-Pilot 1970 Chevelle ...

[1972coronet]

Certainly , there are many of my fellow gear heads whom have read about the pilot 1970 Chevelle  ( a hand-built L34 [ 350hp 396 ] Super Sport ) , but for those of you whom haven't heard about this anomaly , I present this :

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/1970-chevrolet-chevelle-ss396-pilot-car-escaped-general-motors-crusher-1969/

[DumpyDan]

Great story, thanks for sharing.  My first car was a 2 door Chevelle. 

[1930fordpickup]

This was a very interesting read. A Pilot / test mule car more than likely. Is it a legit SS that is a good question. How many other SS cars have a body built 3 months before the Engine? Wouldn't this be a red flag any other time?  Does the value come from the test mule or the SS option? It seems to me this is a hot car that should have never been sold but was, to some this just adds to the value. 

[oldnslow]

Fantastic story, just goes to show that gems are still out there.

[Dodge Driver]

Judging by the Chevelle's as-found condition, it escaped the crusher twice.

[1972coronet]

This was a very interesting read. A Pilot / test mule car more than likely. Is it a legit SS that is a good question. How many other SS cars have a body built 3 months before the Engine? Wouldn't this be a red flag any other time?  Does the value come from the test mule or the SS option? It seems to me this is a hot car that should have never been sold but was, to some this just adds to the value. 

I doubt that it would have any value if it were a base model , a wagon , and-or a 6 cylinder.

I'm more familiar with Chrysler's pilot vehicles , and how they were assigned V.I.N.s , and how they found their way into the public's hands : 1970 Coronet R/T convertible which was built in April 1969 ; 1971 440 Six Pack Super Bee with its mis-struck "First Job Rramed" [sic] (should read : "Framed") , and some others that I'm forgetting at the moment .Would those aforementioned cars have any greater value if they were , say , a 1970 Duster with a 318 ?  A 1973 Coronet with a 225 ?  

Who truly knows how that L34 Chevelle escaped , found its way to a dealership , and then into the hands of its subsequent owners ? After all , if G.M. didn't assign V.I.N.s to their pilot cars , then how was this car ever titled ?

[Mark]

Lots of "I feel that"s and "could it be"s in there.  Sounds like someone constructing a story for when it crosses the auction block.

[Xingu]

I think any documented test mule would have value. Even more so if there are one off or hand formed pieces (that can be verified) still attached to the vehicle. They are all very rare pieces of automotive history.

I don't think many of the survivors made it to a dealership, I think they ended up with some executive or engineer and were later resold.

[1972coronet]

Lots of "I feel that"s and "could it be"s in there.  Sounds like someone constructing a story for when it crosses the auction block.

That wouldn't surprise me for a moment . But why a base L34 model ? Why not an LS5 ? An LT1 ( which was a Corvette and Z28 --- and the Yenko COPO Nova --- engine only for 1970 ) ?

Maybe that's why the standard engine was "chosen"  ; an LS6 could 'throw-a-red-flag' .

Really , how far did the 'no assigned V.I.N.' go ? No dashboard tag = illegal (since the 1968 model year) . I'm not sure as to when VIN's were required by mandate (?)

[1930fordpickup]

That wouldn't surprise me for a moment . But why a base L34 model ? Why not an LS5 ? An LT1 ( which was a Corvette and Z28 --- and the Yenko COPO Nova --- engine only for 1970 ) ?

Maybe that's why the standard engine was "chosen"  ; an LS6 could 'throw-a-red-flag' .

Really , how far did the 'no assigned V.I.N.' go ? No dashboard tag = illegal (since the 1968 model year) . I'm not sure as to when VIN's were required by mandate (?)

The good points keep flowing, I like it. 

As far as a VIN number, if the car never hit the road as a driver it would not need one. The big three all have test tracks around here in Michigan and other States.  They even send cars and trucks to Canada for cold weather testing. All of these cars and trucks have VIN'S now but back then they might not have. 

Three of GM'S show cars from the 50's were saved when the scrap yard owner did not want to scrap the works of art. One or two he did cut up but did not crush. What was required of the guy crushing the test cars was a signed paper that he crushed a red Chevy or whatever it was. Times were simpler back then.  If it was a new car he would not have known  what it was anyway.  They are stories but I heard a few about the going's on around Detroit and the DownRiver area here. a ton of things that were scraped or in a dumpster found there way outside the fence.  It wasn't that long ago that w hen all the stuff changed.