"Popular in drag racing; sporting incredible power from a massive engine."

The Chevrolet Chevelle introduced in 1964 was available in an SS-grade sports model, but this version was only for looks.

In the following year of 1965 however, the Chevelle SS was transformed into a full-blown high-performance car, with a 396ci OHV V8.

From then on the Chevelle SS was only offered with this 396ci unit, drawing a clear line between it and the previous SS.

In 1970, the Chevelle SS went on to be called the most powerful intermediate model on the market. The engine lineup now consisted of the 396ci, an enlarged 402ci model, and an even larger 454ci.

The option codes for the two types of 454ci models offered were the LS5 and LS6. The former produced 355 HP with a compression of 10.25:1, and the compression of the latter was raised to 11.25:1, and combined with high cams and high flow headers it produced 449 HP. This was the most powerful catalog model engine in the history of American cars in its day.

The LS6-equipped Chevelle SS 454 was immediately recognized as a very special model, with its wild power output unheard of for a street…