69 Yenko w/ automatic trans?

[kato]

John, where from Pa did you buy it? How long did that guy own it? That sure looks like the car! I'm a writer as well as a muscle car nut. I grew up on Chevy muscle and now own a 69 Z/28. I'd like to collect and write about the many great stories out there! I have a wackey few of my own. Even one relating to Don Yenko himself.

Thanks for the link on the info. I've absorbed all I can on-line for Yenkos. Are there any books?

[Unreal]

If you have a story on Don Yenko, you gotta share it, here. We can't wait for the book!!

[John]

You may want to check out "The 1969 Camaro Reference Book" by John Hooper. There are chapters on Baldwin Motion, Dana, Zl-1, and Yenko along with many color photos with alot of great information on just the 1969 camaro.
...The guy I bought my car from was from Beaver, Pa., but had moved to West Point Va. when I purchased the car
( 1988 )...He had titled it in July of 1970...and owned it till 1988...when I purchased it.
...So let's hear your story about Don Yenko!!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img]

[T Billigen]

John,
What is the fellow's name you bought it from? I'm from Aliquippa and may know him. I remember one orange Yenko in the area but I thought it had black stripes but my memory could be failing me! Also, is it an X-11 car? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif[/img]

[John]

His name is George Shaffer. Have you ever heard of someone named Louie Anceral? My car is an X-44 car....3B build date, was shipped to Yunker Chevrolet ( 6/2/69 ) and then was purchased back by Yenko on ( 9/3/69 )...probably because it came with "Automatic Transmission and power steering". [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[T Billigen]

I don't know the owner of your car but I sure know Louie Ancrile! I met him in 1965, he came to Eat N Park in Aliquippa to race my 65 442. He had a dark blue 64 Plymouth 426 convertible. We went to the Aliquippa boulevard and ran for 20.00. I beat him by about two car lengths. I remember taking his 20 and going to the show and treating my two buddies to see a James Bond picture. Four years later he wanted to run again. He had just spent 2500.00 in a complete blue print and balance of the same engine in the same car. Larry Wynn did the work. (Larry's Speed Shop) in Beaver. We went to Newell West Virginia and raced for 200.00. He did not have a chance! I had a 68 Camaro with a L-88 engine that I had bought at Yenko Chevy. I had just bought a set of 10.5 M&Hs for the occasion. That old Camaro came out of the hole at 6 grand and that Plymouth was nowhere in site! I never seen him again after that. Unfortunately he passed away in 1993 in Las vegas. Louie was a super nice guy and a true drag racer!

[John]

T.Billigen...the guy I bought my car from said that Louie Ancrile was the original owner of my car...Louie supposedly raced /owned the car only for a short time ( 9/69 to 7- 70 ) or possibly a few months shorter then that. That is the the only reason I knew his name.....small world! I'll bet your last race with him looked like this... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/[/img]

[T Billigen]

Thats amazing! I never knew he owned a Yenko Camaro? I guess he decided that if he could not beat those Chevys, he might as well join them! One other strange thing, my brother ended up marrying his ex-wife! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/[/img]

[T Billigen]

That time frame would sound right. I think I ran him sometime in August. I know he was an "unhappy camper" after he spent all that money and could not win the race! In 1968 I almost had the chance to run a 68 Yenko Camaro. It was owned at the time by a fellow named Joe Weis from New Castle. He came to Aliquippa hunting for me but at the time I had the rearend out of the car. I did not even know what a Yenko Camaro was, I noticed the funny hood and it sounded real healthy! I know one thing, I would have had my hands full with that car! Everything that Joe owned was fast! I seen him run at New Castle many times and never seen him lose a race! Years later that car was purchased by Chuck Huber and fully restored. It was a red car with black vinyl roof. He received "The muscle car of the year award" in 1992. That was the nicest 1968 Yenko I have ever seen! I think it resides in Cliff Ernst's collection now. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/[/img]

[kato]

I'm still researching stories from the 70's. My knowledge of Don is minimal and the connection is a little strange. When I was 20 years old in 1981, I fell in love with an older woman. She was 35 at the time.
She was a sucsessful business woman that owned a hardware store and lots of property on Mt. Washington over looking the city of Pittsburgh. Maybe it was the car I was drivivng at the time that caught her eye, I don't know. It was my first Vette. Bright blue 1973, built 454 with chrome sidepipes and a 4 speed. Now before you say that there's no way it was a car that attracted her to a young stud like me,
her interest in cars and particularly Corvettes is an interesting story in itself.
When we first met, she told me she raced Corvettes in SCCA events and some other more prestigeous races. I didn't know if she was for real or not. I didn't press for information right away, but later I had to know the details.
There were many local stories of a girl running around in a blue 67 427 Vette with fender flairs, sidepipes and word was, a roller cam! Nobody had a roller cam in the 70's where I lived! Her front license plate read, 'If you beat me, you can eat me" I thought it might of been her. I asked her if it was and she just kind of smiled and made some funny sounds that kind of, well, turned me on. The subject matter was changed instantly. This happened more than once. It was a while before I seriously asked again about her past with Corvettes.
One day, I decided I had to know, and she told me.
She revealed to me that she had a long time affair with Don Yenko, and he was the guy that got her into cars and racing. She recounted the many times of flying with him and the places they would go. He must have been a busy guy!
On another end of the spectrum, my friends dad grew up in Bentlyville and knew Don & his Dad. In case you didn't know, Bentlyville is where the original Yenko Chevy dealership began. I have to get his stories as he's getting up there.
So there you are, I poked the same girl that Don Yenko did!