The 2015 Mecum auction in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, features one of the rarest production Chevy musclecars from the musclecar era. It’s rare enough to find a 1969 L78 Chevelle running around on the local streets, but a convertible 1969 L78 Chevelle is too much to hope for.
Harrisburg is one of the places where rare cars are more visible.
Your typical neighborhood dealer was not going to have a 396ci big-block with 375hp sitting on the showroom floor. These were performance vehicles, and the people that bought them used these uncommon specimens primarily for racing. As such, these vehicles lived a hard life with many going to the wrecking yard earlier than the life expectancy of regular Chevelle models.
The L78 was a relatively expensive option for the time, costing an extra $252.80, which was a lot of money in 1969. The L78 package included the heavy-duty suspension with firmer-than-normal springs, a large stabilizer bar, and firm shocks. Extra reinforcements for the lower control arm boxes were added, and the upper control arms were braced to handle the extra torque from the big-block engine.
Add the RPO Z25 Super Sport package and the convertible body, and you can imagine how rare these cars were in their own time. Because they were rare to begin with, and the ones that did exist were treated to a hard life of drag racing, few exist in decent condition today. This one is being offered at the Mecum auction, and has undergone a body-off restoration to original factory condition – complete with the Firestone Wide Oval tires.