Looks like any other 1970 Chevelle SS. But upon closer inspection…

Typically, for a classic car to be considered a legend, it needs to have one or more things happen in its life. One way, is that it might have been a winning racecar “back in the day.” Vintage racecars with a pedigree are highly sought. Another way to achieve legendary status is to be a high-profile show car that had disappeared from the public eye for decades, and then make a comeback. Finally, a car can also reach legendary status if it is surrounded by controversy.

When talking about Chevrolet’s 1970 Chevelle SS, the model itself truly is legendary. Its status is solidified by the way collectors and enthusiasts alike want to own them. But, are there any examples of the model that can be singled out? Most definitely, and we found one at the 2016 SEMA Show.

Your basic 396 cubic-inch big-block.

Parked outside of the convention center at the SEMA Show, with no fanfare or pomp and circumstance of any kind, was David Harter and his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle sporting a 396 cubic-inch engine, Turbo 400 transmission, and a 12-bolt rearend filled with 4:10 gears. That combination itself doesn’t add any rare significance to the car, but maybe the VIN number will. The last six numbers of the VIN on the ’70 Chevelle are what’s known as the sequence numbers. This tells you what number car each was to come down the assembly line. But, the VIN tag on this particular Chevelle is an anomaly, but more on that later.

All of the paperwork and documentation that David has, reports that this particular Chevelle was not built on the standard production line in a Chevrolet facility. In fact, this is one of 49 Chevelles that were built for the 1970 model year to be used for preproduction testing and development.

Remember we mentioned that the VIN tag is an anomaly? This car happens to have the sequence number 100042 assigned. Let’s clarify something, this is not the 42nd Chevelle built on the production line. Again, this is a Pilot, (preproduction) car.

This car was built in Flint, Michigan, and then was surprisingly sold in Detroit. The dealer that sold it was Ver Hoven Chevrolet, and was located at the corner of Six-Mile and Van Dyke road in Detroit. Unfortunately, neither the dealership nor GM are able to locate any records of the car.

David found the car when he was looking through a local sales flyer, and came across the ad. Even after he looked at the car and bought it, he had no idea what a rare item he had acquired until he started the restoration.

When the restoration was started, David began to find markings that seemed odd. Many of the interior parts and even the wire harness is labeled with a sticker that simply says Pilot. He also learned that many of the parts on the car have hand written numbers on them. There is no build sheet with the car, and these hand-written numbers are preproduction markings. David Call of T&D Motorsports was involved in the restoration and told us, “As soon as I started to disassemble the car, I noticed the roof line was completely different. The drip rail corresponds with that of a four door. Also, the windshield is 65 inches across the base, and the ’70 Chevelle should be 66 ½ inches.” Call continued, “The body is actually ¾-inch narrower than a standard 1970 Chevelle.”

The preproduction taillight lens has no markings.

As you can imagine, standard production parts will not fit this car, so every piece that is on the car had to be restored and reused. They are date and/or build correct parts. Rick Nelson of Muscle Car Restoration and Design, who has given his blessing to the car, and has verified it as the oldest-known pre-production 1970 Chevelle SS in existence.