“Restored” Yenko Clone Was Rotten Inside, Becomes a 750-HP 1969 Chevy Camaro RS

This 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS 427 has a thing or two going for it, such as the fact that it was once a failed Yenko/SC clone and then managed to reinvent itself as a 750-horsepower pro-touring nitrous-fed wonder.

Whenever feeling nostalgic for a cool old school ride, the good folks over at the Hand Built Cars channel on YouTube are probably just about ready to deliver their latest project car build story. This time around it’s all about the 1969 Chevy Camaro that was initially brought to the Speedtech Performance specialists from St. George, Utah looking all plain and simple.

It seemed to be in way better shape than some of the other cars we have seen here, the first-generation pony car arrived at the shop posing as a mesmerizing Yenko/SC clone. But, as it turned out, looks can be deceiving and what should have been a thorough restoration proved completely rotten inside. We have no idea if this was the trigger for the initial customer to abandon the rebuild, but the car ended up being posted up for sale with a pro-touring project still underway.

Luckily, a local St. George resident took over and allowed the experts from Speedtech to continue working their magic. Which included, among others, plans for this Camaro to become ready for just about any car show. It also needed to remain entirely usable on the street, as well as have the performance capabilities to partake in “open road races like the Silver State Classic and Texas Mile.”

As such, it’s no wonder that it ended stripped to the bones and fitted with all the necessary elements to make it both a street and track missile. A neat shade of Charcoal Metallic Gray was borrowed from the Ford Raptor for the stealthy-yet-menacing exterior and the interior was fitted with custom panels, dash, seats, upholstery, roll cage, and more.

Of course, the performance credentials are supported by a 427ci mill that has no less than 750 horsepower before taking any shots of nitrous. And it clearly mixes nice with Speedtech’s ExtReme subframe, the Ron Sutton “Secret Sauce” valved coil-over shocks, the six-piston brakes, or the one-off details, such as the custom ram air front splitter.