For more than two decades, the Camaro that Paul Walker’s character jumped onto a yacht at the end of 2 Fast 2 Furious sat in a Georgia shop without an engine, its body crumpled and its cabin full of leftover parts.
The man behind it is Sam Hard, a British mechanic who runs the YouTube channel Hard Up Garage. He spent years asking to buy the car, sold two of his own cars to pay for it, and documented the rebuild in a four-part series called 2 Fast 2 Broken.
Not a Real Yenko
The car is often described as a Yenko Camaro, and it plays one on screen. It is not one. Hard Up Garage’s own press release, quoted by Yahoo Autos, says the film cars were built to portray Yenkos rather than being original Yenko cars. The real Yenko Super Camaros of 1969 were dealer-ordered cars with a 427-cubic-inch L72 V8 rated at 425 horsepower, and Yahoo Autos notes that 201 were produced.
How many Camaros the production used depends on the source. Motor Authority reports that the producers acquired nine Camaros and six Dodge Challengers, many in rough condition, and that YEARONE supplied reproduction parts. Auto.pub says YEARONE built roughly a dozen Camaro replicas for the film.
Car Number 149
In the film, Brian O’Conner, played by Paul Walker, and Roman Pearce, played by Tyrese Gibson, launch the blue Camaro off a ramp onto a luxury yacht. Motor Authority explains that the stunt car was stripped to a shell and pulled off the ramp by tow cable, and that the jump was filmed in pieces.
Hard says this particular car was a hero car that Walker drove before it was used for the yacht stunt. The proof came during the teardown. Autoevolution reports that a factory stamping on the firewall matched Universal Pictures production records supplied by Craig Lieberman, the film’s technical advisor, identifying it as car number 149, the cable-pulled jump car.
That distinction matters, because other Camaros have been presented as the movie car before. Yahoo Autos notes examples shown at the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise and the 2024 Brussels Motor Show, and Motor Authority reports that YEARONE kept and later restored one stunt Camaro.
Six Years of Asking
Hard first saw the car on November 1, 2019, according to Autoevolution, when he stopped at YEARONE in Georgia on his way to SEMA. It had no engine, and the shop was using it to store leftover trim, glass and seats, including what Autoevolution describes as Walker’s original headrest. A joking sign inside listed it for $800.
YEARONE did not want to sell. Hard told Supercar Blondie that he kept visiting and sending English teabags and cookies for years. Eventually he got a call offering him the car.
The reported price varies. Supercar Blondie quotes $25,000, Autoevolution says more than $20,000, and Auto.pub gives more than €17,800. Hard told Supercar Blondie he sold his Ultima and his Dodge Charger to pay for it.
A Rebuild on Donated Parts
The rebuild took place in Florida, at the workshop of fellow YouTuber Freddy Hernandez, known as Tavarish. Hard was joined by Chris Wigley and Dave Turner, who appear on his channel as Mr Wiggles and Famous Dave. THE SHOP magazine and Auto.pub describe a 15-day build, while Supercar Blondie quotes Hard describing ten days of intensive work.
The unibody had to be straightened, and the floors and structure repaired. The body shop Glass Skills in Fort Lauderdale handled the paint, welding and panels, according to Supercar Blondie. Hard said nearly every part was donated. THE SHOP lists more than 20 suppliers, among them Aces Fuel Injection, WCH Racing Engines, Classic Industries, Ringbrothers, Vintage Air, QA1 and Speedtech. Auto.pub reports a 7.0-liter V8 with modern electronic fuel injection.
Hard also says nothing from the original car was thrown away. He told Supercar Blondie that every part removed, from the headrest to the damaged metal, was kept for a future project.
The SEMA Unveiling
The finished Camaro was unveiled at the Aces Fuel Injection booth on November 3, 2026, the show’s opening day. Hard told Supercar Blondie he was nervous about the reaction and said he had followed advice from designer Chip Foose: do not leave it smashed up, make it run and drive, and put it back on the road properly.
Hard has also said he wants the car rebuilt to Yenko specification and accreditation. Yahoo Autos points out the problem: the release does not say who would grant that accreditation, and the car has none of the 1969 paperwork that gives a real Yenko its value.
