Chevrolet dealership owner and racing driver Don Yenko circumvented the General Motors big-engine ban from the 1960s by swapping the 6.5-liter L78 in the Camaro pony car with the 7.0-liter L72 engine of the Corvette. The dealer-prepped model gave way to the Central Office Production Order special-order system, which brings us to the COPO Chevelle.
Approximately 300 units were produced for the 1969 model year, and fewer than 70 examples of the breed are still with us today. The ultimate variant of the Chevelle features the very same powerplant as the Yenko Camaro, including the four-bolt main caps, solid lifters, forged aluminum pistons, and forged crankshaft journals. The question is, can the COPO-ified Chevelle keep up with the Yenko Camaro on the blacktop over the ¼-mile?
Let’s go through a few specifications before watching the following video.
Only 30 examples of the 1969 Yenko Camaro were optioned with the Turbo 400 three-speed automatic. Capable of 450 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) at 4,000 revolutions per minute, the big-block plant and torque-converter transmission were originally mated to 4.10 gears for the rear differential. The yellow-painted car featured on the Cars and Zebras YouTube channel is rocking a final ratio of 4.33 to one, which is exactly what you want on the strip, especially for the first 60 feet of the drag race.
Tipping the scales at 3,796 pounds (1,722 kilograms) including the driver, the ‘Maro used to sticker at $4,320 when it was brand-spanking new or $32,135 after we adjust for inflation. The COPO Chevelle, by comparison, used to retail at $3,813 or $27,745 today and weighs 3,835 pounds (1,740 kilograms) including the 200-pound gentleman behind the steering wheel.
Similar to the Camaro, the 4.10 gears have been swapped for 4.33s, which makes the ¼-mile showdown all the more interesting. On wide-open throttle, the Yenko hooks up better and keeps an extremely small advantage over the ‘Velle as it crosses the finish line in 11.98 seconds at 116.85 miles per hour (188 kilometers per hour). The slightly larger and comfier vehicle recorded 12.02 seconds at 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour).
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. Full profile
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