Yeah, we know. You’re thinking, “Great, another ’69 Camaro.” (whether with or without the sarcasm is your choice) We’d like to argue that this wannabe Yenko is much more than just some big-dollar build by some soulless collector. This cool F-Body was the result of some serious passion. The brainchild of Michael Slone, we chatted with Mike and got the 411:
“I’ve always loved the ’69 Camaro. I came home from the hospital in a ’69 SS Camaro. My dad was a gearhead and had numerous muscle cars throughout my childhood but the Camaro was always my favorite. I always wanted a ’69 but the prices were just so high.
“Then in 2009, I got an opportunity to buy a ’69 Camaro that was undergoing a restoration when the market crashed. The owner needed out of the project so I bought it. The car’s full frame-off restoration was almost completed, all of it was done with the exception of the drivetrain and some interior parts. Since it was going to be a Yenko clone, I wanted to keep it close to what a Yenko was.
“We put a 12-bolt 4.10 posi rearend in and matted it to a M21 close-ratio Muncie 4-speed transmission. After lots of research, I decided to go with Blueprint’s 496 BBC. It just made sense to me; they used really good components and dyno’ed every engine. I know it’s not a 427…it’s better! And a with a couple valve cover and air cleaner decals, no one is ever the wiser. I worked with Dru and the Team and they delivered exactly what they promised and more, it actually made more horsepower than advertised!
“The Camaro draws a lot of attention and wins every show I enter. The car is a real time machine that instantly takes me back to a simpler time in life when I was a little kid at a stoplight feeling the big block vibrate through the seats.”