In the mid-1960s, General Motors was awash with cash and the muscle car
wars were upon us. Even though GM instituted a racing ban in 1963, its
subsidiaries were still cranking out high-performance road cars. For the
1964 model year, Pontiac released the GTO, Oldsmobile released the 442, and Chevrolet, not wanting to be left out of all the fun, came out with the Chevelle. It was built to slot between the smaller Chevy II and the bigger, more luxurious Impala.
This weekend, a second-generation Chevelle SS is going up for sale at
the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, and it is a pristine example
of one of the best-selling muscle cars ever.
In 1963, the
Chevelle's very first year, Chevrolet sold 338,286 Chevelles. For some
contemporary context, Chevy has sold just over 305,000 Camaros over the
last five model years. Over the next few years the Chevelle's success
would only grow, and in 1966 and 1967, Chevy sold over 850,000 Chevelles
across all of its body styles.
The car on offer at the Las Vegas
sale is painted Fathom Blue with a black interior. The engine in this
example is Chevy's classic 396 Turbo Jet making 350 hp and mated to
BorgWarner's M20 four-speed manual gearbox. The Turbo Jet V-8 got
hydraulic lifters, a forged crankshaft, ported cylinder heads, and an
aluminum intake with a four-barrel carburetor to reach that 350-hp
output.
This particular Chevelle has recently undergone a five-year-long, "no
expenses spared" restoration, and it shows. The car has a unique domed
hood, a black grille as opposed to the standard chrome one, and a unique
rear bumper. It's not an outright custom job, but it is a tasteful
restoration of an American classic. And with so many examples on the
road, you'll want to stand out from the crowd.
