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.

1991 GMC Syclone and 92-93 Typhoon: Factory-Built All-Wheel-Drive Drag Racing Success

 

Summary

Turbocharged Performance: The Syclone and Typhoon brought turbocharged V6 power and all-wheel drive to the GMC lineup.

Buick Connection: The idea was originally developed by Buick and drew heavily from GM's successful turbocharged V6 technology.

PAS Engineering: PAS helped turn the concept into two of GM's most memorable performance trucks.

Serious Speed: These trucks could run the quarter-mile in the 13s in stock form and became even quicker with aftermarket upgrades.

Collector Status: Limited production numbers helped make the Syclone and Typhoon highly sought-after performance trucks.

Back in 1991, the dog days of the sad, slow, so-called economy-efficient sports cars were starting to come to an end. The Tuned-Port Injection (TPI) setups that General Motors was using in its sports cars were about to be replaced by a much more stout-performing LT1 350-cu.-in. engine.

But before the change, the GMC truck division of General Motors made an interesting move to get involved in some of the performance hype GM was encouraging at the time. GMC signed a contract with an aftermarket performance company called PAS (Production Automotive Systems). PAS and GMC joined forces to create two of the fastest production trucks of their time: the '91 GMC Syclone pickup truck and the '92-'93 GMC Typhoon SUV.

The PAS company was no stranger to this type of work. Pontiac called upon them to help build the now-famous.

1989 Turbo Trans Am 20th Anniversary Edition. Oddly enough, Pontiac kept it simple when building this sports car and went with what already worked for Buick by using the very successful 86 and 87 Grand National drivetrain setup. The turbocharged intercooled 3.8-liter V6 was already tormenting sports cars on the streets and at the track.

A Turbocharged Truck Was Buick's Idea

Originally, Buick came up with the idea for the turbocharged truck, but to avoid conflict with the GMC truck production branch, Buick handed the idea over to GMC. There was some hesitation to take on the project since Chevrolet already had a similar black regular-cab pickup truck on the market with a 454-cu.-in. engine.

But some forward-thinking engineers and designers saw the potential in smaller engines. Assuming Buick could make it work in a G-Body grocery-getter with much success, doing the same in a small truck and an SUV should work just as well. To nobody's surprise, it did.

Similar Buick Setup But A Bigger Engine For The Syclone and Typhoon

The PAS company engineered a 4.3-liter Vortec engine equipped with a turbocharger and an intercooler to fit in both the Syclone and the Typhoon.

To efficiently transfer engine

power to the wheels, both models would receive the four-speed 700R4 automatic transmission, the same transmission that many GM vehicles came with, including GM sports cars and the Buick turbo cars.

The First Factory-Built All-Wheel-Drive Technology Used For Drag Racing Performance

What made the Syclone and the Typhoon so unique compared to other trucks was that they used a very performance-efficient all-wheel-drive system. This technology helped these trucks, with an underrated and unofficial horsepower rating of 280, get down the quarter-mile with times that would stop the clocks somewhere in the high-to-mid 13-second range.

Since the GMC 4.3-liter turbo technology was so similar to the successful Buick 3.8-liter turbo cars, aftermarket parts dealers and car enthusiasts knew exactly what easy upgrades could be made to make these trucks amazingly performance-efficient. I've personally seen Typhoons run in the high 10-second range, while lighter Syclones could stop the clocks in the 9s.

GMC Syclone and Typhoon: Unbeatable Deal

With great gas mileage, excellent performance, and the fact that they were limited-production vehicles, the GMC Syclone and Typhoon were, and still are, collector items for car enthusiasts.

With production numbers of only 2,998 '91 Syclones, 2,500 '92 Syclones, and 2,200 '93 Typhoons built, the price tags on these rare trucks still stay in the $15,000 to $25,000 range for the ones that are still in good condition.

Unfortunately, the PAS company in Troy, MI., which was responsible for the GMC Syclone and Typhoon's engineering and design, would go out of business sometime after GM decided not to move forward with any more specialized GMC vehicles.

The decision to move forward without PAS-specialized vehicles was mostly due to the progression of the Corvettes, Camaros, and Trans Ams, along with the need to focus on new electric-vehicle technology.

That may have sounded silly back then, but now, all auto companies have moved in the electric-vehicle direction, and GM predicts that by 2035, the only vehicles it will be producing will be all-electric vehicles. We'll see how that works out!

             

Syclone and Typhoon GENERAL SPEC

Type: V6 GMT300

Disp.: 262 C.I. (4.3L)

Transmission: 700R4

Drive: All-Wheel Drive

Syclone Horsepower: 280 Horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of Torque

MPG: 17 city and 19 highway

Typhoon Horsepower: 285 Horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of Torque

MPG: 14 city and 17 highway

These Are Very Fun Vehicles To Drive And Still Hold Thier Value Very Well!