New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

From Bob McClurg


<font color="red"> HELP, HELP, HELP!

Did I remember to say “HELP?” Progress on my new book ‘YENKO, THE MAN, THE MACHINES, THE LEGEND” (Car Tech, Inc.) is coming along just fine, and a lot of SYC members cars will be in this 10x10-inch hardbound coffee table book, scheduled to be released around Christmas, 2009. HOWEVER, I AM HAVING TREMENDOUS DIFFICULTY FINDING TOP QUALITY, 1ST GENERATION YENKO HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS to publish. Most of the material I have been receiving from SYC members has been 2nd or 3rd generation stuff, and, as appreciative as I am, (due to poor quality issues,) some of it will just not do. So… I am sending out this plea to all SYC members to share their prized Yenko historical photographs with me. Any photos I use will be credited to the owner and for you hard cases out there who feel you need to be compensated for your efforts, well, if your prices are reasonable, I think we can work something out! Please, PLEASE bring any and all historical Yenko photographs with you to the upcoming SYC SUPER CAR REUNION at St. Louis, MO/Collinsville, Ill. Labor Day Weekend, and we’ll sit down after the Friday evening banquet, and work the logistics out. PLEASE REMEMBER, this book is dedicated to not only the life and times of Don Yenko, but also to all those many Yenko Sports Car Club fans. THAT MEANS YOU! Contact info: Bob McClurg, 4845 Sancola Avenue, No. Hollywood, CA. 91601, (818) 554-3866, [email protected].
</font>

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Tom, is Bob going to have yourself or someone like Brian Henderson look over this book before it goes to press? I think doing that would be really importiant. The last thing you want is importiant facts and such to end up incorrect with the sYc's name anywhere in that book. I have been involved in contributing to a few books like this concerning different subjects and mistakes could be made. Bob just writes and articles and books, you guys are the ones with the knowledge and material (whether that be cars or photographs).

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Simply because an automotive writer "just writes articles and books" does not mean they are not well researched and documented. Many automotive writers painstakingly research their work and take alot of pride in their research. Many automotive writers while they may not restore cars for a living are experts as well and have been involved in the hobby for decades documenting the history of these cars.

That being said some writers in all fields can give the good ones bad names for bad research. A sweeping generalization that people who "just write articles and books" can't do adequate independent research is unfair in my opinion.

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Les, I really don't think Frankie was trying to undermine anyone. You can be the best heart surgeon on earth, The guy who "wrote the book on heart surgery" still confers with others. I would be sitting all those guys down...Marlin, Brian, Joe Barr, Warren D. etc. etc!! Not everything was put on paper. There is something to be said about the people that leaned on these cars when new. First hand info. Nothing at all against the author but I agree with Frankie. JMO sam

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Who said the author wasn't going to confer with others? It seems to me that Frank inferred that the author of the new Yenko book wasn't going to do his homework and that other automotive writers follow suit.

Most of the automotive writers I know personally bust their butts for accuracy? Leffingwell and Newhardt made several trips to interview Carroll Shelby a couple of years ago and dug up new information even though the Shelby story had been told time and time again.

Recently Colin wrote an article for SCM about the Viper and he worked like a dog to get accurate background information when he could have simply gone with the standard magazine background stuff. Not to mention he worked for nearly a year on the content of his book when he could have just used the old standard stuff available. Like anything else their are hard working guys in any field who take pride in their work. I think we should give someone the benefit of the doubt that they are going to do their homework and not infer that because they don't restore cars for a living they can't or won't get the accurate content?

It wasn't my intention to flame Frank I just think we can agree that some automotive writers who write automotive articles and books care deeply about their work and some don't? This particular author writing the Yenko book seems to be trying to get his facts right and has certainly come to the right forum to do that? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/wink.gif

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Les,

No disrespect to automotive authors intended. I just feel that in this particuliar case special care needs to be taken to insure that the historical facts presented in this book should be just that. Facts. Les, I will PM you more. No need to drag this out as a negative thing in public, as I did not intend for that to happen.

Just for the hell of it I feel I should say this. I urged Joey Barr a long time ago that if there were someone that should "write the book" so to speak on Don Yenko and Yenko Sportscars, it should be him. First off, he has the educational background and creative writing ability to actually write it, as well as an unmatched treasure trove of mostly never before seen original Yenko related photographs and material. Not to mention the historical and other knowledge required for such an undertaking. With contributions by people such as Brian Henderson and Marlin Spotts I would imagine that a book like that could be the ultimate Yenko story.

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

No disrepect taken Frank and I too know how careless automotive journalism can be catastrophic to a cars history and subsequent value. I was simply trying to say we should take each writer on a case by case basis or person by person basis as opposed to a general statement to all the automotive writers who write books and articles.

Clearly we should hold automotive writers accountable for their "facts" because with the value of these cars today inaccurate facts can be an enormous problem. People seem to think if they see it in print it has to be true and more often then not muscle magazine articles and books are laced with inaccuracies. I collect old muscle car mags as a hobby and some of the articles are just hilarious in regard to their inaccurate information. I think we are on the same page in that we both strongly agree automotive writers have a responsibilty to their readers to check and double check their facts.

Unfortunately rarely do the expert restorers like Brian write books or give away the secrets of their trade. I have never met Bob and can't remember any of his work but just wanted to clarify that many automotive writers do work very very hard to do a good job and research their work as much as writers in other fields, perhaps better?

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Les, I do not think Frank was being judgemental just stating the facts. I don't care who the writer is, I think it would always be a positive thing to have someone proof their articles before they are submitted for accuracy ESPECIALLY when it pertains to a particular car or in this case a time in history. Then at the very least, that owner should at least read the rough draft before it goes to ink. As far as the Yenko history goes, I seriously doubt any one person knows everything about Don, his life and his cars and therefore it should be a group effort by some of the Yenko historians. Many so called facts about the assembly of these cars have been proven inaccurate over the years due to all the research and restorations that have been done thereby making a lot of the original information inaccurate.

Both Frank and I have had articles written or photos taken of cars we were involved with and both have had inaccuracies printed about them. In Franks case, I think the wrong name was applied to the car. I think that is all Frank was suggesting. Easier to fix beforehand than later. Bob is a great writer but he is not perfect. No one is.

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

Thanks Rick, well said. Les and I shared a private message and I further explained my position. All I want to see, as well as others I am sure, is the story of Don Yenko and Yenko Sportscars told truthfully and accurately without careless preventable mistakes.

Re: New Yenko book, HELP!!!
 

I have been in contact with Bob on this project and have given him some very rare and interesting items to us in the new book. I have much , much more and am putting together another package for his book. Bob is also interested in photographing lots of different Yenko sold cars we have restored. I will be proofing this book as it gets further on down the line. I agree that no single person will be able to relay the entire story, it will take a group effort...BKH https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif