In the 1960s, Chevrolet was forced to fight with one arm tied behind its back. Thanks to an odd company-wide edict, mid-size cars could not have an engine larger than 330ci. After the success of the Pontiac GTO, this was increased to 400ci. The Chevelle SS 396 ended up having to fight competitors with much larger engines, which seemed unfair, but Chevrolet was able to rectify that eventually with our Pick of the Day. This 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 convertible is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Calverton, New York.
When the Chevelle was introduced in 1964, the top trim level was the Malibu SS. Lest you think it was a performance model, it was not — Super Sports in the early years simply meant a high level of trim plus bucket seats and console. Top engine was a 300-horsepower 327, which was no match for the Pontiac GTO, if not 426ci Mopars or any other full-size performance car. Things improved with the 327/350 for 1965, but it was becoming clear the market was a big-block world and the Turbo-Fire small-block was not enough. Chevrolet knew this and produced 201 examples of the 396-powered “Z16” Malibu SS, but it was never a serious threat due to its rarity and how it was distributed to what we’d call “influencers” today.
For 1966, Chevrolet introduced the Chevelle SS 396. There were three flavors of the big-block, with the top 375-horsepower L78 developing a strong reputation both on the street and strip, but it was now faced with Hemi competitors and, soon, 440 associates and 428 bruisers across town. Additionally, both those cross-town rivals were putting money into competitive racing, while General Motors had explicitly stated it would not be sanctioning drag racing or NASCAR events, so GM was unable to mine the “racing improves the breed” credo. Nonetheless, L78-equipeed Chevelles did well against more substantial machinery, even adding aluminum heads as an option starting in 1969.
Speaking of 1969, that was the first step in Chevrolet escalating its fight against the competition. Just like the Central Office Production Order channel made the 427 available for the Camaro, the same was true for the Malibu-spec Chevelle. However, Chevrolet only built 323 (including 99 prepared by Yenko Chevrolet), so the opportunity to do battle was not greater than the car’s rarity.
That would change for 1970 when Chevrolet introduced the SS 454 package for the Chevelle towards the end of October 1969. A letter to dealerships stated, “… new 360-hp SS454 option Z15 for Malibu Coupe and convertible or El Camino, may be submitted with either M40 Transmission or new Option M22 4-Speed Special Transmission … In addition, new 450-HP 454 Engine may be ordered with Z15 as Option LS6 immediately.” Now, the tables were turned, and the LS6 Chevelle SS 454 was among the fastest cars in the market.
Considering the rarity of other brands’ top dogs, the LS6 was rather plentiful — 4,475 hardtops, convertibles, and El Caminos were built. However, the distribution among the three is not known. For years, magazines claimed 18 LS6 convertibles were built, but there’s never been documentation to support it, plus more than 18 documented cars are known to exist. Over time, some experts have settled on an estimate of up to 200. This Misty Turquoise 1970 Chevelle SS 454 convertible features the LS6 engine, white soft top, and white bucket seat interior. Other features include Cowl Induction hood (which included the matching racing stripes), hood pins, gauge package, AM radio, F41 suspension package, SS mags, and M22 four-speed. “This Chevelle is equipped exactly as an LS6 should be and is believed to have been born as an LS6 car,” says the seller. “However, there is no build sheet available to further authenticate its original configuration. During the restoration process, the LS6 512 casting engine block received a restoration restamp.” Those are the breaks with some brands and the level of available factory documentation, so do your due diligence.
There was a time when an LS6 Chevelle convertible hit a million dollars, but prices have settled into something relatively more mortal. It’s still one of the most desirable muscle cars in the market, so don’t be surprised when you learn it will take $379,970 to bring this Bow Tie home.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
