1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Tribute

Description

Big, bad, and brutal, this sinister black 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Tribute is the muscle car you've always dreamed of owning. Tons of power thanks to a cackling 454 big block V8 under the hood, a classic hi-performance look, and finish quality that'll make you the star at any car show. Simply put, this is a muscle car done right.

It's a good thing they ditched the original Lime Green paint and gave this Chevelle several coats of miles-deep Black paint instead. Superbly finished to a top driver-quality standard, the sinister tuxedo-like paint always looks right on the A-body and you can see from our photos how it highlights the dramatic body lines that are obscured with some of the tamer colors from the era. Look at the gentle crease that defines the fender lines, the subtle flare of the rear quarters, and the peak that runs from the roof down to the rear bumper, all of which are often overlooked on lesser cars. Those details stand out because someone spent the time to keep them visible, and that's not cheap. And if we're honest, a buff-and-polish would knock out some of the light surface marks left over from car washes, catapulting this Chevelle to borderline show-quality presentation. They also laid down a proper vinyl rood to make this '71 look a bit more grown up, although they did not dare tone down the aggressiveness any further with the clever addition of a cowl induction hood and hood pins up front. Shiny chrome bumpers fore and aft, polished stainless details on the lower body and window surrounds, and proper SS badges throughout ensure this car will never get overlooked.

Much of the black bucket seat interior was replaced during the restoration and expertly done to make this car stand out in a crowd. Buckets in an SS are the only way to fly, and you'll find it's easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. Since it's a color change (the cowl tag says it originally carried Dark Jade), everything that's black was either replaced or restored, from the SS door panels to the black vinyl seat covers, a taut headliner to plush black carpets below. The dash is full of standard gauges, augmented with an AutoMeter tachometer strapped to the tilt steering column and a set of auxiliary units underneath, all vital for proper performance. This one is built for combat, but there's plenty of luxury, including R134a A/C, a center console, cruise control, and power steering and power front disc brakes, which are pretty much mandatory when there's this much horsepower on board. A modern Sony AM/FM/CD/CD Changer/AUX stereo lives in the original dash slot and powers custom speakers in the cabin, while the trunk is properly finished with Bowtie-scripted, carpeted mats and a full size spare tire covered to match.

Beautiful cosmetics aside, this car is really about the powerplant, and it's a doozie. 454 cubic inches of Chevy big block that was fully rebuilt about two years ago, and is topped by a performance intake, a big 4-barrel carb, and stock-style exhaust manifolds to make it cackle. It's very clearly hardware-focused under the hood, with that big chrome K&N air cleaner and chrome valve covers to set it off, and an upgraded ignition and coil improves reliability and starting power. It fires easily and rumbles like it's making a threat at idle, and you can be sure that there's torque everywhere on the tach. A giant radiator keeps it cool without effort, and thanks to the recently rebuilt TH400 3-speed automatic transmission (re-done the same time as the engine approximately two years ago), it's a very civilized cruiser at speed. The undercarriage isn't overly detailed for show but the hardware is what you'd expect, including the X-pipe dual exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers and a heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end augmented with a rear sway bar. Staggered US Mag wheels keep the muscle car look with a custom flair that matches the car's color combination, and they're wrapped in 245/40/17 front and 285/30/18 rear performance radials with plenty of grip.

Brutally fast, exceptionally pretty, and totally ready to rumble, this Chevelle is the car you've admired but never thought you would own. Don't wait, call today!