Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham

Crossing the block at the 2018 Northeast Auction will be this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454 LS6 (Lot #670).

The American muscle car market reached peak everything in 1970. As the new decade dawned, Detroit’s supercars offered the largest, most powerful engines yet seen, the most eye-popping colors, tallest wings, boldest stripes and most dramatic sheet metal, all pushed by almost comically aggressive advertising. The Baby Boomer demographic had come into its own as a car buying force, and stringent emission controls and Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards were still in the future.

While it’s true that muscle car sales were down from 1969, horsepower and image were still foremost in product planners’ minds, and American automakers were only too happy to keep the pipeline supplied with an ever-increasing portfolio of youth-oriented high-performance cars.

Of course, if you’re talking about the summit of muscle car achievement, you can’t have that conversation without talking about the 1970 SS454 Chevelle with the LS6 engine option. If you want to see why, you should make plans to attend Barrett-Jackson’s 2018 Northeast Auction at Mohegan Sun, June 20-23, where one of the best in the nation will be offered for sale, as Lot #670.

Simply stated, the LS6 Chevelle delivered the highest factory-rated horsepower number of any American muscle car from that era, advertised at 450 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 500 ft/lbs of torque. Certainly, there was a lot of monkey-business involved in Detroit horsepower ratings, as manufacturers jockeyed to finesse racing rule books or keep insurance companies from penalizing their cars. Even so, virtually everyone agrees the LS6 was the real deal, an easy 13-second quarter-miler in stock trim, and one of the best performers from the class of 1970.

The LS6 spec sheet reveals the differences that set it apart from the base LS5 454, rated at 360hp. The LS6 engines were built in GM’s Tonawanda engine plant, and featured 4-bolt main bearing caps for strength, forged steel connecting rods secured with larger 7/16-inch bolts, TRW forged aluminum pistons and a forged steel alloy, cross-drilled crankshaft. The LS6 squeezed out an 11.25:1 compression ratio, a full point above the LS5 454.

The engine could move prodigious amounts of air and fuel, thanks to cast-iron cylinder heads with large valves and rectangular ports, a high-lift, solid-lifter camshaft with heavy-duty valve train and a Holley 780 cfm 4-barrel carburetor on an aluminum intake manifold.

Car magazines of the period universally hailed the LS6’s performance. Chevy built 4,475 LS6 Chevelles in 1970 – making it more popular than the lower-priced and more streetable LS5 that was standard with the SS454 package.

The example being offered at the Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction offers all that performance in a beautifully restored package. White with red interior, the concours rotisserie restoration was undertaken at Spanos Auto in New London, New Hampshire, and reflects 3,300 man-hours invested.

Even without all that attention showered on it, this Chevelle would be in the top tier of collectible muscle cars. It has its numbers-matching LS6 454 V8, with original carburetor and exhaust. The beefy big block is backed by a Turbo 400 automatic transmission and 4.10 posi-traction rear end. The car is well-equipped, with power steering and brakes, bucket seats with console, gauges, tilt steering column with Sport steering wheel, AM/FM radio with 8-track tape player, and tinted glass. The sale includes two Build Sheets.

This extraordinary SS454 has been scrutinized under the bright lights of the car show circuit and came away with top awards. It scored 1,000 out of 1,000 points at Eckler’s Chevy Classics Club Winter National in 2013, earning a Platinum certificate. The car has won a Concours Gold certificate from the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, Best in Show and a Crystal Award at the ACES Maryland regional Chevelle Show, and a First Place trophy at the Boston World of Wheels.

Like a heavyweight champion in a tux, this Chevelle has all the muscle it needs, and is as well-dressed as they come. Think of it as peak muscle.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.