Superb 1966 Chevy Chevelle Goes on the First Drive After Rebuild, Has Only 11 Miles

Chevrolet rolled out the Chevelle in 1964 as a response to Ford's Fairlane. It was a time when both Ford and Chevrolet were feeling the breath of the Rambler American burning at the back of their necks. So they had to come up with something. For Ford, that something was called the "Fairlane," which arrived in 1962. It worked for them, but was it going to turn out right for Chevrolet as well?

They took their time, and in 1963, they brought the Chevelle to the automotive stage as a 1964 model year. Built on a newly developed A platform, featuring a body-on-frame construction, and sitting on a 115-inch (2,921-millimeter) wheelbase, it came to bridge the gap between the Chevy II and the full-size models of the brand.

Furthermore, the Chevelle was America's only new car in 1964. It was the right car at the right time because it got the attention a new model wouldn't normally get right from the start. Chevrolet sold 338,286 examples that year. And that was only the beginning.

Chevrolet kept the model in production for over three generations. The last Chevelle rolled off the assembly line in 1977. The automaker needed to make room for the new lineup of mid-size cars, the Malibu. At first, the Malibu was the range-topping version of the Chevelle before it completely took over. With the aging Chevelle still in its portfolio, Chevrolet needed a breath of fresh air in the segment.

Chevrolet offered it in so many body styles that it was also impossible to choose. A two-door hardtop, a two-door coupe, a two-door convertible, a two-door sedan, a two-door station wagon, a two-door coupe utility vehicle came in the company of a four-door sedan, a four-door station wagon, and a four-door hardtop.

The one that we have right here is a two-door sport coupe. It is a first-generation model, which has just driven out of the restoration laboratory. The original gloss Black Tuxedo paintwork radiates on the body, complementing the impeccable lines. The chrome details are flawless, and the "396 Turbo Jet" lettering on the front fenders, in the company of the flag logo, outshines all other details. Meanwhile, the rear fenders display the "SuperSport" badge.

Medium Bright Blue Imitation Leather wraps the bench seats with custom Deluxe retractable seatbelts, dashboard, and door cards, confirming the quality of the thorough restoration.

The odometer shows only 11.8 miles (19 kilometers) since the rebuild. Above the odometer, the speedometer is scaled up to 120 mph (193 kph). A gauge at the far right instrument cluster indicates the oil temperature. The original radio is still on board the car, and it works. A clock in a cylinder support sits on top of the dashboard.

The car drives out on the open road and eats up the asphalt as if it were terribly hungry to drive. It is powered by a matching-numbers four-barrel carbureted 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) V8. The big-block engine generates 325 horsepower. The V8 puts the power down through a Muncie four-speed M20 manual transmission. On a cold start, it fires up in a heartbeat and runs smoothly.

Everything is new under the hood and looks and works like the car has just rolled off the production line of the factory in Kansas City. In fact, it sort of is brand-new since it has recently been through a rotisserie restoration. However, even before the restoration, the model was stored in a garage, protected from rain, wind, and direct sunlight.

The trunk hosts a spare wheel the size of those the car rides on. There are also boxes containing spare badges, headlight bezels, and upper and lower grille trims. The Factory Assembly Instructions Manual and the Service Manual are precious literature.

And that is not all the paperwork that goes with the car. The original build sheet of the Chevy Chevelle, but also five CDs documenting every step of the restoration and receipts are included.

Spuds Garage spent a lot of time documenting the numbers and making sure everything was original. The car was sold as new in Minneapolis and went through different garages until the current owner decided to restore it. The model, which is registered in California, is now sold "As is."

Ownership has been verified, the car has been documented, operated, checked, and photographed by Spuds Garage. The Chevy coupe is now in Clovis, California, waiting for someone to fall in love with it.

The most expensive 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle ever sold was the one auctioned off in January 2023 through Barrett-Jackson. Someone paid $330,000 to take it home. However, that was quite a price to pay for a mid-size Chevrolet from the 1960s, which has an average price of $58,822, according to Classic.com.