Matthew McConaughey was still in film school when he drove the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 in Dazed and confused. Not only did he not star in his first major role, but he also made the muscle car shine as well.

There's a good reason why the director chose the Chevelle for the young Texan to drive in the film. It had a machismo look that spoke teen muscle.

What made them come up with such a decision for the character, though, first, we need to dig deeper into what the Chevy Chevelle meant in the car community.

Looking Back At The Chevrolet Chevelle

1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna
via Pinterest

The 60s, all the way to the 70s was the renaissance era for muscle cars. A plethora of classic American muscle roared on the streets during that time.

It was a mid-sized muscle car built on the same A-body platform as other classics such as the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and the Pontiac Tempest. Still, the Chevrolet Chevelle and the Ford Fairlane happened to be the "it" cars of the 1960s.

The Chevelle's time was from 1964 to 1977. It sold 338,286 units in its first year alone. Still, many wanted one year after its last production which made the ride incredibly popular.

It was a good run for the Chevelle line all those 13 years it was in production. It managed to poke the hearts of the hardcore classic Chevy enthusiasts.

Why is it so popular after all these years, though? Two words: SuperSport.

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The Chevelle Super Sport

The Chevelle Super Sport wast Chevrolet's entry into American Muscle.
Via: GM Authority

Chevrolet announced their entry into the muscle car market when they released their Chevelle Super Sport models. The 1964 and 1965 models had a Malibu SS badge on them which also meant a future classic.

You can upgrade your Malibu two-door hardtop or convertible model for just an additional $162 back then. It included other mods such as the iconic SS emblems and Impala SS wheel covers.

Its interior was also a chick magnet. You can already distinguish how many romance movies had a background of a classic muscle car's interior with vinyl bucket seats. Then, there's also the four-gauge cluster and an optional dash-mounted tachometer which gave the idea that the Super Sport was drag-ready from bone stock.

The speed needed to be worked for as the Malibu Super Sport models came with an optional Muncie aluminum four-speed-manual. It also came with a Powerglide two-speed automatic option in place of the standard three-speed manual.

A 283-cubic-inch four-barrel V8 engine that produced around 220 horsepower became the icing on the cake for this masculine car.

The Chevelle SS also had a manly appeal in movies. The car was featured in over a thousand movies already. We've seen A-list celebrities become associated with the classic muscle car.

One of the more popular models is the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SuperSport 454. Vin Diesel drove it in The Fast and The Furious, Tom Cruise pushed its limits in Jack Reacher, and of course, a young Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.

It goes to show that this limited edition Chevelle is still a hotshot if you can get your hands on a pristine one.

Matthew McConaughey's 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

Matthew McConaughey's character drove a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 in Dazed And Confused.
Via: Pinterest

Coming-of-age films usually become cult classics, especially when big names are still newbie actors. Such films come with classic cars as well.

The 1993 film Dazed and Confused were one of the better-known films where it featured a main character driving a 1970 Chevelle SS. Little did we know that its driver would become one of Hollywood's enduring leading men.

In the film, McConaughey played David Wooderson, a man in his early 20s who still wanted a piece of teen glory as he socialized with high schoolers. That meant the kids being in awe with Wooderson's 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454.

McConaughey named his Chevelle the "Melba Toast." It was equipped with a 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumpers, Edelbrock intake, and 11 to 1 pop-up piston. The car was pushing out 390 horsepower, according to him.

Although the actual Chevelle model only pushed out 360 hp in stock trim, it's clear that the car was packing turbo-jet speed. In fact, the 454 CID engine in the '70 SS is one of the more coveted engines to place on any classic muscle body.

The "Melba Toast" is another one of those inspirations for Chevelle aficionados when looking for a classic car project.

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Which is the rarest '70 Chevelle SS of them all?

The 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle is a classic car to restore and pimp up.
via fusionmotorco

How hard is it to find a Chevelle SS 40-plus years later? The rarest is the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6.

There were only 4,475  LS6 454s made in 1970. The rest are either a 402 or a 440. The chances of getting your hands on the extra special LS6 model are still pretty rare though. That's because the LS6 tops at 560 horsepower, 100 more than the other 1970 Chevelle models.

One model sold for an astounding $1,500,000 in 2013. It was the highest price a Chevy Chevelle ever sold at the Mecum Auctions.

As for the actual one McConaughey drove in Dazed and Confused, there isn't any recent update on where it is now. But there are still other models which look exactly like it that are kept in good condition.

Some choose to swap its engine with a different body though. There's even a 1973 Camaro that has the same engine.

NEXT: 10 Modified Chevrolet Chevelles We Can't Stop Staring At