Re: [Chevelle-List] Rarest Cars in the US...

[Kent Lewis]

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. 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     Well that sure sounds like the same car.  And yes I do believe the article came from a copy of Chevy High Performance, not sure on the date though (still have not found the article).  But you covered it rather well.  It's neat to hear that you have actually looked at the car and the build sheet.  From the photo in the article it would be difficult to distinguish a real vs. fake buildsheet.  And as you say "Just because something appears in print, it isn't automatically gospel".    Having said that,  I will add that there is more to the story on the fiberglass cowl hood.  This same gentleman from Texas was able to locate the manufacturer of the special hood.  Apparently the company was/is still in business, and in fact still had a number of these hoods in storage.   He purchased the last 3 (?) hoods that they had.     Now, about the LS6 w/aluminum head option.  Once again, I am going to use my "encyclopedia of car facts/fiction" and say that I recall a letter that was written to a magazine wanting to know what the engine code was that was stamped on his block.  The response was something to the effect of "Your not going to believe this, but we looked up that code and it deciphers out as an LS6 w/aluminum heads !  We were not aware that engine even existed."  Anyone care to look up the engine codes ?   Kent '68 Malibu ZZ502/502 :) ACES #5102