Man sells two of his cars to buy Paul Walker’s wrecked Fast & Furious Yenko Camaro that's been abandoned for 20 years so he can fix it up

This man has made it his mission to fix up Paul Walker’s wrecked Yenko Camaro.

You may recall that this Camaro was driven into a yacht way back in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Well, it’d remained in a state of disarray for more than 20 years – until one YouTuber decided to set things right.

Sam Hard sold off some of his cars to buy it and get to work on making this car presentable for SEMA.

Who is Sam Hard and what cars has he worked on in the past?

Sam Hard is the host of YouTube channel Hard up garage, on which he tackles all manner of automotive projects.

You may recall he’s the guy who committed the ‘ultimate automotive sin’ on a Toyota Crown, and transformed KSI’s old Volkswagen Lupo into an off-road monster.

You get the gist – he’s always up for a challenge and for taking cars to the next level.

So you can imagine what went through his mind when he stumbled across the Yenko Camaro that had appeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

How he got his hands on Paul Walker’s Yenko Camaro

Hard came across the Camaro back in 2019, while he was driving his Dodge Charger to SEMA.

Along the way, he stopped in at YEARONE, a place out in Georgia specializing in muscle car parts.

While looking around the place, he came across the Yenko Camaro that Paul Walker drove into a yacht all those years ago.

“I said ‘I want to buy it’, and he was like ‘No, it’s not for a sale’,” Hard told Supercar Blondie.

“So for the past six to seven years, I’ve been sending English teabags and cookies nearly every year, popping in to say hi every time I’ve over in the US.

“Then last year, just before SEMA, I got the phone call asking if I wanted it.”

It was being offered up for $25,000, so a tough call had to be made.

“I sold my Ultima and my Dodge Charger, bought it, flew out [to the US] and got it done,” Hard said.

This car had particular significance for him.

“The reason the car is so special to me is because when I was 15 years old the first movie my dad took me to as an adult was 2 Fast 2 Furious,” he recalled.

“I knew exactly what it was immediately from the second I saw it.” 

Getting this Yenko Camaro ready for SEMA

In April 2026, Hard flew out to Florida and got to work on the car alongside Chris Wigley and Dave Turner.

Over 10 days of intensive work, they repaired all the damage and got it running and driving.

“It looked like a patchwork quilt, it was unfinished – but it looked like a car for the first time,” he said.

“The car was delivered to a body shop in Fort Lauderdale called Glass Skills who did all the paintwork on it, the welding, the panels – making it look amazing, just going to town on it and making it look good.”

Practically every part of the car was donated, including an engine from WCH Racing Engines.

Along the way, it’s been challenging with Hard working 18 hour days away from his wife and his kids.

But he’s supremely grateful for all the assistance he’s had on the journey, whether it’s the parts donated or the Uber dispatched to pick parts up.

“Trusting people has been one of the scariest things,” he explained.

“Asking people to send you parts for free and believing someone will pull through for you.”

The plan now is for the car to go display at the Aces Fuel Injection booth at the 2026 SEMA Show (booth number – 23591) in Las Vegas.

It’s there where the car will be unveiled.

“I’m super scared,” Hard admitted.

“Some of the biggest names in automotive history and in the movie world will be on site when the car is unveiled, and this is going to be huge for everyone that’s been involved.”

Because of the huge fanfare surrounding Paul Walker and the car itself, the restoration job has come with its own pressurres.

“My reputation’s pretty good and this car was a piece of movie history smashed up,” he said.

“I took the advice of a gentleman called Chip Foose, who said ‘Don’t leave it smashed up, make it run and drive, put the car back on the road and do it right’.”

Hard also exclusively revealed to Supercar Blondie that parts taken off the Camaro in the restoration process will be used in another project.

“There is not one piece of history on this car that has been lost from the headrest to the metal work,” he revealed.

“Every single part we’ve taken off we have kept, and every single part will be reused on another project coming very soon next year.”

Watch this space.