The Chevrolet Chevelle was a mid-sized model from General Motors, introduced in 1964 and it held on for three generations till it was finally pulled off the assembly lines in 1978. The Chevelle remained a passenger car for most of its life, but some variants of it were considered pure muscle. We are talking about the SS models here, the SS396, the SS454, and the SS454 LS6 option.
These cars took the muscle car world by storm and the way Chevelle kept adding on more to the fray, made it a respectable muscle car if a slightly offbeat one.
The El Camino, Monte Carlo, and the Malibu also came from this line, and later went on to become their separate nameplates. The Malibu in fact replaced the Chevelle by the end of the ‘70s when the time of gas-guzzling muscle cars came to an end.
So do you like the Chevelle SS? Do you think it would be a great classic addition to your garage, in looks and power? Then this is the kind of monies you may need to cough up for it, and why. Let’s delve into all that made the Chevelle SS into one cool classic…
The 1965-72 Chevelle SS396
The Chevelle was Chevy’s answer to the Ford Fairlane, but once Ford came up with the Mustang and muscle car wars started to foam at the mouth, Chevy did some quick thinking and introduced the Chevrolet SS. The Chevelle SS came into being in 1965, just a year after the Chevelle’s launch. Initially, the Chevelle Super Sport wore Malibu SS badges and came equipped with the 6.5-liter big-block V8, jetting more than 300 horses.
By 1966, it became its own series and came rated at 360 horses, although by 1967 the official rating dropped to 350 horsepower, ostensibly to nip rising insurance premiums in the bud. When they were first introduced, the Chevelle SS396s were the crème-de-la-crème of the lot and came with all the bells and whistles that you expected from a premium muscle car because you also paid extra for it.
Today, if you want a Chevy Chevelle SS396, which was on offer from 1965 all the way to 1972, be prepared to shell out more than $50,000, and yes, prices for a really well-maintained mint model can touch six figures.
The 1970-75 Chevelle SS454
The Chevelle Super Sport 454 was officially introduced in 1970 although in 1969, the year the Chevelle was the most popular, there was the COPO and consequently Yenko Chevelle SS as well. This is when Don Yenko and other such successful Chevy dealers had several cars like the Chevelle SS, Camaro, and the Nova retrofitted, by Chevy’s Central Office Production Order, to do exactly the opposite of what it usually did. Chevy’s COPO took care of fleet sale orders and mostly sold the lower potency engines, but the COPO Chevelle SS went with the coolest engine ever, the 7.0-liter V8 that supposedly jet 425 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
Then came the 1970 Chevelle SS 454, with the engine rated at 360 horsepower.
Prices for these, in today’s market, are slightly over and above the SS 396, and although they start at $40,000-50,000, they easily cross the $100,000 mark, as well. Ultimately, the value of a classic also depends on its roadworthiness, the number of miles it has done, and yes, the kind of parts (authentic/aftermarket) that went into restoring it.
The Star Chevelle: 1970 SS 454 LS6
If both the SS 396 and SS 454 were not enough Chevelle for you, then in 1970, there was a special beast. This was the Chevelle SS 454 LS6 version that carried the same 7.4-liter V8 as the SS 454 but added in a quad-barrel CFM Holley carburetor. And so, it came rated at a whopping 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. For 1970, almost 4,500 of these Chevelle SS 454 LS6 were produced.
This car, in 1970, zipped 0-to-60 mph in a cool 5.4 seconds and did a quarter-mile from a standing start in 13.81 seconds. Add in the automatic Turbo Hydramatic transmission and a better ratioed rear axle and the Chevelle SS 454 LS6 became a track star.
This is the car that fetched the top dollar at auctions. For instance, in a 2010 Barrett Jackson auction, a Chevelle SS 454 LS6 convertible managed to go for $253,000. And another custom coupe also raked in $250,000.
The SuperSport options ended sometime in the mid-70s, even if the 7.4-liter V8 managed to be part of the line up till 1976. Post that, the biggest engine was a 6.5-liter V8, till finally in 1978, the Chevelle nameplate in itself was laid to rest, in favor of the Malibu. The Chevelle and the Chevelle SS are yet another muscle lost to the ravages of time, emission control, and of course the oil-crisis-birthed malaise era…
Sources: Hemmings, Autoweek