Yep, but to me when the compression ratios went in the crapper in 1971, the music died. I posted this elsewhere............ I don't have a lot of bragging rights but I had an opportunity at 16 years old to drive a new 1970 Chevelle SS, this car was a beauty, red, black stripes, black interior, normally this would have checked all the boxes for a kid, (or anyone) but it was the driving part that put it on a whole nuther level as it was an LS6/4 speed, yep 450 hp/454 with the M22 Muncie. Just like this one. Article Here: https://heacockclassic.com/articles/the-best-muscle-car-1970-ls6-chevelle/
I don't think I saw the engine until after driving it, but I really didn't need to see it!!! This actually is what I spotted first. Sorry about the GG logo.
That’s actually a picture of my old GTX taken 2 Weeks before I got it! I don’t remember the circumstances but the hemi car wasn’t available at the time so my car was a stand in for it. My car only ran a best of 14.1 don’t remember the mph. Note: When it raced the GS Buick it got creamed!
Ah yes the 1970 Buick GSs, I had a small block version just like the yellow, same color and top anyways. Took my mom for a ride had a little louder exhaust than stock well maybe a lot louder! Mom asks “Why do you want a car like this?” We were doing 40-45 and I nailed it the stock skinny bias plys lit up My answer “that’s why” mom”oh” she knew. Funny thing she thought my Chevelle Malibu was cute, not so much with the Buick even though the were the same body style. I guess the Chevy was quieter Dan
I thought 72 models is where the change took place but I’m guessing they came out in late 71. They did lower the comp. but they also started measuring HP at the rear instead of the engine. Anything to satisfy the insurance companies. Order some 906 heads and your back in the game Mopar wise.
Stuffed a 429 cobra jet into my 69 so it can be done sold the car in 90 to pay for our wedding now the cars gone and the wife's gone bad thinking on both parts. The car had some weird options like a 302 4 speed ,boss hood scoup,dark jade paint with a gold interior with a fold down rear seat.
When I was in high school one of our cheerleaders was the daughter of the local Chevy dealer. She rumbled into the school parking lot with one very much like this. It was a 454 but I don't know if it was an LS6 or a lower HP one. Same red/black combo, shiny and brand-new but I think it was a 72. Every boy in school walked around with their books held in front of their crotch after seeing that. That day was the one and only time she drove it to school, but it is the stuff of legend. I heard that this was a new car delivery, and she talked the buyer into letting her drive it to school before he picked it up from the dealership. She was a girl that was hard to say no to!
C'mon! You and I both know any teenage cheerleader that "talks" a buyer out of his mega HP, brand new car aint the girl you are tsking home to meet mom and pops!
There was some hoo-haa about a Nagari 2 from Bolwell a year or so back.. don't know if that venture survived the scamdemic. I loved the little L34's. 291 built. Went for a very exciting ride in one. Fantastic cam/ valvetrain/ breathing and good brakes. Dude was a drunk, totalled it around a pole a few weeks later.
1971 was a transition year in many ways for GM as they dealt with declining lead availability in gasoline, they published both gross and net horsepower ratings. Everyone poo poos the 1971 cars because they took compression out of the performance motors, but in reality, for today, all those '71's can run well on 2024 available pump gas. Any '70 or older muscle car will need more octane than what we have at the pump. And if you look at the numbers objectively, the '71's were only down about 25-35 HP. I like the '71's. (I had a '71 LS-5 Chevelle. 8.5:1, 365 HP.)
This is the "test" that all the Buick GS guys love to refer to beat up the Hemi guys. I think it's all pretty amusing, as I like 'em both. We'll likely never get to the bottom of the story about who the king of the musclecars really was. The interesting part to me was how Buick and Chrysler took very different approaches to get to near equal showroom performance. Buick used a massaged, but largely consumer bred engine, with lots of detailed total package development. Mopar, on the other hand was just trying to homologate their race car engine for winning in NASCAR. They didn't really want Joe average in a Hemi anything. Lotta liability.
It wasn’t the liability at all it was the fact that every hemi engine they built cost them $8,000. Toss in warranty claims and they lost a ton of money. That’s why they designed the ball stud hemi, to cut costs. Too bad they decided not to release it. Thanks OPEC.
IMHO 69 and 70 was the pinnacle of muscle car performance or at least until the revival we have been witnessing now. @mohr hp you are correct I remember the factory high compression stuff rattling on the junk gas we had in the mid seventies. My 72 Chevelle was probably quicker than my my 70 GS , the Chevelle had a few hp goodies but nothing crazy and had 8.5 - 9.0 compression the GS had 10.25:1 IIRC. All the majors had a Terror, which one was fastest who the hell knows I like em all! Dan
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