Rare 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro Sold For Record $1.815 Million
One of the most famous Chevrolet Camaros in history is now the most valuable one.
The 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro prototype was sold at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee, Fla., event for $1,815,000, which set an all-time record for Camaros.
The Yenko Camaros were a line of cars that were specially ordered and customized by Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Pa., from 1967-1969.
Yenko utilized GM’s COPO (Central Office Production Order) program to have them outfitted with high performance equipment that wasn’t available through the normal purchasing process, which limited their availability to certain models.
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Yenko forged a semi-official collaboration with GM and the Olympic Gold car was the first one built for 1969 as a pilot to get the package sorted out.
It is specified with the COPO 9561 L72 427/425 HP V8 engine, COPO 9737 Sports Car Conversion Package and has a BE 12-bolt axle., M21 four-speed manual transmission, power brakes with front discs, Doug Thorley headers and Yenko graphics.
The car was featured in all of the major drag racing magazines and the 1969 Yenko Camaro promotional materials. It still retains its original factory-installed engine, which was good for a 11.94-second quarter-mile on drag strips during a Super Stock and Drag Illustrated test in 1969.
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A total of 201 Yenko Camaros were sold in 1969, but 25 were built by Jack Douglass Chevrolet in Chicago. They typically sell in the $250,000 to $450,000 range, but the pilot car stood out at the Mecum event, where it went for a high bid of $1,650,000, which led to a sale price of $1,815,000 after fees were added.
That blew away the old Camaro auction record, which was set at $1,094,500 in 2020 by one of the 69 1969 Camaro ZL1 COPOs that wasn’t a Yenko car.
The Camaro wasn’t the only hot Yenko in Kissimmee, either. A 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova with a similar drivetrain and setup that’s one of about 10 known survivors went for $852,500, which was more than twice what its expected value was before the event.