'73 Yenko Camaro

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Comments??
Marlin

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

'70 454 engined Yenko cars? Anybody ever heard of any??
Marlin

[bowtie3168]

Marlin,
Thank you for bringing up this topic. I have always wondered what Don Yenko did in the interim years (1971-1981). I would think that there must have been some "super-tuning" going on. Has anyone ever located or heard anything on a "Stormer Z28"? That is a very interesting concept.

Andrew

[JoeC]

By 1970 the cost of insurance on the big block Supercars was very high. That may have contributed to the cancellation of the 1970 454 Yenko Camaro. May be why Don called the LT-1 70 Nova his insurance beater. The 1970 Camaro was released later in the year and that may have been another factor. There probably wasn't much of a market for a 1970 Yenko Chevelle with the release of the 70 LS6 Chevelle.
In 1971 the DOT and NHTSA was cracking down on exhaust emissions and safety standards but Yenko was working on a COPO 400cu.in. small block Camaro with a 350hp hyd cam and LT1 intake and Holley. A prototype of this car was tested in Car Craft Magazine. This 71 Yenko Camaro was also a no show.
I have been looking for information on the Yenko Stinger Vega. According to one article, Yenko sold the Vega as a non turbo in 1971 and sold the turbo kit over the parts counter. He was trying to build the 1972 Stinger Vega as a COPO car with special pistons for the turbo and other parts but may have had problems getting it past emission testing. Adding to the Vega confusion is the ad for Group 7 Filters sweepstakes with first prize listed as a 1973 Vega Yenko Turbo Stinger.
I don't know what to think of that document on the 1973 Yenko Camaro. It doesn't even look like a street legal car in the picture.

This is a clip from "Agent 1320 Reports" in Dec 69 Super Stock Magazine.

The "little guy in Pennsylvania" I guess would be Bill Jenkins?

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

MikeA;
Span Inc. was the distributor of the Yenko SportsCars for '67, '68 and possibly '73. Span Inc. received a commission for selling these cars, which was recorded on Yenko's Inventory Sheets. Some of us feel that Yenko kept Inventory Sheets in '67 & '68 just to keep track of the commissions payable to Span Inc.

The sheet does say 'DRAFT', but we are not sure if any revised editions or actual cars exist.
Marlin

[JoeC]

Span Inc. was also involved with Yenko on sales and distribution of the 66-67 Yenko Stinger Corvairs. From what I have read, Span was a one man company - Jim Spencer. He went around the country organizing the Yenko Dealers network. Jim also raced a Stinger and was a Lotus distributor. He also worked for Yenko in 69 but may not have used the Span name. The "JS" initials are listed on the 1969 Yenko inventory sheets in the "sold by" column on some cars.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

JoeC;
You are correct regarding James Spencer, he also sold a lot of the '70 Yenko Novas as his initials are also on those inventory sheets.

Spencer drove a Cortez Silver 4speed with power steering '70 Yenko Nova as a demo car, leased to Yenko SportsCars. Spencer apparently suffered a stroke or heart attack while driving the demo one day. The car struck a bridge abuttment and reportedly rolled over. Spencer survived, but the car did not. A Gobi Beige 4speed with power steering was then leased to Yenko SportsCars for Spencer's use. This car is alive and hiding in the mountains of PA, the silver car has never surfaced and is still listed as being owned by Yenko Leasing.
Marlin

[JoeC]

Nice detective work Marlin. I looked at the Stinger Corvair Registry and it shows Span Inc. as the original owner of Stinger YS# 034 and 086 and J. Spencer as original owner of Stinger YS# 038. In the CORSA magazine interview with Donna Mae, she states that Jim Spencer had a heart attack and crash while driving a Stinger but she also admits her memory isn't the best. She states that Jim died about five years later of a heart attack. An ex-Yenko employee mentioned something about a wrecked Deuce sitting behind Yenko's and also remembered Don's wife crashing one of Yenko's Corvettes.

[Mr70]

Marlin
Could the 1970 454 engined Yenko car possibly be the all Aluminum 454 engine I talk about in an earlier post here dated March 30th? Just a Different dealership may have taken Yenkos idea or their own one step further.I have that same ad in February 1970 HotCars Magazine page 9.


[Edited by mr70 (04-11-2001 at 12:14 PM).]

[MikeA]

What is or who is "Span-Inc"?

It is hard to tell without seeing the original but on top of the flyer it looks like it was stamped "Draft". Could this flyer have been a printer's proof copy and for what ever reason the car was never produced?

[Edited by MikeA (04-09-2001 at 07:28 PM).]

[Edited by MikeA (04-12-2001 at 12:25 PM).]