Trailer untouched since the '90s was opened and inside was an ultra-rare muscle car
- A 1969 Yenko Camaro was found in a trailer in Illinois, US
- It’s a rare muscle car that was largely untouched
- However, it needed a little TLC
Published on Apr 09, 2025 at 5:03 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A genuine rare muscle car in the form of a 1969 Yenko Camaro has been found in a trailer in Illinois, US, after being stored away and untouched for 30 years.
The car had a unique paint job and many original features.
Camaro experts were able to verify its authenticity.
However, it needed a little TLC to bring it back to its former glory.
DISCOVER OUR SUPERCAR AUCTION SITE – View live auctions on SBX Cars
Rare muscle car found in Illinois trailer
Self-proclaimed ‘Automotive Archaeologist‘, Ryan Brutt, is best known for finding all kinds of automotive gems in all sorts of unexpected places.
While Brutt and his team initially had their doubts, Camaro experts Stefano Bimbi from Nickey Performance were luckily able to verify the car’s authenticity.
The car had been owned by the same family for 40 years and remained largely unchanged.
“Everything is covered in dust and grime,” Brutt said.
“The gas tank’s out of it, the car hasn’t run in decades.”
However, despite the engine not running and the interior showing signs of wear and tear, the YouTuber was still excited about his rare find.
Verifying its authenticity
The Camaro had non-traditionally placed Yenko emblems, murals, SST wheels, a 140mph speedometer, and a high redline tachometer with an all-original interior.
Multiple hidden VINs on the car match, confirming authenticity with the car’s tags and rivets untampered, and original yellow paint is visible under more recently applied layers.
The rear axle is coded ‘BE’, used only on Yenko and COPO Camaros.
The 9561 iron block, in addition to the 9737 sports car conversion packages, confirmed the car as a ‘double COPO’.
Despite being mostly original, the rare muscle car has a swapped short spoiler, a non-original RS front end, and a modified hood for the tunnel ram intake.
It was sold through Jack Douglas Chevrolet in Hinsdale, IL, a dealer who ordered Yenko-spec cars directly from GM using insider COPO codes, bypassing Don Yenko.
Douglas discovered the secret COPO numbers and ordered at least 24-25 cars himself, customizing them with features like Endura bumpers and unique color combinations.
This Illinois Camaro was spotted at various events over the years, including Car Craft Nationals and Street Machine Nationals in the ’80s and ’90s.
However, from 1993 or 1994, it was stored away in a trailer until it was recently rediscovered.
Documentation and visual clues, including its fuel line, dual exhaust mounts, and rear-end codes, confirmed its status as a real Jack Douglas COPO/Yenko vehicle.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
