King Of The Streets

“The past is gone. The future may never see a car like this. It is one of the brutes, and all it needs is a way of staying in contact with terra firma.” – Hot Rod Magazine, May 1970

In the hierarchy of the street, circa 1970, there were the Big Dogs and then there was everyone else. Having 400 cubic inches under the hood didn’t cut it anymore at the Stoplight Grand Prix. The name of the game was horsepower and the more grunt the better, and more grunt meant more cubic inches and more horsepower. The old standard “there’s no replacement for displacement” was never truer in 1970, and sitting atop the muscle car food chain was Chevrolet’s SS Chevelle. Not just the garden variety, 360 horsepower SS454, but the King Kong of the Bow Tie brigade, designated RPO Z15. Checking off this option delivered a 450 horsepower, 454 cubic inch solid lifter behemoth that cranked out 500 lbs.-ft. of torque and bludgeoned any challengers for its title as King of the Streets… read more >