Donald "Don" Frank Yenko (May 27, 1927March 5, 1987) was an American car dealer and

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

best known for creating the

Yenko Camaro The Yenko Super Camaro was a modified Chevrolet Camaro prepared by Yenko Chevrolet, developed by the dealership owner and racer, Don Yenko. Background When the Camaro debuted, a General Motors corporate edict prevented it from carrying an engin ...

, a high-performance version of the

Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro ...

Biography

Early life

Yenko grew up in

Bentleyville, Pennsylvania Bentleyville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and has been part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area since 1950. The population was 2,349 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Bentleyville has been in o ...

. He learned to fly an airplane at age 16 and went on to serve in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, before attending the Pennsylvania State University. While a student at Penn State, Yenko started the school's first flying club, was president of the debating club, and a member of the

Kappa Delta Rho Kappa Delta Rho (), commonly known as KDR, is an American college social fraternity, with 84 chapters (35 of which are active) spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Kappa Delta Rho's open motto is "' ...

fraternity.

Career

In the 1950s and 1970s, Yenko gained international acclaim for racing Corvettes in regional races as well as prestigious endurance contests including

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

. He was a four-time Sports Car Club of America national driving champion. In 1957, Yenko set up a performance shop for Chevrolet vehicles at the family's Chevrolet dealership in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town lies in a rich coal distr ...

. The customers could either order high performance parts or have their car modified by Yenko's mechanics. The first popular aftermarket car made by Yenko came in 1965, in the form of a modified version of the

Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...

. Named "The Stinger", these Corvairs were modified with a variety of different body accessories, engine upgrades that produced outputs of up to 240 hp, as well as upgrades in steering, transmissions, suspension, and positraction differentials. A total of 185 Stingers are believed to have been built between 1965 and 1967. In 1967, when Chevrolet began selling the

Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

, Yenko began to modify SS Camaros by replacing the original L-78 396 in³ (6.5 L) engine with a

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctiv ...

's L-72 427 in³ (7.0 L) and upgrade the rear axle and suspensions. He also modified other Chevrolet vehicles like Chevelle and Nova by fitting them with L-72 engines. This limited series of cars sometimes began to take the name "sYc" (standing for Yenko Super Car), after the graphics found on the hoods and head rests. The 1970s saw the decline in muscle cars due to higher

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

premiums and tighter emission rules. Yenko shrewdly countered by placing his unique touch on the 1970 Nova. Instead of placing a big block 427 c.i. in his special Nova he convinced GM to put a very potent small block 350 c.i. (360 h.p.) that the new Z-28 Camaro and LT1 Corvette shared. Additionally, the new "Yenko Deuce", as it was known, had extensive suspension, transmission, and rear axle upgrades along with some very lively stripes, badges, and interior decals. A bit later in the decade, Yenko began to modify the

Chevrolet Vega The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact automobile that was manufactured and marketed by GM's Chevrolet subdivision from 1970 to 1977. Available in two-door hatchback, notchback, wagon, and sedan delivery body styles, all models were powered by an ...

with spoilers, turbochargers, and design graphics, dubbing it the "Yenko Stinger II". Due to difficulties with

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

certification, he only sold the modified Vega without a turbocharger. Instead, the turbocharger sold separately at the Yenko dealership. In 1972, Yenko stopped selling modified cars and began publishing a performance parts catalog from cosmetic modification to engine modification. One of his notable products was the ZL-1 engine, which he produced under permission from Chevrolet. In 1981, Yenko made his last modification, the Turbo Z Camaro. He added a turbocharger to 350 in³ (5.7 L) engine. In addition to Chevrolet, Yenko dealerships included Porsche,

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

, Fiat,

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

, Subaru and

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

Death

Yenko, along with his three passengers, died in March 1987 while bringing his

Cessna 210 The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, retractable-gear, single-engined, high-wing general-aviation aircraft. First flown in January 1957, it was produced by Cessna until 1986. Design and development The early Cessn ...

in for a landing near Charleston,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. The landing was hard, causing the aircraft to bounce and Yenko to lose control. It then hit a dirt bank, fell into a ravine and crashed. He was 59 years old.Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents - 1980s
(planecrashinfo.com)

Notes

External links