Don Yenko had found a real market niche for his Super Camaros by 1968. Having started his relationship with GM management via his successful sports-car racing effort, he turned his sights on offering 427 engines in the recently released Camaro. Following the COPO (Central Office Production Order) variance given while building the Yenko Stinger Corvairs, Yenko asked that special equipment be added to Camaros he ordered as part of the Yenko Super Camaro program for 1968. YS-8026 is one of those cars. Approximately 65 Yenko Super Camaros were built in 1968, and of that group, only 11 were created with the combined deluxe RS/SS option combination that year. Originally constructed around a L78 SS396 model, the COPO 9737 “Sports Car Conversion” put a 140 MPH speedometer in the dash, added a bigger 1.69 sway bar, and installed better cooling components and tires on the car right on the assembly line. Yenko’s mechanics then swapped in an L72 427 CI counter-exchange short-block for the line-installed L78 396, using the L78’s heads, intake and accessories. This car features its original Yenko-installed block, correct Winters cast- aluminum intake manifold, and the M21 4-speed transmission behind that. Unlike many stripped-down 1969 COPO 9761 Camaros, this rare combination RS/SS has style to spare, with Matador Red paint, a black interior with matched black vinyl top and striping, front and rear spoilers, Yenko’s unique twin-scoop fiberglass hood and Yenko’s special Pontiac Rally II wheels with Yenko center caps. Power steering and power front disc brakes are here, as are the 140 MPH speedometer, Yenko-installed Stewart Warner tach and optional gauges, and Delco AM radio. Traction bars complete the look of “supercar,” and Yenko and 427 badging are prominently placed on the body. It was originally delivered on July 1, 1968, to Yenko Chevrolet then reassigned to Roger Budd Chevrolet in Valdosta, Georgia. Selling to its first owner, Tommie West in Moultrie, Georgia, soon afterward, a complete ownership history from 1968 through the present is with the car. It came to the Gary Holub collection from Cliff Ernst in 2006 and had only one prior owner back though 1983 when it entered the collector’s market, creating exceptional exclusivity in that regard. Other paperwork and COPO Connection verification materials will be included in this sale, and the Magic Mirror/ Detroit, Michigan, trim tag and Yenko YS-8026 identification plate remain intact. The 1968 Yenko conversions are among the most desirable supercars from the era and more sought-after than the 1969 COPO Yenkos due to their far less production total and the Yenko dealership engine conversion. Coupled with its RS equipment, beautiful condition, solid history and investment- grade possibilities, the sale of YS-8026 will be a highlight of this event and an automotive dream come true for its next caretaker.
