The year was 1970. It commenced the swan song of the quickest and most powerful factory-built muscle cars for decades to come. Through the 1960s, auto manufacturers learned the secret ingredients that drove sales. It was mid-triple-digit horsepower, sleek styling that gets the girl, and a compression ratio that tweaked a grin from enthusiasts. In 1970, it all converged to a point. Mopar’s Hemi engine and Chevy’s LS6 were kings of the street. Stop lights were staging trees, cars were fire-breathing monsters, and tires were paintbrushes for the road. When the gas pedal hit the floor, it wasn’t your dad driving, it was Chuck Yeager. This was the golden age of the American muscle car, before its demise a few short years later.
The May 2011 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines details the on-street rivalry of a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS454 LS6 and a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda. Detailed histories of each car are described like a window into the cars’ souls. After the sentimentality and nostalgia, the author gets down to brass tax mercilessly pitting each car against one another, detailing every shift and stumble.
Auto World has replicated this 1970 Chevelle in rich Tuxedo Black with white SS stripes, and a highly-detailed 450hp LS6 under the hood.
