Nineteen sevnty was a watershed year in the history of the American muscle car. Most would agree that the muscle era hit its apogee in 1970, when too much performance was not enough and user friendliness was shoved aside by an antisocial attitude; vying for the top of the pops was Chevrolet's Chevelle SS 454. The SS 454 carried Chevy's intermediate performance banner, wrapping a lean, butch exterior around serious big-block horsepower and igniting a reverence that burns strong more than 30 years later.
With its ample and inexpensive parts supply, ease of restoration and classic all-American appeal, the 1970-1972 Chevelle SS 454 is the muscle car that nearly everyone with gasoline in their veins wants in their garage. Chevrolet had restyled their mid-size Chevelle lineup for 1970, taking a highly detailed car and simplifying it; the new car's squared-off C-pillar replaced the previous model's dramatically curved one, and subtly flared fenders and bobbed front and rear ends gave the new car a more menacing, serious look that was both contemporary and timeless. The Super Sport package, Chevelle's highest performance option, was again available in the hardtop Sport Coupe ($3,497) and convertible ($3,697) body styles. The 1970 SS carried a number of distinctive styling cues, including quad headlamps in squared bezels, a two-part grille separated by a body-colored bar, and rectangular taillamps set in a chrome bumper that carried black inserts.
A domed hood was also standard on the SS models, which included the previous top-dog SS 396 and the new boss, the SS 454. A special option package, known internally as Z15, cost $503.45 in 1970 and would transform a plain-Jane Malibu into the fabled SS 454. This package included a 454-cu.in., 360hp Turbo-Jet V-8 (known as the LS5) with chrome accents, a heavy-duty suspension, SS wheels, power front disc brakes, dual exhausts with chrome tips, wheel arch moldings, a black grille and a chrome rear bumper with black inserts. Various SS badges also adorned the car, inside and out. For the extremists for whom 360hp was not enough, or for those who wanted to taunt overconfident Hemi-powered Mopar drivers, the LS6 option, costing a mere $263.30, brought the ultimate 450hp V-8. Extra street cred could be bought with the $147.45 ZL2 option, a.k.a. the Cowl-Induction hood package; this sport-striped hood, which was secured with pins, had a vacuum-operated flap that ducted cold air to the carburetor when the accelerator was floored. According to contemporary sources, a 450hp LS6-equipped SS 454 could run 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 13.44 at 108 mph.
A number of detail changes helped usher the Chevelle SS 454 into the 1971 model year. Last year's optional hood pins were standardized, the grille was modified to lose its painted center stripe, and new front fender-mounted wraparound turn signals replaced those in the bumper. While the front swapped its twin round headlamps for singles, the rear traded its single taillamps for twin round replacements, mounted in a now all-chrome rear bumper. The 14 x 7-inch SS 5-spoke wheel of 1969 and 1970 was replaced by a 15 x 7 wide-spoke wheel that wore a dark gray finish and bright trim ring and was shared with the new Camaro.
The interior was virtually unchanged save for new patterns on the Madrid grain vinyl seats, which featured Elk grain center inserts. In 1972, exterior changes to the Sport Coupe and convertible were limited to a widened grille that reached the thinner headlamp bezels, single-unit turn wraparound signals and a short piece of door-rub strip molding. Although the Chevelle family of cars was one of Chevrolet's best sellers in the early 1970s, the hairy and expensive Super Sport 454s were understandably rare. A mere 3,733 were built in 1970; 19,992 left dealer lots in 1971; and in 1972, 5,333 were sold. Because these are among the hottest muscle cars ever built and, depending on engine and options, can command serious money, some nefarious folks have built SS 454 clones with matching forged documents, cowl tags and protect-o-plates; every effort should be made to authenticate LS6-equipped cars.
Engines:What really makes a Chevelle SS 454 special? Need we ask-the engines! In 1970, this model could be fitted with one of two 454-cu.in. (7.4-liter!) V-8s. Buyers who chose code RPO LS5 got the "basic" engine, if a 360hp V-8 could be called that. The LS5, which featured a new, larger combustion chamber design, used the same cast-iron heads as the SS 396's 350hp engine; with hydraulic valve lifters, a 4.25 x 4.00 bore and stroke, a 10.25:1 compression ratio, 4-bbl. Rochester 4MV carburetor and dual exhausts, the LS5 made the aforementioned 360hp at 4,400 rpm and 500 lbs.-ft. of torque at 3,200 rpm. The holy grail of Chevelle engines in 1970 was certainly RPO LS6; this V-8 shared its bore and stroke with the LS5, but upped the ante with unique heads that used 1.88-inch exhaust valves and 2.19-inch intake valves, solid valve lifters, a high-performance camshaft, 11.25 compression and a 4-bbl. Holley 4557 or 4150 carburetor. It made an underrated 450hp at 5,600 rpm and 500 lbs.-ft. of torque at 3,600 rpm, some of the most impressive numbers in the industry, but its solid lifters made it more maintenance intensive than its hydraulic lifter-equipped brethren.
- hemmings.com -
Der Chevrolet Chevelle war ein Mittelklasse-PKW, der in den Modelljahren 1964 bis 1977 von Chevrolet in den USA als erstes Mittelklasse-Modell gebaut wurde. Die Unter-Modellreihen hießen Chevelle 300, Chevelle 300 Deluxe, Chevelle Malibu, Chevelle SS, Chevelle Concours und Chevelle Laguna. Die Chevelle sollte dem ähnlich großen Ford Fairlane Konkurrenz machen und das Chevrolet-Angebot um ein Modell ergänzen, das sich in Größe und Konzept an den beliebten Modellen von 1955 bis 1957 orientierte. Im Modellprogramm der sechziger Jahre belegten die Chevelle und ihre Luxusversion Malibu den mittleren Bereich zwischen den Kompaktwagen Corvair und Nova einerseits und den großen Modellen Impala und Caprice andererseits.
Das Modellangebot der Chevelle reichte von preisgünstigen Limousinen und Kombis bis zu leistungsfähigen Coupés und Cabrios. Die sportlichen Versionen hießen Chevelle SS (für Super Sport) und zählten zu den Muscle Cars. Am Anfang war der Malibu die Luxusversion der Chevelle-Serie, bis 1977 die ganze Baureihe diesen Namen erhielt. Das Fahrwerk der Chevelle bot auch die Basis für den 1969 eingeführten Chevrolet Monte Carlo, der selbst ein sehr erfolgreiches Modell wurde. Frühe Design-Entwürfe zeigen, dass die Chevelle ursprünglich die Nova-Namensschilder tragen sollte – eine Bezeichnung, die dann für die kleinere Chevy II-Serie verwendet wurde.
シボレー・シェベル (Chevrolet Chevelle) は1964年から1977年にかけて製造された中型自動車であり、この間、ゼネラルモーターズ社（以下GMと略）が製造し、最も成功を収めた車の一つである。
初代シェベルは1963年に、'64イヤーモデルとしてデビューした。シャシは、ペリメーター型のGMのAプラットフォームを改良したものをベースとしており、モンテカルロにも流用された。シェベルは、同サイズのフォード・フェアレーンに対抗することを意図して開発されたが、当初はシボレーが芳しい販売実績を上げていたシボレー・ノバの新型として販売される予定であった。
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