I have an article that was written in one of the mags that I received (years ago), that tells the story of a gentleman in Texas (I believe) that has in his possession a '70 Chevelle convertible LS6 w/aluminum heads. There was a picture of the car sitting in a large pole barn/garage. If my memory serves me correctly, it was black w/black top. There was also a picture of the build sheet which clearly showed LS6 w/aluminum head...AND...the car came from the factory with a fiberglass cowl induction hood. It is also listed on the bottom of the build sheet.Just because something appears in print, it isn't automatically gospel.... I know, because I've made many mistakes over the past 25 years while penning various articles for magazines. However, I've always been open anyone that could shed new light on a subject and broaden my scope of knowledge.
Kent
'68 Malibu ZZ502/502 :)
ACES #5102
Chevy High Performance had a brief article in it a few years back about the L89/LS6 convertible Chevelle from TX. I assume it's the same one being discussed here. It caused quite a controversy among the readers, with arguments going both ways.
A few years prior to it appearing in the magazine, however, I personally inspected the car and the "build sheet" while on a business trip to Lubbock, TX. To the trained eye, the build sheet is laughable... not even close. All the fonts are wrong, it was obviously a counterfeit, and not a good one at that.
A couple of years after the magazine article the car was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction to a gentleman from Mustang, OK. The reason I know this is because after purchasing the Chevelle he asked me to help authenticate the car, which I agreed to. He sent me a copy of the same "build sheet" that I'd seen years earlier, and I told him based on that questionable piece of documentation I was unable to confirm the authenticity of the Chevelle. He called me a few weeks later to let me know he'd been able to get his money back. At the present time, it is unknown what the status of the car is or where it's located.
Still, it was a neat car and a great "what if Chevrolet decided to build one" exercise. The coolest thing about the car, at least to me, was the functional, fiberglass cowl induction hood. It had all the right underbracing and sealing areas, and looked to me like a regular steel CI hood, except the thing was all fiberglass. The owner of the Chevelle was unable to confirm whether it may have been a GM prototype that got out of the engineering dept, or if some aftermarket company may have produced it. At any rate, I've never seen another like it.
The other interesting car that he had parked in the same building was a black '66 SS with 427 fender flags and SS427 grill/cove emblems on it... purported to be a "factory-produced" car. It, too, was somewhat suspect as there was no paperwork confirming that fact. I've searched long and hard in my quest for Chevelle knowledge over the past 30 years, to find confirmation that some "factory" 427 Chevelles were produced in '66-7, but have yet to see one stitch of evidence to support that proposition. And, I believe that among the Chevelle cognoscente, that seems to be the prevailing line of thought. It, too, was a cool car with a healthy 427 and a rare GM-produced underhood cowl-plenum air cleaner.
So, at least that's my read on a couple of Chevelles that are unique and over time have become somewhat mythical... but ultimately, not verifiable. If anyone knows any more info on either of these cars (anyone, especially in the Lubbock, TX area), I'd like to hear from you and consider any evidence you have to support either of the claims that these cars are "real." As I said earlier, I'm always open to anybody that can bring new light to a subject and increase my knowledge. This has been a great thread, thanks for allowing me to comment.
Chuck
