No, not the Thunderbird! If you look closely, the Yenko is on the right, buried under an engine and all of its parts!
Just when you think that there aren’t any more barn finds to be discovered, another one shows up. We’re sure that’s what Rick Nelson and his fiancé, Annie Hartweg were thinking when they came upon a complete, albeit in pieces, one-owner 1969 Yenko/SC Chevelle, in Louisville, KY. Rick is the owner of Muscle Car Restoration and Design in Pleasant Plains, Illinois and has seen his share of barn finds from customers, however, no one could prepare him for what was about to happen, as described by an article in MSNAutos.
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With the original owner recently passed away, Shannon, a family member contacted Rick about finding a buyer for the beast. Rick told Shannon that he thinks he knows someone who might be interested. However, that was until Rick told Annie about the car, who quickly reminded him in her own unique way (you have to read the story), that he’s the one who should buy it! Thus, a deal was struck, and the Yenko made its way to Muscle Car Restoration and Design for a full restoration. However, this wasn’t going to be the easiest type of restoration, as even though all of the original parts were there, and the Chevelle has only 19,000 miles, they were 19,000 hard, tough miles that ended up in an alleged theft and a run-in with a tree.
No one can say for sure what really happened, because the owner had admittedly been drinking that night. Nevertheless, the Chevelle was returned home two weeks later with some front end damage. The front end was stripped away, and that’s where it sat until it was unearthed by Rick and his crew.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Yenko/SC Chevelle, the Yenko Super Cars were the brain child of Don Yenko, of Yenko Chevrolet. He had built his own version of Camaro since 1967, and 1969 marked the first and only year there were Yenko Chevelles. They began life as a Central Office Production Order (COPO) cars, where the factory 396 was supplanted by an L72 427. Many other options were included, but not limited to an M-21 4-speed trans, front disc brakes and the F41 heavy-duty suspension. Power was put to the ground through a 4.10-geared 12-bolt rearend.
There were 99 Yenko/SC Chevelles built, and a little less than 40 are known to exist today. Of the original 99, 12 were Garnet red, as is this Chevelle—making it pretty rare. We can’t wait to see the finished product from Rick and his crew, and we’re extremely happy that he listened to his fiancé!
Living in Richmond, Texas, PJ Rentie has been in the automotive industry for more than 30 years. This former Assistant Editor at Vette Magazine also spent time with companies like NOS, Edelbrock, Hillbank Motorsports, Classic Industries, and was an automotive instructor for Cypress College for ten years. In his spare time, PJ hopes to one day bring his Fox Body Mustang out of the back yard and back onto the street!
