Lucas Bell 
When it comes to the classic Chevrolet Camaro, there is perhaps no name more revered than Don Yenko. The racing driver turned car dealer is responsible for building some of the rarest and most valuable first gen Camaros at his family’s Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Only 201 examples were built for the 1969 model year, and now thanks to Mecum Auctions, you have a chance to take home your very own “Double COPO” Yenko Camaro.
This Rally Green 1969 Yenko Camaro is number YS 9561, and is slated to be offered at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction from January 7-16th. This particular year marked the first time that a Yenko was built using the COPO system within Chevrolet, as the dealer previously completed big block engine swaps independently starting in 1967. Once the COPO system was opened up to the Camaro however, it was economically advantageous to have General Motors handle the heavy lifting and potential warranty claims.
In order to further differentiate his builds from other dealer-ordered COPO Camaros, Yenko famously ordered “Double COPO” cars. All of his 1969 cars were ordered with the COPO 9561 order code, which ditched the 396 cubic-inch V8 for the 425 horsepower L72 427 cubic-inch V8. This batch of Yenko Camaro models also received the COPO 9737 order code, known as the Sports Car Conversion. This package brought 15-inch Rally wheels, wide tread tires, an upgraded sway bar, as well as a 140 mph speedometer. The dealership would further upgrade the chassis with heavy-duty suspension and power disc brakes to round out the platform.
Like most Yenko Camaros, this Rally Green example features a close-ratio Muncie M21 four-speed manual gearbox. Power is fed to the real wheels via a 4.10-geared 12-bolt rear end with Positraction. This particular example has seen a few upgrades, including a 800 CFM Holley carburetor and high-rise intake manifold stuck onto its L72 V8. That’s not gonna hurt the value too much however, as the car has been certified by the COPO Connection and Camaro Hi-Performance.
If you love muscle cars like us, this is the sort of thing that you dream of owning. The car looks incredible in this shade of green, and is a genuine part of American automotive history. For that reason we already know that it is not going to be cheap, like every other Yenko out there. With only 306 miles on the odometer, this one could be quite expensive indeed.
