- Chubb Collector Car Insurance

Volume 6 / Issue 2
Perfect Partnership
G
lobal collectors know that
one of the world’s finest
automotive events — Salon
Privé — takes place each year in the
U.K. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this now-iconic supercar show
and concours d’elegance, which
takes place September 3–5. This is the
seventh consecutive year that Chubb
Insurance has been a major sponsor.
Because of our unique dedication
to Salon Privé, this year the two lead
events are titled the Chubb Insurance
Tour d’Elegance and the Chubb
Insurance Concours d’Elegance.
What a tremendous honor.
Salon Privé is one of the most
exclusive occasions on the motoring
calendar, and it is held on the grounds
of a magnificent British landmark
each year. This year it will be held at
Blenheim Palace, the famed birthplace of Winston Churchill. Blenheim
remains the principal residence of the
Duke of Marlborough and is the only
non-royal stately home in England
to hold the title of “Palace.” One
of England’s largest houses, it was
built between 1705 and 1722, and is
surrounded by over 2,000 acres of
landscaped parkland and stunning
formal gardens. Imagine the Chubb
Concours d’Elegance on these
grounds. As is always the case with
Salon Privé, it will simply be stunning.
I could not be more proud to work
for a company so dedicated to helping protect some of human history’s
finest creative achievements, whether
irreplaceable historic homes or some
of the finest examples of automotive
art in existence. Salon Privé is a unique
celebration of the automobile, and it’s
a celebration for Chubb as well.
We’re also the title sponsor of
Bloomington Gold again this year,
June 25–27 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway — an iconic event at a truly
iconic venue. I can’t wait to see my
Corvette collector friends, some of the
most knowledgeable and passionate
in the hobby. If you plan to attend, stop
by the two Chubb areas and say hello.
Keep ’em running!
Jim Fiske
Senior Vice President
Chubb Personal Insurance
jfiske@chubb.com
in This issue
Finding Gold at Bloomington.......... 1
Gooding on the Market .................. 2
Ten Significant Corvette Sales ..... 2–3
The Classics ....................................... 3
Iconic Corvette Surrogates ............. 4
Client Profile ...................................... 5
1954 Pontiac Bonneville Concept . 6
1967 Yenko Super Camaro ............. 7
Upcoming Events ............................. 8
insider
ColleCtor Car
Corvette — The Perfect Collectible
Find a good example for the right price and write the check
by Keith Martin
I
f you were going to have just
one collectible sports car,
why not make it a Corvette?
There’s no better place to
see and learn about Corvettes
than at Bloomington Gold, a
celebration of America’s sports
car. Held for the first time this
year at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway in Indianapolis,
Bloomington Gold brings
together Corvette enthusiasts
from around the world.
At Bloomington, you’ll see
hundreds of Corvettes, from
showroom-perfect to disheveled
projects. You’ll find cars for sale
in every price range, from a few
Bloomington Gold is heaven for Corvette lovers
thousand dollars to well over
$100,000.
Corvettes, first built in 1953 as a stylish — but hopelessly slow — boulevardier, have developed over the years into a
world-class sports car. Properly equipped, the latest-generation C7s can take on Ferraris and Porsches and hold their own.
There are several factors that make a Corvette the near-perfect collector car. First, they are instantly recognizable. No
matter what year or model you have, everyone knows what a Corvette is.
Second, you can work on them yourself if you wish. With nearly 1,500,000 Corvettes built since 1953, parts are plentiful and easily sourced. Keeping your Corvette running, especially the pre-smog, pre-electronics cars built before 1968,
is about as simple as working on a taxicab. In fact, a taxicab from that era probably had a similar small-block Chevy
engine under the hood.
I’ve owned several Corvettes. My favorite was a 1963
Split-Window coupe with a 327-ci engine and a 4-speed. I
also owned a 1992 C4 with a 350-ci engine and a 6-speed.
I drove that car 2,400 miles up the ALCAN Highway from
Portland, OR, to Anchorage, AK.
Both cars were easy to drive, and they had more than
enough power to reach triple-digit speeds. Further, they
attracted attention wherever we stopped.
At Bloomington Gold, you’ll see examples of nearly
every Corvette year and model. Let your budget be your
guide, find a good example at a price that makes sense to
you, and write the check. You’ll start on a journey you will
1963 Split-Window Corvette — a personal favorite
never regret.
The Goods
by David Gooding
Ten
1
1962 Chevrolet Corvette
“Gulf Oil” race car
RM Sotheby’s, Fort Worth, TX
327-ci 360+hp V8, 4-speed,
37-gallon fuel tank, RPO 687 heavyduty brakes. The 1962 SCCA A/
Production champion. Driven by Dr.
Dick Thompson, “The Flying Dentist.”
From the Andrews Collection.
Sold at $1,650,000
A
s car lovers round the turn from
spring into summer, Gooding &
Company is gearing up for the
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
We are now in the second decade of
hosting the official car auction at this
classic event, and we’re readying a
wonderful variety of distinguished cars
for our 2015 Pebble Beach Auctions
on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday,
August 16.
Our consignments include rare
entries from the earliest days of
motoring and vehicles from the finest
eras of automotive engineering.
Among the offerings you won’t want
to miss is a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera
2.7 RS Lightweight, documented and
restored by the Porsche factory. Also
among the lots will be a fascinating
1964 Shelby 289 Cobra, a 1976 Ferrari
308 GTB — the first 308 built for the U.S.
market, a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort
and a 2003 Ferrari 575M that has less
than 1,400 total miles recorded.
Fans of the early classics will get a
kick out of a replica 1886 Benz, once
driven by Sir Stirling Moss and later
photographed on the 18th green at
the Pebble Beach Golf Links. We’ll also
present a 1927 Bentley 6½ Litre Le Mans
Sports, a 1928 Auburn 8-88 Boattail
Speedster and a 1933 Delage DS 8
cabriolet with coachwork by Pourtout,
as well as a wide selection of post-war
muscle cars. As many of our lots are
presented without reserve, discerning
collectors will have the opportunity to
bid on a variety of special cars across
a wide range of prices.
Our auctions generate recordbreaking results and introduce vehicles
rarely seen to the public. The experienced staff at Gooding & Company
not only hand selects the cars for auction but also delivers award-winning
marketing and presentation for the
vehicles and exceptional hospitality at
the auction sites.
Pebble Beach is one of the finest
venues in the world for car lovers and
bidders. We look forward to catching
up with old acquaintances and meeting new friends, so please join us for an
unforgettable week of events featuring
these magnificent pieces of rolling
art.
2
1969 Chevrolet Corvette
L88 coupe
3
1963 Chevrolet Corvette
coupe
4
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
roadster
5
1965 Chevrolet Corvette
demonstration stand
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, AZ
427-ci 430-hp V8, 4-speed, RPO
F41 suspension, J56 brakes.
Body-off restoration by the famed
“Naber Brothers.” Extensive
documentation includes tank
sticker and ownership history.
Sold at $495,000
Gooding & Co., Scottsdale, AZ
327-ci 340-hp V8, 4-speed. Iconic
one-year-only “Split-Window”
coupe. Highly original example,
complete with copy of original
owner’s card and certificate of title.
Sold at $242,000
Mecum Auctions, Las Vegas, NV
235-ci 150-hp I6, automatic
transmission. One of only 300 firstyear Corvettes produced. From
the Jim Rogers Collection.
Sold at $216,000
RM Sotheby’s, Fort Worth, TX
327-ci V8, 4-speed. Fully
functional display piece, built from
a 1965 coupe and used on the
1965 show circuit to demonstrate
features of the new Corvette. From
the Andrews Collection.
Sold at $715,000
Significant Corvette
Sales of 2015
The year got off to a strong start, and the market is
vibrant. Here are 10 notable sales from across the
Corvette spectrum — and we’re just getting started
The Classics
6
1958 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible
Mecum, Indianapolis, IN
283-ci 290-hp fuel-injected V8,
4-speed. One of just 193 1958
Corvettes produced in Inca Silver,
and one of just 157 with matching
Inca Silver coves. NCRS Top Flight
winner in 2015 with 99.9 points.
Sold at $174,960
Big Changes in the Classic
Car Club of America
by David Schultz, CCCA President
and CCCA Museum Trustee
B
ig news came out of the recent annual
meeting of the Classic Car Club of
America in Savannah, GA. The club will
now accept motorcars built as early as 1915
that fulfill CCCA criteria for Classic status.
Previously, the club’s parameters had
been 1925 to 1948, although cars built prior
to 1925 that were “virtually identical” to
their 1925 counterparts were accepted.
That has changed.
Fine luxury automobiles — such as
Lafayette, Daniels and Templar — that
suffered the misfortune of having their
production cease before 1924 have been
denied consideration as Classics. They are
now eligible and likely to be designated as
Full Classics.
Other already-approved Classics, such
as Mercer, Kissel, Marmon and DuPont,
changed models prior to 1925; thus, their
pre-1924 versions did not qualify under the
“virtually identical” rule. An example: the
Series 6 Mercer was built from 1923 to ’25,
but the equally deserving Series 5, which
differed from the Series 6 and was built from
1920 to ’23, did not qualify under the old rule.
Moving forward, the CCCA’s classification committee will also review specific
models produced by a marque prior to
1924, such as the 1921–24 Paige 6-66 and
6-70 and the larger series cars produced by
Haynes between 1919 and 1924.
As a past CCCA board member and
president, I’m proud to have been personally involved in facilitating this change. The
addition of these 1915–24 motorcars is a
long overdue correction to the roster of approved CCCA Full Classics. I commend all
club members who supported this change.
These pre-1924 motorcars embody all
of the qualities of what CCCA defines as a
Classic — “Fine design, high engineering
standards and superior workmanship.” In
fact, the heyday of the coach-built era
extended from 1915 or so through the early
1930s, when many of the top coachbuilding companies closed.
And contrary to what I’ve heard on
occasion, most of these cars are enjoyable
to drive. No, they won’t be confused with a
1941 Cadillac, but when driving these motorcars from the early days of the Classic
Era, I feel much more engaged with the
motoring experience. I feel that I’m driving
a car, not just aiming it.
Hopefully, we’ll be seeing some of these
“new” Classics at concours d’elegance
and car shows — and on tour — in the
months ahead.
7
1961 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible
Gooding & Co., Scottsdale, AZ
283-ci 270-hp V8, 2x4-bbl,
4-speed. Desirable late C1 dualquad roadster. Well maintained
and minimally used since 1990s
restoration.
Sold at $99,000
8
1971 Chevrolet Corvette
LS6 convertible
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, AZ
454-ci 425-hp V8, 4-speed. One
of just 188 LS6 Corvettes built for
1971. NCRS Top Flight Awardwinner in 2014, scoring 97.6
points.
Sold at $203,500
9
1996 Chevrolet Corvette
Grand Sport coupe
Mecum, Kissimmee, FL
350-ci 330-hp V8, 6-speed,
RPO Z51 Performance Handling
Package. 2,100 original miles with
documented ownership since new.
Signed by Zora Duntov.
Sold at $77,760
10
1964 Chevrolet
Corvette convertible
Leake, Oklahoma City, OK
327-ci 365-hp V8, 4-speed,
with Teakwood steering wheel,
sidepipes, power disc brakes,
knockoff wheels, factory a/c, and
numbers-matching engine.
Body-off restoration.
Sold at $70,400
(Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses, unless noted otherwise)
2
Collector Car Insider
Collector Car Insider
3
Corvette Market
Don’t Get Sad — Get Even
Client Profile
A Birthdate With Destiny
As values advance, our chances of owning a truly iconic Corvette become more fleeting.
So find a surrogate
A Corvette lover since his Brooklyn childhood brings his 1969 L88 to Bloomington Gold this year
by John L. Stein
I
1953 Motorama prototype
1967 L88 coupe
With only 20 built, you could hardly touch an
L88 in 1967, and most of us sure can’t touch one
now, with prices in the millions. Of course, RPO
L88 was a production race car option that came
down the St. Louis assembly line ready for a fight.
Its big-block 427 engine was competition-spec,
as evidenced by special heads, high-compression
pistons, camshaft and carb.
The L88 option lived in the midyear body for one
year only, making it extraordinarily rare. But with
the plethora of big-inch crate motors available today,
any midyear car can be turned into something just
about as hairy as an L88. There were over 22,000
big-block midyears built, so somewhere out there is
an engineless donor ready for you to enjoy pumping
up for less than five cents on the L88 dollar.
1990 ZR-1 convertible
If you can’t finance a birth-year 1953 model, you can find
near-identical looks in the more affordable 1954 units
The new C7 Z06 gives you top-level performance and more
Yes, Chevrolet made one of these engineering
mules — an iridescent ZR-1 convertible called the
DR-1 (for Chevy chief engineer Don Runkle) made
for the ultimate gentleman’s express at the time. I
saw it at Riverside in 1988, and it appeared at auction, along with a bunch of other GM prototypes,
at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale in 2009. It sold
there for $286,000 (ACC# 119171).
To obtain similar performance to this elusive
unicorn Corvette of the Late Big Hair Epoch, just
waltz yourself into a 1996 Grand Sport convertible. With 330 hp, it is nearly as powerful and potent as that one-off Skunkworks prototype from
the late ’80s. An easy $30,000–$50,000 should
get you one today.
comfort than a race-spec C5-R, C6.R or C7.R
Spinning slowly on the turntable at the WaldorfAstoria hotel in New York on January 17, 1953, the Corvette EX 122 prototype
C5-R, C6.R, C7.R racer
ushered in a new era for American sports cars. And the 300 1953 models that followed, hand-built in Flint, MI, are worth upwards of $300,000 each today.
Even if you could buy a modern-era factory Corvette racer, you might not
If that car’s not in the cards, a great solution is to find a bone-stock, Polo
want to. That’s because they were so specialized, they’d take a fully operational
White 1954. More than 12 times more of them were made — 3,640 in all —
race shop just to enjoy, not to mention special fuel, computers, racing slicks, etc.
and in general it’s visually and essentially the same car. For about $70,000
However, having been allowed a few track laps in the original C5-R a few
to $120,000, you can enjoy the fledgling Corvette all over again. And if you
years back, I can tell you that the dynamics are simply unbelievable. With
find that your mojo ever disagrees with 1953, the prices on ’54 cars are stable,
such downforce and grip, that car took me to a land of g-forces I had never
so you can always resell and then transport yourself to 1963 or 1973 later on.
visited before.
Make it easy on yourself: For $78,000-plus, go order a new C7 Z06 instead.
1956 SR-2 roadster
The early drive reports say that this car is pure race-car spec, right off the
An exercise in styling as well as performance, with its toothsome grille
dealer’s floor. Just to be sure, though, I called former C5-R and C6.R driver and
and Buck Rogers tailfin, the SR-2 immediately became an iconic member of
current Cadillac factory shoe Andy Pilgrim, who recently tested the C7 Z06 at
the growing Corvette lineage. Underneath were various technical upgrades of
Road Atlanta. “First, the screaming race-car noise is truly amazing — it’s just
the period, including a racing-brake package. With history as both a styling
a ripping exhaust note,” Pilgrim says. “Then you’ve got the acceleration, which
exercise and a road racer, today the three SR-2s built are well and truly sevenis equally tremendous. And the way the car corners with the Z07 Performance
figure cars.
Package is on another level; I have never experienced a street car that delivers
The easy answer: any 1956–57 Corvette, because all used the same underthe lateral g’s of this car. And finally, the braking points are the same as I’d be
pinnings as the SR-2. Short of Sharknado-ing the nose and glassing on a tailfin
looking at in a race car. At Road Atlanta, right out of the box this car would take
(please don’t), adding the same high-performance tweaks the SR-2 received
the pole in the IMSA Continental series.”
will create much the same driving flavor as this hallowed hall-of-famer.
Works for me.
4
Collector Car Insider
John Hollansworth Jr., courtesy of Mecum Auctions
t’s kind of fun watching seven-figure numbers
flash onto the monitors for a rare Corvette at a
car auction. They validate our love of these cars,
provide reassurance that the hobby is healthy, and
sometimes — if we’ve chosen our stable wisely
and well — promise future profits.
On the other hand, for many of us, those same
numbers can be sobering, as they represent the
cruise ship steaming away from us while we’re
standing onshore. Not only are we not on board
today, we ain’t going to be on board in this lifetime.
The ship on the really unique Corvettes, compadre,
has truly sailed.
And so with every thousand, ten thousand,
hundred thousand, or million-dollar advance in
values, the chances of ever owning the dream cars
we’ve held in our heads since childhood increasingly become just that — a dream. See you later,
1963 Grand Sport. Goodbye, 1967 L88. It was good
meeting you, SR-2.
So what to do? All Corvettes were built to drive,
and so I figure the healthiest therapy is to hook up
with an alternative that offers the same basic driving experience. Please note I’m emphatically not
promoting building clones here, but rather suggesting that much of the same driving experience of
the Greatest Generation of Corvettes can be had
at a price most can afford. So herewith, hereupon,
whereof and wherefore, here’s my mad-hatter surrogate list for some of the greatest Corvettes in
history that most of us, sniff, won’t ever have.
by Paul Morrissette
W
hen you think back of teenagers cruising down a boulevard in
their muscle cars on a summer night, you might think about Santa
Monica, Hollywood or South Beach. Howard Cohen, a Corvette
collector who grew up in Brooklyn, is quick to point out that the streets of his
borough thrived with a similar car culture a few decades ago.
“Coney Island Avenue in 1980 could have been a scene out of ‘American
Graffiti,’” recalls Cohen, “though you would be more likely to see a Camaro
or an RX-7 than a ’57 Thunderbird.”
Cohen grew up obsessed with motorcycles and cars just a few blocks
away from the world-famous beach at Coney Island. He remembers wandering through the Kinney Chevrolet parking lot after school, dreaming that he
would find a way to buy a Corvette when he became a licensed driver.
“I even tried to convince my dad to choose a Corvette as his company
car,” said Cohen. “I figured he could just buy something else to drive every
day, while I used the company Corvette.”
While that clever plan didn’t work out, his dad did help Howard and his
brother acquire a 1979 Camaro RS that they could share. While the Camaro
gave the teenagers credibility on the weekend cruising circuit, it didn’t
quench Howard’s thirst for a more powerful Chevy. After a lucrative summer
running a concession business on the Coney Island Boardwalk, he fulfilled
his dream by purchasing a red 1982 Corvette, just a few months before Prince
would release his huge hit single about America’s most iconic sports car.
The ’82 model would become the first of over 20 Corvettes that Cohen
would acquire over the next three decades. The crown jewel of his collection is a 1969 black L88 coupe with the original engine and paint. The L88
designation represents a limited-production factory option that made the car
unbeatable on the race track. Two-hundred-sixteen were produced from 1967
to ’69. Cohen’s L88 is one of six black coupes built for 1969, and its originality makes it even more unique given the amount of track time that most L88s
experienced.
“Now that I’m focused on collecting important Corvettes, provenance has
become very important to me,” says Cohen. “I was able to track down the
original owner of my L88, and I’ve enjoyed hearing his experiences with the
car. Learning about the history of this very special L88 has been fascinating.”
Cohen’s L88 could achieve even greater fame at Bloomington Gold in
Indianapolis later this month. In addition to serving as a huge festival for
Corvette fans, Bloomington Gold certifies the originality of cars with a level
of scrutiny that is the ultimate test for a Corvette and its owner.
Cohen has been coming to Bloomington Gold for several years, and always looks forward to spending time with fellow Corvette fans. “I love it,”
says Cohen. “You get to meet the most passionate people, and I always learn
something new. The journey of being a Corvette collector wouldn’t be the
same without the people I’ve interacted with at Bloomington Gold.”
Cohen points out that the all-original L88 being exhibited at Bloomington
Gold is actually not the most untouchable car in his collection. “I have one
of the last 4-speed C3 models, a black 1981 car, and I’ll never part with it.”
What makes this car so special to Cohen? Does the ’81 Corvette take him
back to his days on Coney Island Avenue, when Styx and The Police would
blast from his cassette deck? Perhaps it’s the regional and national recognition the car has earned.
“Maybe so,” says Cohen, “but the car was built on my birthday. It was
meant to be mine back when I couldn’t afford one.”
Howard Cohen is just one of the thousands of Corvette collectors that you
can meet at Bloomington Gold every June. He is a credit to the hobby, and
spends an enormous amount of time preserving the history of his Corvettes.
The team at Chubb is proud to call Howard a friend and a client.
Collector Car Insider
5
The Cumberford Perspective
1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special Motorama
Concept Car
Market Analysis
1967 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro
By Robert Cumberford
by Tom Glatch
Considering that a factory 396 Camaro was over 1.5 seconds and 9 mph slower,
the Yenko Super Camaro made sense for anyone with the need for extreme speed
4
3
I
remember seeing this car at the
GM Tech Center in 1955. It was
an impressively futuristic shape
covering a side-valve engine
from the dark ages. It was so outrageously inappropriate that it made
the coterie of very young Southern
California hot-rod-inspired stylists
working there laugh out loud.
But we all really admired the
clever twin application of Pontiac’s
trademark “silver streak” that Frank
Hershey had first applied in 1935.
The Alfa Romeo and Miller racerlike “surface radiators,” or “blower
housings” (take your pick, as they
were strictly non-functional), on the
front fender sides impressed us as
well.
The jet fighter canopy was strictly
modern then and would actually
look good on a new sports car today.
Seriously outdated exposed spare
wheels were at that time powerfully
popular indicators of sportiness. In
this application, the perpendicular
placement also suggested a rocket
or jet exhaust outlet. The rear fender
tips were a bit fin-like, but they also
recalled the “suitcase” fenders GM
had espoused in the late 1930s. To
my eye, educated during 60 years
of subsequent automotive evolution,
the fenders’ rounded bumps over the
wheels evoke recent Le Mans cars,
although in this case the driver can
see over them, as Audi, Toyota and
Porsche drivers cannot.
After spending more than $3
million, the new owner will want to
preserve his car, and not yield to our
cry in 1955: “Put a Chevy in it!”
5
2
Chip Riegel, courtesy of Gooding & Company
1
Cou
rtesy
of B
6
arre
tt-Ja
ckso
n Au
ction
Com
pany
FRONT 3/4 VIEW
1 These form-following bumperettes are surprisingly subtle for midcentury GM and fit nicely with six
smaller ones on the lower inlet lip.
6 Who doesn’t like the look of these
panels, even if they’re only decoration?
no doubt inspired by Bonneville
record cars of the time.
REAR 3/4 VIEW
11 The sill is dead-straight, with a
single curve rolling under. It would
never happen today, unfortunately.
Sometimes severe simplicity is the
single best solution.
7 These elements also make one think
of rocket exhausts. The whole graphic
composition of the rear is very straightforward — not very “Motorama.”
2 In this application, the silver
streaks evoke memories of Schneider
Trophy racing seaplanes in the 1930s.
12 The pitiful little exhaust outlets
8 The plain brutality of this big tire
3 These understated little scoops
cover with the jet-engine detailing of
the wheel is surprisingly apposite for
this car, which represents great styling.
Not design — styling.
swallow the streaks and presumably
ventilate the no-doubt sweltering
cockpit.
4 The canopy is utterly timeless,
simple, clean and a worthy place for a
wraparound windshield.
9 The four fender bumps, derived directly from the round wheel openings,
are very simple. And very effective.
5 The term “suitcase fender” becomes abundantly clear in this view.
10 As is the pure-radius fender profile,
9
10
8
7
11
give us a perception of the power
that could be extracted from that
hulking iron L-head straight eight
and its five carburetors — as many
as would fit in the length of the
engine, I guess.
INTERIOR VIEW
“Jazzy but essentially useless”
just about perfectly describes the
Bonneville’s “sports car” cockpit.
The speedometer is front and center,
and everything else scattered across
the panel is hard to read. If there is a
tiny tach, it doesn’t matter, because
you don’t need one with an old
Hydramatic transmission. Harley
Earl loved thin-rim steering wheels,
so this must have really appealed to
him, as did the “aircraft” gauges.
SOLD!
This car, Lot 146, sold for $357,500, including buyer’s premium, at
the Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 17,
2015.
Don Yenko was truly a Renaissance man. He possessed a 140 IQ, was an
accomplished sculptor and jazz pianist, and learned to fly at age 16. He also
served in the Air Force as a meteorologist, then earned a degree in Business
Administration from Penn State University, where he was president of the
school’s debate club. But it wasn’t until he was 30 years old that Don Yenko
returned to his father’s business, Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, PA, and
began to make history.
First came SCCA A-Production national championships in 1961 and 1962
racing Corvettes. Then, after he “got tired of looking at the rear bumper of
Mark Donohue’s Mustang,” he developed the “Yenko Stinger” Corvair.
In an interview that took place just weeks before he was killed in a crash
while landing in his Cessna 210, Yenko told Muscle Car Review magazine, “I
was racing when Carroll Shelby came out with his cars. I was pretty much a
GM devotee as well as a Chevrolet dealer, so I got to thinking I’d like to be
Shelby’s counterpart in Chevrolet.” During 1966 and 1967, Yenko built about
185 of the modified Corvairs, which dominated D-Production racing for many
years. But with the introduction of Chevy’s Mustang fighter, the 1967 Camaro,
Don Yenko could now battle his friend Carroll Shelby on his own turf.
The Yenko treatment
More than 220,000 Camaros were produced that first year, but just 54 received the Yenko treatment. When introduced, the Camaro’s top powerplant
was the 295-hp 350 V8, while the 325-hp 396 big-block V8 was available after
November ’66. Working with famed drag racer Dick Harrell, Yenko developed
a 427 conversion package for the Camaro.
Whether a 350 or 396 car, Yenko replaced the original engine with a
427-ci L72 crate engine — the same
fabled powerplant optional on the
Details
1966 Corvette. The L72 was originally Year produced: 1967
Number produced: 54
rated at a staggering 450 hp and is
Original list price: $4,115.20
considered by some to be the most powCurrent ACC Valuation: $300,000–$350,000
erful Corvette engine from the ’60s,
Tune-up/major service: $250
although by October 1966 the engine
Distributor cap: $22.58
VIN location: Driver’s side door pillar
was downgraded to 425 hp, probably
Engine # location: Pad on the right side of the
to placate the insurance companies.
block to the rear of the engine mount
Dyno tests reveal the 450-hp number
Club: The Supercar Registry
More: www.yenko.net
was probably correct. With this much
Alternatives: 1967 Shelby GT 500, 1967 Nickey 427
power on tap, Yenko also upgraded the
Camaro, 1968 Baldwin-Motion Phase III Camaro
suspension and brakes to match, and
ACC Investment Grade: A
added his own styling touches, such as
Yenko graphics and the unique fiberglass “stinger” hood.
So how fast was Yenko’s missile? We have a pretty good idea. A Chevrolet
engineer, Doug Roe, invited Car Life magazine to take his 427 Camaro development car for a blast. “That’s my pet,” Roe said. Why would a Chevy engineer
build such a beast when corporate edicts prevented them from ever manufacturing one? “We want to keep abreast of what some of our customers are doing,” he
told the magazine. Those customers with reputations for performance included
Dana Chevrolet in Los Angeles, Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, Berger Chevrolet
in Michigan, and of course, Yenko Chevrolet. With 4.88:1 gears, headers, open
exhaust, and Goodyear slicks, Roe was able to crack a 13.5 second quarter at
around 100 mph, and thought he could get in the 12s with a little work.
ringing the bell
So what price glory? Yenko documents show our feature Camaro cost
$4,115.20 — over $1,330 more than a basic SS 350. To put it in perspective, a
new VW Beetle cost $1,758 in 1967. Also, since this was a dealer conversion,
the factory warranty was null and void. “In 1967 and 1968, I had to cover the
cars with my own warranty, with no backing from the factory at all,” Yenko
told Muscle Car Review. Considering that a factory 396 Camaro was over 1.5
seconds and 9 mph slower, the Yenko Super Camaro made sense for anyone
with the need for extreme speed.
It’s believed that just 10 of the 54 Yenko Camaros built in 1967 still exist.
That makes them exceedingly rare, yet there have been a few sales in recent
years. In March of 2013, Gooding & Co. sold one for $350,000 (ACC# 215565),
and Mecum sold another for $344,500 in May of 2012 (ACC# 210882).
Before the Great Recession, ’67 Yenkos were selling for about the same price
— I think their rarity and performance potential has helped keep them stable in
the market. But a few Nickey Chevrolet 427 conversions built in 1967 have sold
for as much as $90k more, which seems odd as I would think the Yenko name
and reputation should at least be on a par with Nickey’s. Still, the sale of this
Yenko Super Camaro is right on the money in today’s market compared with the
previous sales we’ve seen, and both the seller and buyer should be very happy
with the result.
12
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