In 1970, GM lifted the corporate ban on selling midsized cars with engines larger than 400 CI, opening the door for a lot of muscle car opportunity. At Chevrolet, that meant the newly introduced 454 CI V-8 could be installed in the Chevelle SS, a move that would create one of the fastest, rarest and most expensive muscle cars available. Two 454 options were made available: the LS5 and LS6, each with performance-building differences. The LS5 employed hydraulic lifters, a tamer carburetor, manifold and crank, and generated a very sweet 360 HP. The LS6 built on this with solid lifters, an 800 CFM Holley 4-barrel carburetor, an aluminum manifold, a 4-bolt main, forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, and 11.25:1 compression pistons. With a 6,500 RPM redline, the LS6 also used special, deeply grooved accessory drive pulleys, among other power-building tricks. The result was a machine that pulled with 500 lb-ft of torque and 450 HP, figures that most agree were conservatively rated. Aside from the potent engine, checking the LS6 box was a very costly affair as it opened the floodgates for a catalog of other components that had to join the car, including an engine dress-up kit. In all, the LS6 Chevelle would run nearly $5,000 before too many other options were selected. Just 4,475 LS6 Chevrolets were built, and while a more detailed breakdown of how many were Chevelle coupes or convertibles and how many were El Caminos has not been established, it’s safe to assume the overall rarity of any of them. This 1970 Chevelle SS LS6 was the recipient of a professional nut-and-bolt, body-off restoration, emerging in Forest Green with a black vinyl top, rechromed bumpers and the rare stripe delete. Complete with a build sheet, the Chevelle features a matching-numbers 454/450 HP engine fitted with the Winters aluminum intake and 4-barrel carburetor, accompanied by a 4-speed manual transmission, 12-bolt rear end and power brakes with front discs. The black interior proves this car was ordered to be mostly about muscle, as it features only a bench seat, a Muncie cue ball shifter and an AM/FM radio. Rolling on the correct 5-spoke SS wheels with Firestone Wide Oval white-letter tires, the car also features a documentation binder complete with an extensive ownership history and a Connecticut title from 1977.
