Chevrolet Chevelle: The Muscle Car Legend

 

Production: The Chevelle was produced from 1964 to 1973 and became a major part of the muscle car era.

Power: The Chevelle evolved from small-block V8s to the legendary 454 LS6 in 1970.

COPO: The rare 1969 COPO Chevelle packed a 427 and was built with serious drag-strip performance in mind.

1970: The LS6 454 helped make 1970 one of the most important years in Chevelle history.

Legacy: Even after production ended, the Chevelle remained a favorite among muscle car enthusiasts.

Chevrolet Chevelle: The Legend

The Chevelle was one of the few muscle cars that Chevrolet put into production between 1964 and 1973. Outside of the '73 Chevelle, the muscle car enjoyed some great success throughout its run and continues to be celebrated by all kinds of car enthusiasts. From drag strips to car shows and car auctions, you'd be hard-pressed to go to any car event and not see a few awesome-looking examples.

Most Chevelles hold their value very well because they look great stock and when customized, and they are a very important part of the Muscle Car era. Read on to learn a little more about the Chevelle and how it etched its name in muscle car history.

1964 - 1967 Chevelle

In 1963, when the Chevelle made its way into production for the first time as a '64, there were a couple of different motors to choose from. The largest and most powerful of them all was a 300-horsepower 327 cubic-inch small-block. This really didn't hit the nail on the head for consumers, as it was a little underpowered for the power-to-weight ratio.

In 1965, Chevelle upped the ante with a 396 cubic-inch motor that produced the type of power the public was waiting for. The new Z16 396 V8 produced 375 horsepower. The engine pushed the Chevelle from 0–60 mph in 6.0 seconds and dropped a quarter-mile time of 14.66 @ 99.8 mph.

Minor Change In Style

The 1966 Chevelle would see some body modifications, and although the power rating stayed the same, times at the track would be cut from a 14.66 to a 14.40 quarter-mile time. This was due to a solid-lifter cam and bigger valves given to the 396 cubic-inch motor.

More Changes For '67

In 1967, Chevrolet would stick with the same body style for the muscle car but would make some performance changes.

Front-wheel disc brakes were factory-installed to help stop the wider tires and new 14-inch rims. A new, reworked bumper and blacked-out rear panel were also part of the new features the '67 had to offer.

Unfortunately, because of GM curb-weight standards, it would experience less power and slower times at the track. The biggest engine offered was the L34 396, which produced only 350 horsepower and did 0–60 mph in 6.5 seconds with a quarter-mile time of 15.3 @ 94 mph.

1968-1969 Chevelle

For 1968, Chevrolet would try something new with the Chevelle. A new body style would make its way off the production lines. This new look brought about a shorter wheelbase, a longer front end, and a shortened rear-deck lid, giving it a fastback look. Although the 1968 Chevelle got a new look, it received the same power sources as the previous year.

The Chevelle's suspension would still be a sore spot, with lots of body roll, and slow shifting from the Muncie four-speed left a lot of complaints from consumers. But the one thing that did change was the consumer's choice of rear gears. The axle ratios ranged from 2.73:1 to a dealer-installed 4.88:1 drag cog gear ratio.

Upping The '69's Power Output

With consumers still complaining about power, Chevrolet would up the ante again for the '69 Chevelle. Although the badges and build sheets would say the Chevelle was built with a 396 cubic-inch motor that produced 375 horsepower, it was well known that the motors were bored out to 402 cubic inches. The deception was mainly to meet emissions standards and gain a horsepower edge. This plan really paved the way for what was to come in 1970.

1970 Chevelle 

In 1970, the Chevelle would see the most significant changes toward becoming a major contender in the muscle car world. Cosmetic changes included the first functioning cowl-induction hood with racing hood pins. A newly styled front end would be introduced, along with new-style Rally five-spoke wheels.

But the biggest change came in the size of the motor. General Motors lifted the ban against producing engines over 400 cubic inches, giving Chevrolet the green light to build and produce a Chevelle with what would become one of the most popular motors ever made: the LS6 454. Along with the functioning cowl-induction hood and huge displacement came better-performing engine components that helped produce 450 horsepower and left plenty of room for upgrades.

1971-1972 Chevelle 

Unfortunately, for 1971-72, the Chevelle would see some extremely harsh decreases in power. In response to GM's new rules that all engines must run on unleaded fuel and meet increasingly restrictive EPA emissions standards, the muscle car era was starting to become a thing of the past.

There was one good thing about the '71-'72 models, though. Although the big 454's power was lowered due to EPA emissions standards, you could still order one. And if you knew what you were doing, upgrading it to make the kind of power a 1970 454 did wasn't a huge task.

The 1973 Chevelle No Longer Looked Like A Chevelle 

For the last year of the Chevelle's existence, it got a completely new body style, and the motors had even less power. These cars would be the least liked among the nine-year production run and, even to this day, are not a big hit at drag strips, car shows, or auctions.

1969 COPO Chevelle 

In 1969, Chevrolet offered one of the rarest Chevelles to date, the '69 COPO. The COPO was designed specifically for the drag strip. It came with a 427 cubic-inch powerplant that produced an underrated 425 horsepower and was capable of producing quarter-mile times of 13.3 @ 108 mph. The COPO Chevelle was undoubtedly the fastest production Chevelle that Chevrolet ever produced. Like the other Chevrolet COPO Muscle Cars, this Chevelle has a cult following and draws big crowds and big numbers at auctions.

The Reasons for Chevelle's Popularity 

What makes the Chevelle so popular among consumers and muscle car fans?

The price, the size, the style, and the power. As a mid-size car, you could put your whole family in one and head to the grocery store, go shopping, come home, drop the family and the groceries off, and then head to the drag strip for some race time.

Saying Goodbye to the Chevelle and Many Other Muscle Cars

Although the Chevelle was canceled after 1973, it was not the only muscle car that got the ax. The GTO, Oldsmobile 422, the Plymouth Roadrunner, and many other muscle cars would see the same fate right around the same era due to the pursuit to find more fuel-efficient and economy-friendly cars. But the Chevelle and all of its Muscle Car brothers and sisters are still, to this day are extremely popular among car enthusiasts.

Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" 455: The C4 That Could Have Been

Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" 455

How do you beat a slew of Fox-Body 5.0 Mustangs that were seemingly dominated the roads in the late '80s? 

You take a 454 cu.-in. big-block engine and stuff into a C4 Corvette and call it "Big Doggie". 

"Big Doggie" ZR-2 Big-Block Corvette

I think everyone knew, by the time the C4 made its appearance in 1983 as a 1984 model, big-block enthusiast and all Corvette and sports car lovers alike knew big engines were officially going to be axed from GM's muscle/sports car line-up for a long time.

Not that there weren't plenty of signs through the 1970s that this was going to happen, but the '84 C4 clearly solidified that fact. With the absence of the Corvette in 1983 (in between the C3 and C4) some people might have been still holding out hope that there would be at least one powerful option for '84, but that was a no-go. 

The first C4 Corvette came out with a 5.7-liter Cross-Fire Injection TBI engine followed by a 5.7 Tune-Port Injection (TPI) engine later in the generation. Although Chevy called them legendary at the time, they weren't. Most people knew this, including some engineers at Corvette who wanted to build something people wanted.

Three Different Prototype C4 Corvettes with 454 cu.-in. (7.4-liter) Engines Were Built 

The project started at the GM Proving Grounds in Arizona, where Scott Leon and his crew decided to see if they could stuff a 454 cu.-in. engine in between the fenders of a C4 Corvette.   

They first started with a 1984 Corvette, and with just a few slight modifications, the big-block bolted onto the frame and in between the fenders. It was a tight fit, but one that fit nonetheless. 

Since the Corvettes by then were all using electronic fuel injection, Leon and the crew decided to go with a Tune-Port Injection setup bolted to a custom tunnel-ram manifold. Buick Grand National Injectors were used to keep fuel-flow efficient, and that was that, the first big-block was slammed into a C4 Corvette and ran super strong. 

Management Agrees to Go with a ZR-2 Prototype C4

With the success of the first built big-block C4, management started to see some promise in the idea and gave Leon and his crew a go-ahead to build a true prototype. So a 1986 Corvette 454 was born. This Corvette was built the same way as the '84 with an automatic transmission. 

  

After the second 454 C4 Corvette, Chevrolet got really serious about the idea, and a 1989 Roadster was grabbed for the final version, dub "Big Doggie". This Corvette had the Z51 performance suspension and a six-speed manual transmission. The convertible mechanism was taken out and a hard-top was bolted on to save weight, and then an orange paint job was applied. 

Although this ZR-2 could offer ZR-1 performance at about half the price, GM management was not looking to market the big-block Corvette. There were several reasons for not wanting to put the big-block Corvette into production, and one of those reasons included how much money had already been spent on marketing the ZR-1/LT5 campaign that included buying out The Lotus Group for their engineering and development satellite. 

The other reason why the ZR-2 had no chance for production is it had no chance of passing emission and fuel mileage requirements. 

Engine Specs: What is Known

This "Big Doggie" Corvette used Chevy's marine 454 short-block engine with a set of L88 aluminum heads, and although never dynoed, experts estimated horsepower at about 385, right around where the ZR-1 was at. But there was a huge difference, the big-block brought plenty more torque to the table, which also brought gas-guzzling numbers and safety worries. An all fiberglass frame with a big-block engine sent chills down the back of some uptight party-poopers.     

A New Idea for the Corvette 454 

Since GM had decided that there was no room for a big-block engine in the Corvette lineup, the next idea they came with was to make sure that all parts that were used for the ZR-2 were bolt-on parts that could be bought through the Chevrolet Performance Parts Catalog as a 454 ZR-2 swap kit. Unforantley, the idea never made it into the catalog. 

In the end, a very lucky few automotive journalists and development engineers got to drive "the C4 that could have been". And for those who did, they left no understated performance reviews. From all reports, the "Big Doggie" was super fast and super fun to drive.

1971 Corvette ZR2 

In 1971, Chevrolet offered a Corvette ZR-2 package (RPO) that offered a 454 cu.-in. LS6 engine. They also offered a ZR-1 packaged with a 350 cu.-in. engine. The way Chevrolet sold the Corvette Z-series was all power and little options. This made the cars less disable, and that caused Chevrolet to only have 8 ZR-1s and 12 ZR-2 Corvettes ordered and sold. 

This obviously means if you own one of these rare Corvettes, you might be sitting on a gold mine.  

What is the 1989 Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" Worth

In June 2009, this "Big Doggie" Corvette drove across the Barrent-Jackson Auction Block - sold by General Motors - price $71,500. 

You might think that something this rare would go for more, but prototypes and concepts cars usually don't have a huge market for them. Like this 1989 Corvette ZR-2, most prototypes are sold with a No Manufacturer Statement Of Origin (MSO), no title, and only a partial VIN#, meaning you can't legally drive the "Big Doggie" on the road. 

But it would still be nice to own this 1989 beast of a Corvette ZR-2 with a big-block 454.