Key Takeaways
- 1970 Chevelle LS6 convertible is the rarest of the rare with only 12-25 models produced, boasting a powerful 454 V8 engine.
- The LS6 engine option was luxurious yet costly, adding almost 33% to the car's price, deterring many buyers from opting for it.
- Yenko Chevrolet ordered 175 special Chevrolet Novas through the COPO system, making them highly sought-after by collectors today.
After the 1960s heydays of the factory-special muscle car, the fuel crises and emissions rules of the 1970s threw a wet blanket on high-performance cars. But that didn't stop Chevrolet engineers and a few enterprising Chevrolet dealers from sneaking out a few super-cool special projects in very limited numbers. We've dived into the records to find the rarest Chevrolet muscle cars produced in the '70s.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from General Motors, and other authoritative sources, including GM Heritage, Mecum Auctions, and Yenko.net
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The 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible Is The Rarest Of The Rare
The rarest Chevrolet muscle car produced in the 1970s is one that might not look rare at first glance. That's because it looks just like cars that are much more common. It's under the skin where the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 convertible is so special, even if Chevrolet seems to have done its best to make sure we couldn't find out exactly how rare it is.
That's because Chevrolet didn't always break down exact production figures for each model, but here's what we do know: Chevrolet built 4,475 cars in 1970 with a 454 cubic-inch engine. That includes around 500 El Camino SS models and a load of coupes. The convertible was rare then, and it's even rarer today. Especially with the stronger of the two 454 engines.
There Were Two Chevy 454 Options For The 1970 Chevelle
Chevrolet offered two SS model Chevelles in 1970, one with a 396 and one with a 454. The new-for-1970 454 big block V8 was the largest engine offered in a production Chevy at the time, and there were two variants. The LS5 version was the cheaper and it offered 360 hp. The LS6 was the one to get, though, with 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, along with features like stronger four-bolt main bearings.
So Chevrolet built just a few convertibles, fewer SS 454 models, and even fewer cars with the LS6, but just how rare is it? Experts believe that somewhere between 12 and 25 of the 1971 Chevelle convertibles left the factory with an LS6 454 V8, making this car almost a unicorn.
Chevy 454 V8 LS6 Engine Details
RPO | LS6 |
Engine | 7.4 Liter, Mark IV 454-Cubic-Inch V8 |
Power | 450 HP @ 5,600 rpm |
Torque | 500 LB-FT @ 3,600 rpm |
Bore/Stroke | 4.25 x 4.00 Inches |
Cylinder Block Material | Cast Iron |
Cylinder Heads | Aluminum Alloy |
Compression Ratio | 11.25:1 |
(Source: Chevrolet)
The Chevelle LS6 Option Was Expensive
Why was this model so rare? Partly because it was expensive. A basic 1970 Chevelle Malibu was $2,896.75. The SS 454 package was another $503.45, with the LS6 engine $263.30 on top of that. Adding almost 33 percent to the price of the car is just one reason why these Chevelles are so rare.
The other reason seems to be that most buyers were happy with less performance. The more affordable LS5 V8 might have only gotten you 360 hp instead of 425, but nobody would know unless you hit the drag strip. That's because the lower-power model still got you those all-important 454 and SS badges. You looked like the top dog, even if you weren't driving the fastest Chevelle on the drag strip.
How Much Is A Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible Today?
As we write this, the most recent sale of an LS6 was for $600,000 at Mecum Indianapolis in May 2024. Compare that to the coupe that sold for $110,000 the same day and you can quickly see just how much rarer and more desirable convertibles are. One Chevy Chevelle, which was drag-raced from new, sold in 2006 for $1.15 million making it one of the most expensive muscle cars ever at auction.
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The Second-Rarest 1970s Chevy Muscle Car Has A Cooler Story
The story of the second-rarest 1970s Chevy muscle car might be even better than the story of the rarest because it is embroiled in the story that made some of the rarest and meanest Chevys of all time possible. This ultra-special 1970 Chevrolet Nova comes with four letters that are legend among GM enthusiasts: COPO.
It stands for Central Office Production Order, and it was a special process Chevrolet dealers could use to order non-standard vehicle combinations. It was meant to be used to order special fleet paint colors or add extra heavy-duty equipment for police cars, but a few enterprising dealers figured out they could use it to order some very special cars.
A COPO order required approval from Chevrolet manufacturing or engineering, meaning that some of them likely involved back-room dealings between the dealer and Chevrolet. Some of the legends to come out of the program include the ultra-rare 1967 Super Camaros built with a 425 hp all-aluminum 427 cubic-inch V8.
Yenko Chevrolet Cracks The Factory Code
After ordering a handful of special Novas for 1969 and replacing the engines himself, for 1970, dealer and racer Don Yenko of Pennsylvania store Yenko Chevrolet tried something different. Yenko ordered 175 copies of the Chevrolet Nova using the COPO system to fit them with something special: Chevy's high-performance 350 which was normally bound for the Z28 Camaro or LT1 Corvette. The engine made 360 hp and was offered with a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic.
That gave the cars at least 60 horses more than the fastest small-block Nova Chevrolet offered in 1970. Nearly as much as the most powerful L78 402 big block cars but with much less weight. That wasn't enough, though, so before shipping the cars to customers and other showrooms Yenko added graphics as well as new wheels and even badges on the door cards.
There were other factory upgrades beyond the engine that included a 4.10:1 rear axle with Positraction that was not normally available and the F41 suspension option, which included a front swaybar and heftier rear leaf springs.
1970 Chevrolet Nova By The Numbers
Production volume | |
1970 Chevrolet Nova | 307,280 |
Nova SS | 19,558 |
Nova SS 396 (L34 and L78) | 5,567 |
Nova COPO 9010 | 177 |
(Source: NovaResource.org)
COPO Was Special Before The Yenko Supercar Touch
Now, normally, we might not count these dealer-built specials as being rare production cars, even though they were sold through multiple Chevy dealers as new cars as the 1970 Chevrolet Yenko Deuce. But these cars are different.
They weren't just normal cars taken off the line, they were special-ordered with options that nobody else could get. Going through the COPO process meant they were special and rare cars even before Yenko Chevrolet laid a hand on them.
Yenko didn't even get all of them; two more were built and sent to dealers in Canada. COPO might not have had a badge like SS or Z28, but that's how special the cars were. They were assigned a factory number, though, the code for the order for the special cars was 9010. And that makes the 1970 COPO Novas the second-rarest Chevrolet muscle cars of the 1970s.
Buying a COPO Nova Today
Though a 175-unit production run is quite small, most of these COPO Novas still exist. They cost $3,993 back when they were new, more than $1,000 more than a factory SS 396, so buyers took care of them. Today, the cars come up for auction a couple of times per year. Sale prices have been fairly consistent over the last few years. Two sold at auction in 2023, one for $112,750 and the other for $165,000. Two sold the year before, one for $137,500, the other for $135,000.
Contrast that with a 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS 396, and the price difference is clear. A Nova SS 396 sold last year for $84,700, with Nova SS 350s selling for around $40,000.
Sources: Mecum Auctions, Classic, Yenko.net
