1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce Nova Citrus Green

The 1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce Nova was a tamer version of the wild 1969 Yenko Nova with the COPO 427 engine. Even though it still produced 360 horsepower, insurance companies treated it as if it were a regular small block 350 Chevrolet engine. That it was not. Off the showroom floor they figure it would do low 13’s.

Don Yenko was very good at manipulating Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) program, first starting with modifying Corvairs at his Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, PA. Eventually he moved into muscle cars where the fun really began! What made Yenko famous was developing the reputation as the dealership that could put a 427 ci big block motor in a Camaro set up for a 396 from the factory. In 1969 he exploited the COPO program at Chevrolet to have them made from the factory. Later he would use the same COPO system to produce his 1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce Nova, such as the one you see posted here.

This 1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce is one of only 50 built by Hurst at Yenko’s request. The cars were ordered as COPO cars using Chevrolet’s fleet buying program.  Under the hood of the 1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce Nova you will find a 350 cubic inch LT1 producing 360 horsepower. Backing the small block V8 with solid lifter cam was a Muncie M-21 4-speed transmission, 12-bolt rear end, 4.10 gears, positraction, front and rear sway bars, and F-41 suspension. There were eight exterior colors which these cars could be ordered in. They say a total of 177 cars were ordered with COPO 9010. Yenko ordered 175 of these and two went to Canada. Of the 175 Yenko versions there were 122 that were M-21 Muncie 4-speeds. The remaining 53 came with the TH400 automatic transmissions.

The 1970 Chevy Yenko Deuce Nova you see pictured here is No. 160 out of the 175 Yenko Novas ordered as a COPO from Chevrolet. There were only 10 such cars that came with painted Citrus Green from the factory. Of those, only one came with a 4-speed and power steering. This is that car. It is being sold by Nickey Chicago, the muscle car dealer with the legendary name. They have traced the car back to the 1980’s when Jerry Janota purchased the car from what we believe were the second owners.  “Based on the history of the car and Jerry’s verification that he bought the car with the original drivetrain, we believe the car to have the original, engine, original trans as well as original rear end housing,” they told us. Janota has provided an affidavit verifying what he has told them. Janota believes it was originally sold at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Roanoke, Illinois.

This car was restored frame off by Bob Joyce about 10 years ago. In 2005 it was driven in the Hot Rod Power Tour from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Kissimmee, Florida. It still has the Long Hauler window sticker.