Unconverted Yenko Nova Is an Incredibly Rare Find
Hot Rod uncovers the only automatic transmission-equipped, one-owner, one-of-three unconverted Yenko Novas in existence!
Everybody and their second cousin first removed has heard of the legendary Yenko Nova. Racecar driver and speed demon Don Yenko is responsible for building it, along with a host of other high-performance models that quite literally blew away anything and everything in their heyday.
Interested customers could either order their own cars and have them modified by Yenko, or simply buy parts and do it themselves. Surviving relics today go for huge money, well-deserved given their performance and historical significance.
But few people know that Yenko ordered cars they never converted. This particular Yenko Nova is one of those very few. And it was recently unearthed in what seems like the barn find of the century. Now, its entire, wholly fascinating story is up for our perusal at Hot Rod.
The biggest question here is, how in the heck does something like this happen? And the answer is rather simple. It appears that Chevrolet denied Yenko’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) request to install the L72 427 in the Nova back in 1969. Bow Tie brass deemed the smaller, lighter Nova unsafe for that sort of massive power upgrade. So Yenko took matters into their own hands.
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They ordered a few stripped down SS396 L78 Novas and offered customers the “Yenko Super Car Program,” which was in essence an L72 427 swap. General consensus states that Yenko only ordered 37 such cars. With less than 30 known to exist today, Yenko documentation only shows proof of two such conversions.
Until this automatic transmission-equipped Yenko Nova emerged, most thought that all of these cars had manuals. Somehow, the original owner successfully resisted the urge to let Yenko install the L72 upgrade. Even when it needed an engine replacement.
Today, it’s the only known automatic unconverted Yenko Nova. And one of three wearing Rallye Green paint. And we’re thrilled that it’s still around to remind us of a little know slice of automotive history. Be sure and check out all the details and pictures of this incredible ride over at Hot Rod!
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