Danbury Mint 1970 Chevrolet

I admit I love muscle cars just as much as I do the classics. I was a young man during the '60's and '70's, I know most of the cars I review intimately from the muscle car era; as any young man would that loved automobiles.

During the '70's I was involved in the automobile industry and had the pleasure of traveling to Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg PA to view first hand the custom Yenko cars personally. I know somewhere I still have the literature from the dealership but finding it is a whole other story. They were fun times for a young kid whose hormones and testosterone were firing on all eight cylinders and these muscle cars only flamed those emotions.

Now you understand why these Yenko's get me so excited and are near and dear to me. As a young man I dreamed of owning one of these dream cars and even promised myself that someday I would. However, I never fulfilled that promise to myself until now with these stunning Danbury Mint replicas.

Unquestionably, 1970 will forever be regarded as the high point of Nova (and Chevrolet) performance. Anyone but the most ardent Nova fancier would have extreme difficulty discerning between the 1969 and 1970 versions; a slight taillight revision (larger lenses with the backup lamp moved to the middle of the lens) is probably the most evident clue.

The Yenko big-block Nova was produced in 1969 and the small-block-inspired Deuce debuted in 1970. The first-year Yenko's numbered 37, of which 28 had a 427 installed by Yenko's crew and 9 left the lot with the factory-installed 375-horse 396 power-plant. According to Yenko, the L72 427-powered Novas were the wildest cars he ever built. They were 396 cars with no SS emblems - and with the right tires and suspension setup, the finished machine was capable of reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds.

Peering under the hood you will be in awe of by the amount of detail that abounds in there. Just like the '69 Yenko Nova the engine compartment is one of the most "Highly" detailed I have ever witnessed. Hoses, wires, brake lines, fuel lines you name it it's in there. Outstanding is an understatement; the detail of the engine compartment alone is worth the $124.00 asking price of this mind-numbing replica.

Reviewing the fit and finish I found all tolerances to be tight and well fitted. The doors lack the positive click that has been prevalent on previous models but they do close tightly and easily. I was totally impressed with the scissor hinges utilized on the hood and hope it is carried over to future GM replicas with a similar hinge design.

The trunk also opens smoothly, sports the correct spatter paint along with a spare tire and jack. As an added bonus the filler cap is revealed when you gently pull down the rear license plate adding to the "bling" factor of an already outstanding model.

The paintwork including the Yenko badging was applied flawlessly. The fathom blue poly is glass like in appearance with flake that is very subtle in appearance and scaled perfectly to size. What's not to love about this replica?

Opening the door and sliding behind the wheel I found myself reminiscing about 1970. Isn't it funny how these models do that to us? As I twisted and turned the model to admire its many fascinating features I remembered the smells prevalent to me and the music from Bob Dylan "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and they were like it or not. Least I digress, the interior of the Deuce although plain conveys very well that this car was all about, speed. Otherwise there was nothing special about the interior other than the Yenko Deuce badging on the doors and the best instrument cluster you will ever see. I said it once and I'll say it again when it comes to gauges Danbury Mint beat all others hands down with the best gauges in the industry.

Before concluding this review I have to share an image of the undercarriage with you so you know what you receive for a mere $124 with the Deuce. Look at the detail of this undercarriage, admire it, study it then buy it. This model has "bling" up the Wazoo worthy of a spot on the most demanding collectors shelf, at $124 it's a steal.

Therefore in conclusion I found that "The Danbury Mint" recreated the Yenko Deuce to exacting detail of the original. Engine detail is what made the Yenko replica's true works of art; the 350 Deuce is no exception. Enjoy a blast from the past with one of the great Don Yenko cars of yesteryear. Better yet collect the entire Danbury Mint Yenko recreations starting with this Deuce today.