This Cranberry Red 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle is a numbers-perfect LS6 Holy Grail

Introduced for the 1964 model year, the Chevrolet Chevelle was a bit late to the midsize party. Ford introduced the midsize Fairlane in 1962, the same year Chrysler began offering a smaller midsize. But that didn't stop the Chevelle from becoming one of the industry's defining names.

Like most midsize vehicles of the era, the Chevelle entered the muscle car market almost as quickly as it hit showrooms. By 1965, Chevrolet was already offering a 350-horsepower Chevelle, while the limited-edition Z-16 came with 375 horsepower. By 1969, the Chevelle had reached 400-horsepower territory.

Chevy took another step forward in 1970, just as the muscle car market was beginning to suffer from new emissions and fuel economy regulations. That year, the company dropped the mighty 454-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) LS6 V8 in the Chevelle.

Essentially a 360-horsepower LS5 engine on steroids, the mill topped with a single 800-cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor produced a whopping 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque. These numbers turned the Chevrolet Chevelle into the most powerful machine of the golden age of muscle cars. For reference, the Chrysler's 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) had 425 horsepower on tap, while Ford's 429-cubic-inch Boss 429 made 375 horsepower.

Sold in small numbers due to its large premium, the SS 454 LS6 remained a one-year gem because Chevrolet discontinued it after the 1970 model year. As a result, the SS 454 LS6 is now among the rarest Chevelles ever produced and arguably the most desirable. It is the Holy Grail of the nameplate.

How rare is the SS 454 LS6? Well, Chevrolet sold 4,475 of them, but that number includes El Camino pickups. The company didn’t keep detailed records, but experts estimate that just under 4,000 Chevelles received the mighty LS6. Most of those cars were hardtops.

Sure, the LS6 isn’t one of those hard-to-find classics, but the number of survivors or examples still running matching-numbers engines is significantly smaller. Chevelle expert Patrick Glenn Nichols just dug up a Cranberry Red hardtop that still relies on its original LS6.

A pristine car on the outside, this SS appears to be awaiting the finishing touches after a restoration. It is still missing a few components, but it runs and drives, and will be completed soon. The fact that Mr. Nichols was called in to approve the car and included it in the LS6 registry is a sign that the owner wants to show it at car shows or sell it in the near future.

Like most classics restored after many years of sitting around, this Chevelle features many replacement parts, including the quarter panels and dash. The owner also installed a reproduction sports steering wheel. However, the Chevelle still features the original engine cover, which is a rare early example. The LS6 mates to a replacement but period-correct M22 manual transmission and spins the rear wheels through the original rear end.

All in all, while it may not be 100% original, this Chevelle is a very desirable ride because it packs in some sought-after features. I’m talking about the Cranberry Red paint, bucket seats, center console, tachometer, and four-speed manual transmission. Once completed, this will be a six-figure vehicle worth over $200,000. Click the play button below for the full walkaround.