This LS6 Chevelle Convertible Ticks the Right Boxes

By any measure, 1970 Chevelles are very popular. By make/model, the Chevrolet Chevelle is the fourth-most insured car on Hagerty policies. By year/make/model, the 1970 Chevelle is more popular than any other Chevy besides the 1967–69 Camaro and the ’57 Bel Air. Any car show or cruise-in is bound to have one, or five. Yet not all ’70 Chevelles are created equal. As with most classic muscle cars, little details (also known as options) can make a world of difference.

This Chevelle LS6 has good details. That’s why it sold for $396,000, the highest price overall at Mecum’s Indy Fall Special auction this year. That figure nearly matches the model’s condition #1 (“concours” or “best in the world”) value, even though this example is far from #1 condition and despite the fact that LS6 values have recently dipped.

The 1970 model year was the peak of Chevrolet’s bread-and-butter muscle car. It was arguably the biggest year for muscle cars in general, and the Chevelle came into it refreshed, wearing a dramatic restyle. The shape was squarer than the that of ’69 car, with bobbed front and rear ends, subtly flared fenders, a more prominent grille, and new bumpers. “We made our tough one even tougher,” ads proclaimed. GM had also finally lifted its self-imposed ban on engines bigger than 400 cubic inches in intermediate-sized automobiles. That meant the 454 could drop into the Chevelle. By displacement, this was the biggest engine Chevy ever threw into a passenger car.

Though the SS 396 was still perfectly potent and remained in the ’70 lineup, the SS 454 was now top dog. When buyers ticked the $503 box for the latter engine, they also got heavy-duty suspension, power front disc brakes, and SS wheels along with the monster motor. The 454 came in two specs, LS5 and LS6. The LS5 came rated at 360 hp and 500 lb-ft. The LS6, which cost another $263, was a different animal with forged aluminum pistons, forged steel connecting rods and crankshaft, solid lifters, and a 11.25:1 compression ratio. Output was 450 hp and 500 lb-ft. Potent but expensive, the LS6 was dropped from the catalog in 1971. Today, thanks to their rarity, potency, and history on NHRA drag strips, Chevelle LS6s are the most valuable of the Chevelle family.

According to GM Heritage, Chevrolet equipped nearly 4500 Chevelle-based cars with the LS6 for 1970. Convertibles are by far the rarest (though no exact figure is known) and expensive. This one sold to its first owner in Buffalo, New York, who traded in a ’68 Malibu to cover the hefty price tag on the soft-top LS6.

Here are the specs: Cranberry Red paint with black SS Rally stripes, Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission, 4.10 Positraction axle, F41 suspension, J50 power brakes, power windows, power steering, bucket seats, center console, and 8-track stereo. Documents still with the car include original invoice, build sheet warranty booklet, and Protect-O-Plate. The LS6 engine is original to the car.

Much of the rest of the car is original, too, as it left the Baltimore factory in 1970. This Chevelle also sold from the family of the original owner, who clearly cared for the car and didn’t stuff it into a corner for a few decades like you see with some other classics boasting “single family ownership.” There are a few signs of age, particularly in the interior and under the hood, but overall its condition is impressive for an unrestored car.

In addition to that preservation, the known history is a big plus here, and so is the documentation, which is the kind of thing that often gets lost over the years but is cherished dearly by muscle car collectors when it’s there. All that explains why this Chevelle brought concours-car money, even if it isn’t in concours-car condition.