2. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
A true pioneer of its kind, the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 helped to herald the muscle car’s ascent and golden age in the early seventies. Look at those beautiful Stereo Stripes!
With a 112” wheelbase, the SS 454 LS-6 was a behemoth. According to the brochure, “You can make our tough one even tougher,”. This meant beefing up the Chevelle with Cowl Induction to the LS-6 454 engine. With this vacuum operated door at the rear of the hood, air would be pumped into the huge Holley carb. This meant you were driving a beast of a machine with 450 HP and 500 lb./ft. of torque. Recent tests show that the LS-6 engine was under rated, and actually produced closer to 500 HP!
Fans of Mad Men will recognize the Chevelle as the car Don Draper drives in the race in the series finale. Could you imagine Don driving anything but a Chevelle SS? And it wasn’t without reason they chose this muscle car. Often nicknamed the “King of the Streets”, this car was a regular sight on drag strips across America in the 70’s. If you don’t know the ’70 Chevelle SS, you don’t know muscle!
Engine: 454 LS- 6 V-8 – Top speed: 130 mph –
Quarter mile time: 13.7 seconds – 0-60 mph time: 6.1 seconds