There’s nothing quite like the muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. This era marked a time when horsepower reigned supreme, and the top goal for the big three automakers was to dominate the automotive landscape. While the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 is just about undeniably the baddest muscle car ever to roll off the line, here’s a list of the rarest Chevrolet muscle cars.
The Chevelle, arguably the best and most popular muscle car – packed a powerful punch under the hood. For the 1967 models, there were three different 396 engines that could be had. The standard L35 with 325HP, L34 with 350HP, the L78 with 375HP.
With the L78 375HP engine under the hood, the ’67 Chevelle could go from 0-60MPH in 6.5 seconds and click off 14.9 second quarter mile times. This kind of power secures the 1967 Chevelle SS 396 L78 in our Top 9.
The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was a special edition car that was specifically designed to race in the SCCA Trans Am Series against the Ford Mustang.
Under the hood of the Z/28 you’d find a 302 cubic-inch engine. This engine had the bore size of a 327, but the stroke of a 283. The result was 290HP that could rev to 7,000RPM.
The 1965 Chevelle SS 396 Z16 was basically built to promote the new big-block engine. This L37 engine made 375HP and 420 lb-ft. of torque. Check out our article deep diving more in the ’65 Chevelle right here.
It’s no surprise the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 made it to this list. The reason why though is while there weren’t too many LS6 versions to begin with, to get the LS6 engine in a convertible made it even more rare.
In 1970 the LS6 454 engine made 450HP and over 500 lb-ft. of torque. These numbers were believe to be understated too for insurance reasons. This engine made the Chevelle faster in the quarter mile than the same year Corvette.
Continuing on with Chevelles, the 1969 Chevelle Yenko was a rare powerhouse. These cars were based off the COPO 9562 option. This option allowed dealers, such as Yenko, to order the Chevelles with the L72 427 engine. These engines were normally reserved for Corvettes.
The L72 427 engine produced 425HP and 460 lb-ft. of torque. However, Yenko would then ‘super tune’ the engines and they claimed they produced 450HP. These cars also had heavy duty suspension, 12-bolt rears, and a few other upgrades.
One of the coolest special order vehicles of all time is the ’69 COPO Camaro ZL1. Through this special program you could order the Camaro with the legendary all-aluminum 427 under the hood. This engine was originally designed to race in the CAN AM series.
This engine made about 430HP and 450 lb-ft. of torque. Some builders back then said this engine was capable of over 500HP on the dyno though. This engine alone cost over $4,000 – while a base Camaro was only around $2,700.
While there certainly was Super Sport Impalas – generally you don’t think of Impalas as being performance orientated cars. This Z11 edition was specifically designed for NASCAR and Drag Racing though.
The Z11 package equipped the Impala with a 427 that was a stroked 409 engine with dual quad carbs. The result was 430HP and a staggering 575 lb-ft. of torque! This would push the Impala down the drag strip in a mere 10.8 seconds!
Fred Gibb Chevrolet ordered 50 of these COPO Nova’s to compete in drag racing. He wanted them with a powerful 396 engine and heavy duty transmission. This engine cranked out 375HP and would propel the Nova’s across the line in 14.5 seconds.
Rare as hen’s teeth – the 1969 Nova Yenko SC 427 tops of our list of the rarest Chevrolet muscle cars. Yenko wanted to order the 427 engine in the compact Nova’s – but Chevrolet wouldn’t allow it for safety reasons.
What he did was order 38 SS 396 Nova’s then at his dealership swapped the engines himself with crate engines or warranty engines from Chevrolet. He also added special suspension, wheels, and badging to make them stand out. This combo made the Nova’s finish the quarter mile in under 11 seconds. Not all 38 Nova’s were converted to this engine though – it’s thought that roughly half were, making this one rare muscle car.
If you need any parts or help with your rare Chevrolet muscle car, hop on SS396.com or give our friendly techs a call at (203) 235-1200!
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