If this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle is going for $30,000, I wince at what that '72 Chevelle would go for today if I had been able to buy it. And it was in anywhere near the condition this one is. Thanks, again, mom.
I kid of course since this '70 is worth, at best, perhaps between $13,000 and $16,000 (not chump-change for sure) according to Haggerty. Most likely closer to ten-grand if you really look closely at it but it is nice to see a mostly unmolested, original and un-restored (non-SS) Chevelle that isn't a rust bucket. Most of these, again, have been over-restored or worse cloned into being something they weren't when they left the factory.
I found this Old Gold Chevy in a Facebook group for classic GM cars and many of my compatriots over there are up in arms over the asking price. They call people who overprice their cars "Dreamers" who could actually harm the classic car market if they got anywhere near their asking price. Relax, guys. Something's only worth what somebody's will to pay for it.
If you're of a certain vintage and you have an appreciation for old cars, chances are you lose your cookies over Chevelle's. My wife loves these as well although we both chafe at the idea of putting down what it would cost to own one. In decent shape. The cost of restoring one of these just isn't worth it to me.
I also question just how much these will eventually appreciate for. Kids today don't care about cars in general and the ones that do, for example my soon to be twenty-five year old older son, love the look of old cars but bristle at the way the ride and handle. Who's going to take care of these cars when we're too old to?
General Motor's intermediate "A-bodies" were all-new for 1968 and the prettiest of them were, sorry, my blog, my rules, the Pontiac's; GTO, Tempest, Lemans. The Chevelle's my second (and distant) favroite meanwhile the Oldsmobile's and Buick's were off into the weeds with their excessive, won-ton styling. Especially the Buick's.
I can't tell a '68 from a '69 Chevelle but for 1970, Bill Mitchell sprinkled buckets of his pixie dust on the design; all of the A's as well. What had been a fussy, cluttered design was now streamlined, clean. Dare I say sensuous. Throw in some crazy arse, over-powered engines into the lineup and you have a legend. A 1970 Chevelle like this in SS guise with the 454 cubic-inch, LS6 engine more like an automotive god. And then, poof. Like that. They were gone. For the record, I'm referring exclusively to the coupes. I could care less about the four-door sedans, I'm less ambivalent towards the wagons.
Truth is even back then they knew those tire melting hot-rods were history. And sooner than later. Increasingly restrictive emissions and safety standards were already on the horizon; both would throttle the fun and not in a "good way". Insurance premiums in certain parts of the country could add up to roughly a third the sticker price of the cars too. That's what makes an all-original and not cloned 1970 SS so hard to find these days. And if you do, well. If you think this car is over-priced even at half the asking price, don't even think about an SS. And like I said, who knows what the future holds for these things value wise.
That's what makes "original and un-restored" coupes like this "little" 307 cubic-inch (literal) golden oldie so special. And unique. $30,000 special and unique? No. Of course not. But special all the same.
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