The Chevelle was one of the most impressive models offered by Chevrolet in the 1964 through 1977 model years, and although there have been rumors circulating about a possible revival, nothing ever really happened to encourage that rumor to be more. That is, until now. According to Jalopnik, Chevrolet will be offering a "surprise concept" next week at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that will preview the return of the historic Chevelle.
According to their source, Jalopnik says that this concept will be a "retro-styled compact-ish car" translated into a concept that is "smaller than a mid-size sedan but bigger than a toaster." Great, we’re glad they cleared that up. It also seems as though Chevrolet has trademarked the "Chicane" name so it is very possible that the concept will come bearing that name when it lands in the Motor City.
Let’s just hope this rumor does hold water because after two years of Chevelle revival nonsense, we’re about due for some concrete information, and maybe we’ll get just that next week in Detroit. Stay tuned!
The early 60s all the way up to the 70s was a golden age for the American automotive industry if only for the simple fact that muscle cars were growing not just in number, but in overall stature. The muscle car arms race of the that time yielded plenty of options for customers looking for more power and metal-twisting torque from these vehicles. And the models only grew in popularity as more and more people began clamoring for the biggest, baddest, and most powerful machines.
The general appeal these muscle cars offered to the growing American car culture of the time was the opportunity to own powerful cars that could be used for drag racing while also keeping costs at bay. At that time, a number of brands began developing their own models, including legendary names like the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Plymouth Barracuda, the Pontiac Trans-Am, and the Dodge Charger, to name a few.
While the golden age of American muscle was limited to parts of these two decades, the industry has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent years. It’s not going to compare to the 60s or the 70s, but as proven by customer clamoring, the culture of American muscle cars is far from bearing its last legs.
To pay tribute to the time where muscle was king of the road - and the drag strip - we have compiled a list of the 10 most memorable muscle cars of the golden age.
Check out the list after the jump.
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The Chevelle was one of the most successful nameplates in Chevrolet’s history. It was produced from 1964 to 1977 in three different generations and four distinct body styles: Coupe, Sedan, Convertible, and Station Wagon. With 34 years of Chevelle-less history, it was only a matter of time before someone thought it was a good idea to bring back the Chevelle in some sort of revival vehicle.
This blast from the past comes to us as the Chevrolet "Corvelle" and was put together by an unknown builder that thought it would be a great idea to combine the chassis from a 1968 Chevelle and just about everything else from a 2007 Corvette. Only 15% of the Chevelle was left when the Corvette’s components were added in and the end result is a seamless construction of two Chevrolet icons.
The Chevrolet Corvelle will be put up for auction by RK Motors for $109,900. It is painted in the same LeMans Blue that was available on the ’68 Chevelle and the ’07 Corvette. Power will comes from a 6.0 liter LS2 V8 engine that delivers 400 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.
Hit the jump to read more about the Chevrolet Corvelle Convertible.
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Built by Route 66 Motorsports, this 1970 Chevelle SS is the third in a series of specially enhanced muscle cars developed for American Heroes. The car will be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson on June 26, with all the proceeds going to the Armed Forces Foundation.
Starting with a donated 1970 Chevelle, Route 66 added a new suspension, a new brake system, an LSA intercooled and supercharged engine mated to a TCI Automotive 6x 6-speed 4L80E transmission, a K&N air filtration system, Autorad radiator system, Lucas Oil Products synthetic lubricants, Edelbrock LS package of headers, exhaust, and motor mounts.
National Parts Depot supplied all the replacement body panels to allow Route 66 Motorsports’ artisans to paint this car with PPG Industries black. Additional exterior trim parts were supplied by National Parts Depot, along with taillight and exterior accent components from Fesser Built. Route 66 Parts also supplied additional exterior parts while the final finish was treated to the full array of Route 66 Exotic Coatings wax products for superior gloss and protection.
This is the third year Project American Heroes is used to raise funds for the Armed Forces Foundation. The first one raised a total of $130,000 and the second raised $500,000.
In 1978 Chevrolet droped the production of the Chevelle and replace it with the Malibu. In 2009 the Chvelle will be launched again and will be based on the Chevrolet SS (Super Sport) Concept that was unveiled at the 2003 North American International Auto Show that was intended to be a modern version of past SS vehicles, such as the Camaro and Chevelle.
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