NNN show and SCR10 in 2007

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Due to the change in dates for SCR10, us Nova guys were in a bit of a predicament. The Nova Nationals was scheduled for the previous weekend at the Belterra Casino Resort & Spa on the Ohio river in southern Indiana. I had wanted to bring my Yenko to the Madison, IN area for many years, so I needed to attend the NNN show. The original owner of my Yenko still lives in the same area he did in ’70 just outside Madison, IN, and the second owner still lives at the same location he did when he bought & sold my Yenko in Turners Station, KY. The third owner (Cliff Ernst) lives in Nashville, and I’m the fourth owner. I always wanted to show the first and second owners their old car, and I figured here was my chance. Also, Morgan Nankivell who owned the Nankivell dealerships where my car was sold new, still lived in Shelbyville, IN, but unfortunately passed away just 8 months ago. I still keep in touch with his widow Evelyn Nankivell. So, with a very understanding wife, I made plans to attend both shows and use the few days in between to meet up with a few people. The logic was that it’s cheaper to grab a hotel room vs. driving back and forth with $3/gal gas.

I was able to meet Owner #1, (special thanks to Alan Cardo), and Owner #2, took pictures of my Yenko in front of the old dealership, and to top it off – had my picture taken with Lynn Yenko. It was a good trip, all 10 days & 2,400 miles of it!

Some pics:

Owner #1; Carl Smith in Madison, IN, 1970-1980. Carl was never too excited about the car since I first spoke to him in '96. He bought it within a few weeks of Nankivell receiving it, paid full sticker, and put 99,000+ miles on it as a daily driver. He never drag raced it, but would street race on occasion. He was interesting to talk to, but unfortunately he does not have any old photos. He took very good car of the car, taking it back to Nankivell once a year to get the lifters & shifter adjusted. He also wisely kept the original bill of sale and the POP. He recalls replacing the dual snorkel air cleaner with a chrome open element version on the way home from purchasing it on 7-31-70.

[sYc]

Cool...

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Owner #2; Dwight Garrett in Turners Station, KY, 1980-1989. Dwight was pumped when I called him in '96, and was quite excited to see his old car again. Dwight had parked the car in the 'field', but was/is very enthusiastic about it. He was waiting outside with his family, along with his parents and extended family when I pulled up. It was a really fun to hang out with him, and toss him the keys for a joy run. Dwight is still into performance cars, and has an '06 GTO in the driveway.

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Couldn't get the smile off of Dwight's face:



Even the dog got into the pics:



This is an approx. shot of where the car sat in the 'field'. Since the field pic in '89, Dwight has built a new house and regraded the lot. I assumed that the field pic was out behind his house somewhere, but it was actually next to his driveway - ie; he drove by it every day when going to work. The proximity of the main road to the field pic made it clearly visible to anyone driving down the road - which is how Cliff's driver got into a conversation with a gas attendant, and discovered the car.

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The next stop was the old Nankivell dealership which is now a Firestone store. It was really cool to walk into this old dealership, the owners were quite friendly and thought it was neat to have bit of history back in front of the store. They were taking pictures too!



The old showroom still looks the same as it did in '70, big doors to move cars in & out, small window with a neon 'cashier' sign, original neon in the store front windows (non-working, and not-for-sale). The best part was the neon CHEVROLET on the ceiling of the showroom - also not for sale

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The finale of course is SCR10, and a pic with Lynn Yenko:



Not to mention a 13.50 at 104+mph

[Allen]

Marlin,
You're welcome! I was happy to help and glad you were able to hook up with Carl.

=====
I didn't get to make the Supercar show, but had a great time at the Nova show. Aside from the fun of getting to cruise my newly restored ride (Thanks Ken and crew!) around the Kentucky Speedway and see some Nova folks again along with meeting some new ones from Steve's Nova site, Marlin made the best part of my weekend.

We chatted for a bit about Novas and Yenko Deuces (of course!), and then I got to take a ride in his car. Partway through the ride, Marlin offered me a chance to DRIVE it myself. Not hesitating nor giving him a chance to change his mind, I quickly hopped into the driver's seat.

I think I wore the grin I got from rowing that Deuce through the gears several times for a whole week. It was definately the highlight of my weekend.

Thanks again Marlin!

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Allen is too nice, as we also took his L34 out for a spin. I was quite impressed with the torque from the L34, and the comfortable bucket seats - having never driven a BB or a bucket seat Nova before.

Double thanks to Allen:

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I was glad to get home after this trip, as I was seriously missing these two!

[SS427]

Marlin,
Thanks for sharing those events. Those are the things that really make this hobby worthwhile. It must have been a great week for you hooking up with all these people and the history not to mention what the previous owners got out of it. Very cool!