Big-block 1967 Chevelle Leaves Jaws on the Floor at Rods, Rides & Relics
Cosmic, awe-inspiring Chevelle turned up at the 16th annual show in Redondo Beach, California.
If you’ve never been to one of these shows, it’s way more of a casual outing that allows car people to associate with more car people. People bring in their cool cars to show off, and people come to drool on them. Resto-mods, relics, rebuilds, restorations, or works in progress are all welcome to take the stage. This year, cars from all over stormed Redondo Beach Pier in Southern California, where folk could admire classic cars and the sea simultaneously. In another post about this event, we see cars from all walks of American automotive history — but we wanted to take a minute to appreciate this pristine Chevelle.
The beauty in which you are currently beholding is a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport. The Chevelle, which elbowed its way onto American roadways in 1963, was a very versatile car. It either came in a two door sport coupe option, four door sedan or as a four door wagon. Additionally, GM offered a wide variety of engine and trim options, with a six cylinder engine that made as little as 120 hp or V8s that made as much as 300 hp.
If you bought the Malibu Series Chevelle, you could even opt for a two door convertible. No matter which way you sliced the Chevelle, it was cushy (well, all American cars were back then, but still), loud, and most importantly: mid-sized. In the land of large American road-yachts, the Chevelle found itself right in the middle. It was a huge hit.
What’s marked the turning point for the Chevelle was the inclusion of an engine that made 300 hp in a traditionally smaller chassis. This, to American buyers, smelled more like a performance car than a family carrier. Chevy, smelling the faint whispers of a niche market, decided to capitalize on that. Thus, the beefing up of the Super Sport began. In 1965, the Chevelle SS was now fitted with the L79, which made 50 more gallops than the original engine. Despite the leap into the muscle car arena, only 201 of the better equipped SS’s were sold in ’65. In ’66, engines were now ranging from 325 hp to 327 hp.
In 1967, like the one pictured, is powered by one of the 325 hp options: A 396 Turbo-Jet. Chevrolet buckled down to make the cool car even cooler. Now, consumers could pay a tad extra for front disc brakes and a dual master cylinder. Now a more user friendly car, it also came with a collapsible steering column (after, you know, solid steering columns were literally impaling people or breaking a bunch of ribs), and a new brake failure light.
The 60’s was an era where cars and their makers (and drivers) were all finding their way in America. And the 1967 Chevelle showed manufacturers that a car could go fast and be relatively safe at the same time. Driving a fast car and living dangerously don’t have to go hand in hand, this car stands as a powerful testament to that notion. Plus, it helps that the styling of it beckons those in a close vicinity. Serious kudos are in order for the owner, Tim Munyer for keeping it in showroom condition. Almost like a siren, except, it won’t drag you to the bottom of the sea.
Photos by LS1 Tech.com Editor Derin Richardson
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