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...I had thought that because the '69 Yenko Camaros were the only factory 427 cars that would help balance out with the rarity of '67 and '68 which were engine transplant cars...
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Fred, and my opinion was always just the opposite. The fact that '67 and '68 Y Camaros were actually converted at Yenko, by Yenko techs, and were a true dealer-built Supercar is what makes them more desirable than a Chevy-built '69 to me. Especially when a '69 Y Camaro is a decal and trim addition only to a COPO 427 car, yes, it is cool to have a factory installed motor in your Yenko but knowing that anybody in 1969 could walk into any Chevy dealer (not just Yenko) and buy essentially the same car takes away some of the uniqueness and special nature of the 67/68 cars.
In the case of the '68 cars, while I am not in general a huge fan of 68 Camaro (or many other 68 cars for that matter, seemed to be an off year in Detriot!), to me the 68 Yenko is a very special animal. It is the last year that Yenko actually built cars at Yenko Chevrolet (ie, converted them in the shop) but it is also the first year they used a special COPO package built by Chevy for Yenko on these cars. So you have a Chevy COPO L78 with a Yenko-installed 427 CE shortblock. Not a complete motor swap, just the basement
Plus, as Joe pointed out, the cool 68 only "67 Shelby" style hood, 68 only Pontiac Rally II wheels, and the lowest production numbers of all 3 years with 64 cars built.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love 69 Yenko Camaros as well and have owned a good number of them. And I sure as heck would love to own another and to add a '67 to the mix if I could find a good one with good paper. But there is a really good reason I have kept my '68 - I just think they are the most unique of all 3 years, the lowest # built, and I really like the COPO+Yenko build. And, being a Pontiac/Shelby guy the wheels and the hood make me feel like I am not cheating
As far as the eBay car....even a $100k resto won't bring back all the original stuff that is missing or replace the factory VIN tags. And I highly doubt you could properly restore that car with correct (replacement) components and all the unique '68 stuff for anywhere near $100k. I spent almost $100k freshening my car and it was a Camaro Nats Gold Concours winner in the late-1990's. For example, I had to buy 3 NOS SW 990 tach senders just to get one dated 3/68...let's not even talk about finding the right NOS smog or early '68 JA-code 14" Pontiac Rally II wheels with good lug holes! I think it took me 15 wheels to get 5 good ones.
I'm guessing the eBay car can't be bought for much under $200k, add to that maybe $150k in resto and parts, and somebody would have an awesome 68 in a great color - but always with the story on the VIN and lots of repo/replacement parts. Still, might be worth it for somebody that really wants a 68. Looks like a pretty solid old body.
Colin