1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Has Been Hiding for Decades, It's a Holy-Grail L78

The 1970 SS454 LS6 is arguably the most desirable Chevelle out there. Fitted with a 454-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) big-block V8 rated at a whopping 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque, it was notably more potent than a HEMI-powered Mopar. I can definitely see the appeal.

But it's not just that. The LS6 is also a rare classic because the massive powerplant found its way in only 4,475 cars, including both Chevelles and El Caminos. Granted, that's not an extremely low figure, but with many of them destroyed or left to rot away in backyards, unmolested examples are getting increasingly harder to find.

And when they pop up at public auctions, Chevelle LS6s change hands for $170,000 to $250,000 depending on options and condition.

But if that's not rare enough for you, there's another holy grail Chevelle that's even more difficult to find. I'm talking about the 1967 SS396 equipped with the L78 V8.

While not as potent as the LS6, the 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) L78 was the most powerful unit available that year. Good for a solid 375 horsepower, it put the SS396 on par with most muscle cars offered by Ford and Chrysler.

But for some reason, people didn't rush to buy this engine, so production stood at only 612 units. All of them were built from May to July 1967 according to Chevelle experts. Come 2022 and far fewer than that are still around. So whenever an RPO L78 pops up, it's quite a big deal.

Case in point, Chevelle SS specialist Patrick Glenn Nichols recently unearthed what might just be the finest unrestored and unmolested SS396 L78 out there.

The Marina Blue example you see here spent most of its life in the mountains of East Tennessee and, according to Nichols, it was locked up in a barn for decades.

Brought back into the light two or three years ago, the Chevelle turned out to be an unrestored, all-original survivor. The car emerged out of storage with flat tires and a rat-infested interior, but it has since been refreshed and put back on the road.

And while the seats were reupholstered and the carpets replaced, everything else was kept in factory condition. Yes, the still-shiny paint is a whopping 55 years old as of 2022, and the engine, transmission, and rear end are of the numbers-matching variety.

It's not the kind of classic that would win beauty awards as is, but Nichols says it's the greatest L78 survivor he's seen so far. And that it's one of the most desirable Chevelles ever built. A holy grail for first-generation Chevelle enthusiasts.

Making things even better, it's a relatively low-mileage classic at only 68,000 miles (109,435 km) and the L78 V8 runs smooth and sounds fantastic when the gas pedal hits the floor.

Nichols, who usually authenticates rare Chevelles for people who are looking to sell them, says he "was able to make a purchase" so I guess he's now the lucky owner of this Marina Blue coupe.

Hopefully, this means we'll see more of this fabulous oldtimer and learn whether it will be preserved as is or restored to perfect condition.

So how much is a 1967 Chevelle L78 worth? Well, I haven't seen many of them cross the pond recently, but the few examples that changed hands over the last couple of years fetched $90,000 to $125,000. That's not a lot compared to the 1970 LS6, but we need to keep in mind that these cars were valued at less than $50,000 in the mid-2010s. Either way, it's a classic you should definitely check out.