Original owner experience 69 Yenko camaro

[Les Quam]

I have been trying to track down all the old owners of my Yenko Camaro I purchased last summer from Dave Christenholtz. I was able to find and speak to the original owner this evening (thanks to members of this sight helping me locate another previous owner) and I thought I would share with you some of the experience's of the original owner the day he bought the Yenko.

Ed Flowers the original owner was looking for a smokin hot muscle car back in the summer of 69 he first looked at a 67 big block Vette and took a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang for a test drive. The salesman in the Mustang kept telling him to take it easy and was very nervous about Ed driving the car too fast on the test drive and Ed felt like the car was a dog. Ed then walked into Gates Chevrolet in Mishawaka Indiana where there were a couple of 69 Yenko Camaro's and a Yenko Chevelle just delivered from Yenko. The Chevy salesman let Ed take the Yenko Camaro for a test drive and encouraged Ed to test drive the car like he stole it, to show what the car was capable of! Ed bought the car on the spot noting the Camaro was substantially faster than the Ford and kept the Camaro as a second car for 7 years only driving it in the summer and was able to turn a 12.50 at 125 MPH at the strip in stock configuration. The day Ed bought the car he noticed it had Firestone tires on the Camaro but had EEs on the front and FFs on the back. Not wanting the Firestones with two different sizes he had the dealer remove them and put four goodyears on the car taken off another Yenko.

The original owner is going to send me some pictures from when the car is new and I will post them when I get them. I am also going to fly him out here and reunite him with his car at the end of March. I will post some pictures of that too. It is really neat to hear these old stories going back through each owner all the way back to 1969 just thought I would share.

[mockingbird812]

That's good stuff Les! You hit serious pay dirt. Looking forward to your vintage pictures. Hows 'bout a current photo of your Camaro.

Congratulations. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Eddie M.]

Cool Story Les http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[BBIGG BLOCK 396]

That is a great story,very cool to find and talk to a previous owner or original owner that knows the history on your car.

[njsteve]

There's nothing like original owner stories: Makes it less a car, and more a time machine.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif

[MosportGreen66]

[ QUOTE ]
There's nothing like original owner stories: Makes it less a car, and more a time machine.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

A history lesson or story book. Congrats!

[1969l78]

Great story

[P.J.]

Great story cant wait to hear more.
Finding the original owner of your car
is like icing on the cake. (chocolate)
PJ

[Xplantdad]

Too neat Les...thanks for sharing! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[John Brown]

Just to add a little more on the story of Ed Flowers' ownership of this Yenko. He would drag race the Camaro and liked to go faster. Whenever he would modify anything on the car he would go back to Gates Chevrolet and buy another original item like just the one he had modified so he could put the car back to the way it was before he changed it.

He was a really forward thinking guy. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif

[Les Quam]

How do you post a picture onto this thread Ed sent me some old photos we can share?

[Pat O'Connell]

That's a terrific story....Looking forward to the pics, as well!

[John Brown]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you post a picture onto this thread Ed sent me some old photos we can share?

[/ QUOTE ]

Check out this thread. It has several options.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat...e=0&fpart=1 (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB9&Number=286304&page=0 &fpart=1)

and this one

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/199732/an/0/page/0#Post199732

`

[JQ]

Awesome story..... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif looking forward to the pictures. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Xplantdad]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you post a picture onto this thread Ed sent me some old photos we can share?

[/ QUOTE ]

You can email them to me Les... [email protected]

[LT12NV]

[ QUOTE ]
was able to turn a 12.50 at 125 MPH at the strip in stock configuration.

[/ QUOTE ]

Must have been a HEAVY "ringer" http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

[Les Quam]

Correction the tires the original owner left the dealership on in June of 1969 said "Goodyear wide tread GT" on them and had NO size.

[budnate]

[ QUOTE ]
Correction the tires the original owner left the dealership on in June of 1969 said "Goodyear wide tread GT" on them and had NO size.

[/ QUOTE ]

Less I have pair of originals supposedly from '68 they do have the tire size in smaller raised lettering by the beed but not in white lettering if thats what you meen?? click on the photo bucket link and you can see what I am talking about.
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/budnate/GoodYear%20Tires/

[Chris_69_SS]

125 mph in the 1/4?....memory check please!

[Les Quam]

You know the older you get the faster you get. LOL

[Les Quam]

Possible photos from a few months after original owner bought car and made a couple of minor modifications. http://www.yenko.net/attachments/316448-tn_yenkopicturenumber14.jpg

[Les Quam]

another one? http://www.yenko.net/attachments/316448-tn_yenkopicturenumber14.jpg

[Les Quam]

Those two look suspiciously alike let me try one more time? http://www.yenko.net/attachments/316454-tn_yenkopicturenumberseven.jpg

[Les Quam]

Another one possibly? http://www.yenko.net/attachments/316455-tn_yenkopicturenumber6.jpg

[Donnie]

Les, looks like late July early Augest pics.

the pic above is your car too. has Eds plate on it 71F427

[bkhpah]

Like fingerprints the stripes on Yenko cars are always different. I have a large picture of this car on my shop wall given to me by Jim Hughs a few years ago. The fender stripes curve upward on this car, just like the early pictures shown here. Very interesting hood treatment, and great photos...BKH http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[njsteve]

Nice Mopar Six-Pack hood! I guess that's revenge for all the non-Camaros with cowl induction hoods. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Born30YrsLate]

...looks like the grill was replaced...

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

[ QUOTE ]
...looks like the grill was replaced...

[/ QUOTE ]

Must have been crushed in a head-on eh RichP?

Awesome pic's, love the hood scoop - should have been a dealer option! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[turbojet427]

Along the same subject, My dad was the second owner of a Fathom Green Yenko Camaro with Black Stripes. From what I understand it was the only one Fathom Green car with Black Stripes. He raced it through the 70's and sold it sometime in the 80's. He gave all his pictures of that car away to one of the owners when it was being restored. I saw the car a few years ago at GM carlisle and the owner at that time was going to make me copies of the pictures. Does anyone know the car and know how I can get a hold of him. Thanks

[shor]

I wonder if it was this one?
http://www.yenko.net/reunion/yenkobh.jpg

[bkhpah]

It is and I have pictures. None of the picturs I have show the car in its original colors. It was Rallye Green with Z style stripes..BKH

[Les Quam]

Side stripes have never been touched throughout the years.

[turbojet427]

Sorry, if this is getting confusing, but I have some pics of the car candy apple green, but I remember seeing some pics of the car when it was fathom green with stickers all over it and the front spoiler notched for the tow bars, etc. I remember one with my dad working under the hood with some really stupid shorts on. lol. Were those pictures with the car or am I dreaming that up.

[novarichie]

125mph is about a 10.70, so my man did have a memory lapse

[Les Quam]

The original owner most probably got faster as he got older but I have turned 125 MPH in my Vipers and still been stuck in the 12s due to my crappy launchs.

[novarichie]

yea, it is all about the 60 ft