Chevrolet has undoubtedly bedded its tire marks on the pages of automotive history hundreds-fold. That history has been enriched with its propensity to steal a glance at Enzo's playbook and deal in exclusivity, which these models have illustrated.
These cars are proof that Chevrolet occasionally steps away from the assembly line and into the studio, where the car itself is appreciated instead of the dollar it creates. Much like Ford with its Boss 351 Mustang in only 1971, or Buick's 1987 Grand National, only 547 of which would become GNXs, Chevrolet has managed to contribute some of the most iconic muscle cars ever known.
10 1967 El Camino/Chevelle L78 - 612 Built
By now it's safe to say car enthusiasts are familiar with Chevelles and the unmistakable charm of the truck/car hybrid that is the El Camino. What is distinguishable is the L78, an option for the Chevelle and El Camino from 1966 to 1970.
The L78 was Chevy's most powerful production engine at the time, rated at 375 horsepower for the 1967 model year. Combined, there were 612 El Caminos and Chevelles sold with the L78, a significant decrease from the previous and following years.
9 1967 Camaro Z/28 - 602 Built
These days it's difficult to walk down the street without tripping over a few Z/28 Camaros but back in its debut year, the Z/28 was anything but a commodity. Ponying up the extra $400 for the Z/28 package meant beefier suspension, Corvette wheels, shorter ratio steering, and power front disc brakes.
Every Z/28 came with the 302 V8 rated at 290 horsepower paired to a close-ratio manual transmission. 1967 Z/28s did not have badges, but the hidden head lamps and exhaust rumble wasn't fooling anyone.
8 1968 Nova With A Powerglide Transmission - 295 Built
1967 was when the Chevy Nova transitioned from an angular, box-like shape into its arguably more iconic hatchback form, which carried over until the 1970s. This particular Nova is special because of its Powerglide. The Powerglide is an automatic transmission with only two gears, and is still praised because of its simplicity.
The Powerglide still used today in drag racing, as it's also extraordinarily durable. In 1968 the Nova hosted the Powerglide mated to a 307 small block, though only 295 of these cars were built.
7 1965 Malibu SS 396 - 201 Built
In an effort to rouse the public's interest in its latest venture, the 396 V8, Chevy released the 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS 396. Its genesis only allowed 201 to ever be built, for the sole purpose of selling prospective buyers on 375-hp in a light street machine, which Chevy dubbed "the most potent and 'fun' car in the country".
Chevy sold the '65 Malibu SS 396 with a four-speed manual transmission, hefty suspension, high rear axle ratio, and a 160-mph speedometer paired with a 6,000 RPM rev counter.
6 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible - Less Than 200 Built
The Chevelle SS equipped with the 454 LS6 big block in 1970 wailed at 5,600 RPM, producing 450-hp, and subsequently slaughtering the 1/4 mile in just 13.44 seconds. Forged pistons, connecting rods and a forged crankshaft occupied the block, paired to a 4-speed manual transmission.
While the LS6 certainly made the car fast, it was certainly not the defining factor for this particular model. Approximately 8,775 Chevelles came with the SS badge and 454 engines, 4,475 included the LS6 454, and among those, less than 200 were convertibles.
5 1969 Camaro ZL1 - 69 Built
A little racing series called Canadian-American Challenge Cup (or Can-Am for short) ran from 1966-1987, and was ground-zero for the fastest racing cars on the planet. Can-Am saw limitless potential realized in automotive innovation, including the all aluminum 427 ZL1 big block.
It was decided that the 1969 Camaro needed the ZL1 engine in order to bury Dodge HEMIs at NHRA drag racing events in 1970. Though the car was sold with 375-hp, with some tinkering the ZL1 could output over 500-hp.
4 1963 Impala RPO Z11 - 50 Built
Along similar lines as the Camaro ZL1, Chevy also fitted Impalas with the forbidden 427 big block, against its better judgement. Officially, Chevy was reluctant to join the horsepower wars of the early 1960s. The 427 in the Impala Z11 was a stroked 409 big block, and for the first time in Chevy's history used a cowl induction intake.
This plus dual four-barrel carburetors and an Everest 13.5:1 compression ratio saw the engine output 425 horsepower. Although 50-60 were built, it's suspected that to this day fewer than seven remain.
3 1968 Nova SS COPO - 50 Built
The Camaro ZL1, Impala RPO Z11 and Nova SS COPO were possible thanks to Chevrolet's Central Office Production Order (COPO). This existed for fleet orders of vehicles, like trucks or police interceptors, until Vince Piggins used COPO to order Chevy cars with high performance parts.
Enter the 1968 Nova SS COPO, which was powered by the L78 396 engine outputting 375-hp. In order for Chevy to approve this through COPO, there had to be at least 50 built. Of those 50, it's believed that only 12 remain.
2 1971 Corvette ZR2 - 12 Built
On the outside, the ZR2 looked like any other third generation Corvette, but under the hood beat the heart of a rabid beast. ZR2s were equipped with the iron block, aluminum head LS6 454, which with 425-hp and a 9:1 compression ratio.
It scorched the tarmac on its way to 60mph in just 5.3 seconds, and to a quarter mile in 13.8 seconds. Every ZR2 was fitted with a close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission. Only 12 of the Corvette ZR2s were made, and only for 1971.
1 1969 Corvette ZL1 - 2 Sold
The 1969 Corvette ZL1 was equipped with an all aluminum 427 big block, which screamed through the quarter mile in just over 12 seconds. By SAE gross standards, this 427 produced 460 horsepower, making it the most powerful Corvette up to this time. The ZL1 did not come cheap.
ZL1 packages included special suspension, a posi-traction differential, big brakes and a special ignition. All of these options were mandatory and cost extra. This brought the price tag to over $10,000, and accompanied by new EPA regulations, the ZL1's reign was short lived.