Automotive History Chevrolet Chevelle
For both its looks and performance, theChevrolet Chevelleis regarded as one of the most beloved cars of the muscle car era. Today pristine models are coveted among car collectors who are willing to pay many times the original value just to own a piece of automotive history.
Introduced in 1964, the automaker General Motors wanted to produce a powerhouse of their own which could compete with the Ford Fairlane. The Fairlane was a popular mid size car with performance and styling which had been selling quite well.Chevrolethad not had huge successes since their 1955-1957 Tri-Fives and needed a shot in the arm to get back into the fray.
The Chevrolet Malibu was to be the rallying cry for the automaker which would vault them past Ford and Chrysler who were selling all the vehicles they could manufacture. Chevy saw the Malibu as a viable candidate to become a go fast, look good, and sell well option, and before long it would be one of the flagship models of the Chevy lineup.
The styling of the 1964 Malibu was tame and traditional, mirroring the Chevrolet Impala's clean lines and wholesome image. It was powered by engines ranging from the timid 194 cubic inch inline six all the way up to the powerhouse 327 small block V8, all of which could be channeled through a three or four speed manual or a two or three speed automatic.
As with all things automotive the phrase “For a few dollars more” applies. For the 2-door hardtop, $162 could buy the Super Sport package which added chrome accents and a host of other additions to an already good car.
Finally in 1966 the Super Sport 396 (also called SS) package was made available as a standalone package, offering buyers the opportunity to bypass build sheets and step right into their dream car, matching power with class, styling with performance. Weigh in at a sturdy 3,256 pounds and measuring just under 16 feet long, the car was far from the lumbering beast it sounded like on paper. Tripping the quarter mile clocks at 14.4 seconds at a very brisk 100 miles per hour, this machine had the power to excite even the mundane driver.
In 1968 the Chevelle was given a new design. With flowing lines and a “coke bottle” shape, the car was sleeker and 'slicker' in the air than it had been. Costing roughly $250 more than the base Malibu, the Chevelle SS396 package gave the car a few visual changes and a very potent 396 cubic inch engine capable of putting out 375 horsepower. While weighing slightly more than the older version, the car made use of its power and could cross the beams at a very respectable 14.5 seconds at 100. The slight decrease in quarter mile time was due to the new design weighing 260 pounds more than earlier models.
1969 was a great year for the Chevelle, with the introduction of the COPO package, which was a limited edition Chevelle package which had a 425 horsepower 427 cubic inch monster. The COPO package was coveted by racers because it was often devoid of badging which might give away its hidden muscle. This beast was capable of running the quarter mile in 13.3 at 108 miles per hour, making it a dreadful adversary on a Saturday night at the strip.
The 1970 Chevelle remains as the finest of the Chevelle legacy. With a new 454 cubic inch, 450 horsepower engine, fed air by a cowl air induction system which manifested itself as a flap at the base of the windshield which opened at full throttle. With rallye wheels, legitimate hood pins, and a newly designed front end, this Chevelle is a car which looked every bit as fast as it was.
The Chevelle model lineup continued into 1977, but never regained its former glory of 1970. Thankfully for Chevrolet the third generation Chevelles were used extensively in NASCAR from 1973 to 1977 using a newly designed body style which came out in '73.
The oil crisis scare of 1973 essentially killed themuscle car, with high performance hot rods being shelved in favor of more economically sound vehicles. Times change, but the allure, the draw, the classic styling make the Chevelle a premium example of the Muscle Car Era in history. Today Chevelles sell on the collector car market for thousands, with certain Don Yenko modified models selling in the range of 2.2 Million, thus establishing the Chevelle as a top-end muscle car on the street, track and in the garages of collectors. An icon of a time when performance was king and gasoline was thirty cents per gallon.
