
No matter what color you choose, the accents added by Yenko make you take a second look. Then when it leaves the traffic light or tree at the track; the performance makes you second guess racing these beasts. As the COPO program got more popular with other dealers, these cars have almost been forgotten. Dealerships did not have to do nearly as much work to sell high performance cars. Yenko however continued to improve on even the COPO cars he ordered from Chevrolet. Giving many Camaro, Nova, and Chevelle his signature stripes, interior, and performance upgrades.