1970 Chevelle SS 396

1970 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. The SS 396 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 Chevelle SS 396 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.