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1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro Automatic Heading to Auction

From May 17 to 21, Mecum Auctions will bring a lot of rare muscle cars in Indianapolis. This sale will see the auctioning of five rare Shelbys and this bad boy here. The question is, what is that special about this particular Camaro?
1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro 13 photos
Photo: Mecum Auctions
To answer that, we first need to focus on Yenko Chevrolet, a dealership that operated between 1949 and 1982, known for selling highly customized muscle cars. It was when the Camaro entered the pony car fray that Yenko Chevrolet shined most. Legend has it the dealer sold 201 Yenko Camaros through the COPO (Central Office Production Order) program in 1969.

This 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro isn’t just a rarefied pleasure, but a rarity of the Yenko breed because it is one of 30 vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission. Other than the Turbo Hydra-Matic cog swapper, the car that’s slated to cross the auction block is one of six automatic-equipped 1969 Yenko Camaros. And yes, it’s listed in the Yenko registry for added authenticity.

Officially known as the Yenko COPO 9651, the focal point of this brute is an L72 427 cu.in. (7-liter) big-block V8 engine. Thanks to goodies such as the high-lift kit, high-duration solid-lifter cam, aluminum intake manifold, 800 CFM Holley 4-barrel carb, and a compression of 11.0:1, the L72 hidden under the cowl-induction hood produces 425 horsepower and generous amounts of torque.

The COPO 9738 Sports Car Conversion Package, on the other hand, adds power disc brakes at the front, a 140 mph (225 km/h) speedometer, and a 3-gauge cluster under the dashboard. Visual add-ons worth mentioning include a black vinyl roof, D80 front and rear spoilers, a Hurst Dual Gate floor shifter, and Torque Thrust wheels with Yenko caps and F70-15 Goodyear Polyglas rubber.

God only knows how fierce the bidding will be on this 1969 Yenko Camaro, but do expect the highest bid to have five zeros. Six zeros are also possible considering how crazy bidding can get on a classically correct muscle car.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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