Phil's 1969 Yenko Camaro replica - FEATURE

A small, but important, detail as the 'muscle car' name was penned for larger, mid-size machines like the Pontiac GTO, Chevy Chevelle, Dodge Charger, Buick GS and Ford Torino. One class above the muscle cars were the 'full-size' monsters, with huge frames designed to take 400-cubic-inch-plus V8s, like Ford's Galaxie and Chevy's Impala SS. When Ford launched the Mustang in 1964, it kicked off a new class for the Big Three to wage war in.

While the Mustang led the way, Chrysler already had a player in this new arena in the Barracuda, but General Motors didn't. Hotting up the Corvair - the nearest competitor they had to the Mustang at the time - wasn't going to cut it, so GM had to develop an all-new challenger to the Mustang toot sweet, to ensure they didn't miss out on this booming market segment. The result was the Camaro, launched in late 1966 as a 1967 model.

However, while the Blue Oval and Chrysler were happy to stuff huge, tuned-up full-size V8s into their little pony cars, General Motors initially hobbled their new Camaro to preserve the Corvette's reign at the top of their sports/performance pecking order.

The suits at GM stipulated that only their full-size machines could use engines over 400 cubic-inches, giving a walk-up start in the pony car performance wars to Ford, specifically the Mustang-based GTs from Carroll Shelby. While GM's 396 big-block was no pushover, it just didn't pack the same kind of hump that the 427s and 454s did. But there was one Chevrolet dealer who decided that if GM wouldn't make a Shelby-smashing monster, he'd build it himself.

Don Yenko, a car dealer and more-than-competent racer, ignored corporate General Motors policy and sold turn-key 427 Camaros under the moniker "Yenko Super Car". It wasn't the first time he'd done this, having sold tuned-up mid-'60s Corvairs as "Yenko Stingers", but he really hit on a winner with the Camaro package.

Even when Chevrolet caught on and started building their own 427 Camaros, Don's sYc machines were still popular. Similar dealer-specials were produced by the likes of Baldwin Motion in Long Island, Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, Fred Gibb in La Harpe, Illinois, and, out west, Dana Chevrolet in Los Angeles. Yenko's creations are arguably the most famous, though. Combined, these dealer-specials have become some of the meanest, fastest, most legendary cars you could ever have the misfortune of finding yourself beside at the traffic light grand prix.

Phillip Howe from Victoria knows the Yenko legend and his '69 sYc Camaro replica is an A-grade example of what is now one of the most collectable American cars of all-time. But don't think that this eye-searing Hugger Orange example is catalogue-fresh.

Initially, Camaros arrived at Yenko's Canonsburg, Pennsylvania shop fitted with L78 396 cubic-inch big blocks, which Don and the boys swapped out for an L72 427ci V8. Later, Yenko used the GM COPO ordering system (more on that later) to have these potent powerplants fitted at the factory.

Under the bonnet of Phillip's car lies a stretched and engorged big block Bow Tie V8, displacing 470 cubes. There's a steel crankshaft, H-beam con rods from Scat and Probe forged pistons to complete the reciprocating mass, with a Cam Tec roller camshaft, Edelbrock intake manifold and aluminium cylinder heads, Holley 850cfm carby, Hooker 4-1 extractors and a megaphone exhaust, the latter fabricated by Phillip at his 'Howe Power Engines' business in Keilor Downs.

The sump is a larger unit, with internal baffling to control oil surge, as well as a Hi Flow oil pump. All that work culminates in 600 tar-boiling horses, housed in a 1500kg package - some 150hp more than the car was originally rated at (though many agree the 427 V8s really produced between 500-600hp). That is a brutal power-to-weight ratio and gives you an idea of why original sYc cars were so highly prized.

By 1969, Yenkos had more competition than just Shelby Mustangs, Hemi 'Cudas and Ram Air Pontiac Firebirds. Chevrolet had started selling 427 Camaros of their own, including one of the most hardcore vehicles ever built by GM: the legendary ZL-1. Ordered through the Central Office Production Orders (normally used for taxis and trucks), you could get an alloy-headed 427 if you ticked the '9561' order code or, if you ticked '9560', you got a full-blown race car with an all-aluminium engine that cost twice what a base model Camaro did in C1969 US dollars.

While GM rated these packages at 425hp and 430hp, respectively, it was widely known they made well over 500hp, and closer to 600hp once racers got their ZL-1s home and unchoked the deep-breathing race-spec aluminium motors. Only 69 ZL-1 Camaros were built (two of which Bob Jane brought to Australia) in 1969, but 201 Yenko Camaros were sold in the same year. Because they weren't stripped-out race cars and were better known than the hieroglyphics of GM COPO codes, Yenko Camaros could be ordered more easily by the average punter and still carried factory warranty.

While original Yenkos had either a Muncie M21 four-speed manual or (as a very rare option) a Turbo 400 three-speed auto, Phillip's car packs a tough Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual. To handle 600hp and bucketloads of torque, there's an Xtreme single-plate clutch to give the left leg a workout, with a heavy-duty four-inch tailshaft, billet axles and a stout GM-spec 12-bolt diff that has been fitted with a limited-slip centre.

Standard Yenko brakes (disc front, drum rear) are hidden by classic 15x7-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels, with the interior also remaining true to the era with racing style buckets and four-point harnesses being added to the otherwise stock cabin.

After turning out numerous Camaros, as well as Novas and Chevelles, Yenko saw the writing on the wall for the future of high performance cars, and trimmed his range from 1970, but couldn't remove himself totally from that arena. An experiment with a modified Vega for SCCA competition went nowhere, and was followed by a very short (19 units) run of turbocharged Z/28 Camaros in the early '80s. Later, Yenko opened up Subaru and Honda dealerships, but any future plans ended upon his death in a 1987 plane crash.

While Yenko, the man, may be gone, his legacy lives on through the hyper-collectable cars he built. And Phillip wouldn't have it any other way.

Text: Frank Slacks
Images: Dan Smith

UPDATE: Phil has decided to sell this high-power Yenko tribute Camaro. With heaps of work done and lots of dollars spent, this would be the ideal unit for a muscle car aficionado who fancies some occasional sprint, drag or track work, as well as road miles from their car. Asking price is $69,000.

Full details and contact information can be found here. (NOTE: car was for sale at time of update - 7/7/14)

Phillip's 1969 Yenko Camaro replica - basic specs

Engine type: Big Block Chev
Capacity: 470ci
Crank: Steel
Rods: Scat H Beam Forged
Pistons: Probe forged
Cam: Cam Tec Roller Cam
Intake: Edelbrock
Heads: Edelbrock aluminium
ECU/Carburettor: Holley H.P. 850cfm
Cooling: Copper 3 row raditor
Sump: Large Capacity & baffled
Oil pump: Hi Flow
Exhaust: Howe Power megaphone special with twin 2.5 inch tail pipes

Transmission: Tremec TKO 600 5 Speed
Clutch: Xtreme single plate
Tailshaft: 4inch steel 1000hp rating
Diff: 12 Bolt GM Yukon Racing LSD center. Steel billet axles

Suspension: (Front): Pedders Springs + Koni 2 way adjustable shocks
(Rear): Pedders Springs + Koni 2 way adjustable shocks

Brakes: (Front): Std with Hawk racing pads (disc)
(Rear): Std drums

Wheels: (Front): 15 x 7î American Racing Wheels
(Rear): 15 x 7î American Racing Wheels
Tyres: (Front): Mickey Thompson
(Rear): Mickey Thompson

Paint: Hugger Orange