In the Fall of 1967, Smokey Yunick bluffed his way into Riverside Raceway for testing on the same day that was supposedly reserved for Ford. According to the legend, the new Camaro made a few laps, besting pole sitting Jerry Titus’ time by 0.6 seconds. The car was promptly bounced from tech and not allowed to run for numerous rule infractions (a process that would be repeated several times in the cars history).
Immediately after Riverside, Smokey towed the car to Bonneville where it set dozens of speed and endurance records with both a 302ci and 396ci Chevy.
It wasn’t until later in the Camaros career that the car actually began to win races with the then-owner Don Yenko. However, it still remains a curious fact that the car never won while Smokey owned it. A number of very famous racers drove the car on road courses, including Mark Donohue, Craig Fisher, Dick Guldstrand, Jim Hall, Bruce McLaren, Lloyd Ruby, Al and Bobby Unser and Don Yenko.
Vic Edelbrock purchased the car from the Historics Trans-AM Registry President, David Tom in 1993. Edelbrock performed a ground-up restoration in 1995.
While number 13 may look like a ’68 Camaro, it has most certainly been “massaged”. Acid-dipped body parts abound, the front sheet metal drooped and all four fenders were widened, the front sub frame was Z’d to lower the car, the floor pan was moved up, the windshield was laid back and thinner safety glass was used throughout the car. The list of tweaks is endless. Smokey even pulled the drip rails in closer to the body.
The engine was fitted with a pressurized, quick connection that allowed the driver to quickly add oil to the engine from the interior during pit stops. Because the driver was an active participant during pit stops in the cockpit, a cable-ratchet mechanism from a military helicopter was used to release the shoulder harness so the driver could perform his necessary tasks.
