GM aficionados will probably agree that owning an original Chevy Camaro is always special. So, how about lovingly keeping in the family a ‘67 for more than four decades. And making it a spectacular Yenko tribute?
Chevrolet wanted to compete with Ford’s original Mustang, and in late 1966 it unleashed the first-generation Camaro. The latter’s fame grew quickly, especially thanks to cool versions such as the RS, SS, and Z/28. Naturally, there was also a flagship, albeit a dealer-requested one, the COPO Camaros with the company’s 427ci big-block engine that was swapped in place of the factory-installed 396ci V8.
Most notably, these Camaros have remained embedded in history thanks to Don Yenko, hence the legendary Yenko Camaro references. Although other dealers also caught wind of the high-performance option and performed their own 427 installs, today a proper tribute will most likely carry the Yenko Camaro moniker. And mandatory 427 badges. Even if under the hood resides something even better, like a 502ci Ram Jet.
Case in point, the good folks over at the Hand Built Cars channel on YouTube have brought us the chronicled story of a 1967 Chevy Camaro that had been kept in the same family since way back in 1978. As the build project video (embedded below) will attest, the six-cylinder (with three-speed transmission) with a Butternut Yellow exterior and a black Deluxe interior was in a deplorable state when the Yenko tribute project kicked off.
Everything had to be stripped down, and the classic car needed all-new sheet metal for the floors, trunk, roof, and many more. Rust is a bugger; any restoration fan will tell you that! Anyway, initially, the plan was to have it done quickly. But you know to always expect the unexpected. So, the owner had to swap shops to get things moving, and even then, it took like forever – or something like half a decade.
At least he is happy with his “politically incorrect” 427 Yenko Camaro that’s actually a ‘67 equipped with an even larger 502ci Ram Jet V8! Now that’s an upgrade Don might be proud of, even if purists will discard it. Besides, the owner seemed happy with his dark blue Camaro SS with GM Arctic White stripes and fake Yenko badges... so who are we to judge?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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