Introduced in 1963 as a competitor for the downsized Ford Fairlane, the Chevelle quickly became the jack-of-all-trades of the Chevrolet lineup. For starters, it was available in a plethora of body styles.
Chevy offered two four-door versions, three two-door variants, a pair of station wagons, and a convertible. There was also the El Camino coupe utility for those needing a bed to haul stuff without the footprint of a proper pickup truck.
In short, the Chevelle covered every need as long as the potential customer was happy with the dimensions of a midsize car. But Chevy didn’t stop there. As soon as the Chevelle hit showrooms, the company began rolling out beefed-up models for the newly-established muscle car market. Examples include the Z-16, the SS 396, and the SS 454 LS6.
It also became the vehicle of choice for many drag racers. In 1971, as the second-gen Chevelle was moving closer to the end of its life cycle, Chevrolet introduced the Heavy Chevy package. Aimed at young drivers and the Plymouth Road Runner crowd, the bundle was an appearance package that promised a hot-looking muscle car at an affordable price.
Offered as option RPO YF3, the bundle included “Heavy Chevy” decals on the fenders, unique body stripes, and blacked-out front grille and headlamp bezels. Moreover, it came with a modified SS-style hood with a raised center section and locking pins.
Marketed as a muscle car that’s “heavy on looks and light on price,” the Heavy Chevy was decidedly hot appearance-wise. However, it didn’t really catch on at the time. While Chevrolet sold more than 400,000 Chevelles in 1971, only 6,727 examples left the factory with the Heavy Chevy option.
That’s less than 2% of total production. Chevrolet also offered the Heavy Chevy bundle in 1972, delivering 9,508 orders. That’s about 2.1% of the total Chevelle output for the year. Not quite as scarce as other high-profile Chevelles like the Z-16 and SS 454 LS6 based on production numbers alone, the Heavy Chevy is quite the rare gem nowadays.
That’s because only a tiny fraction of the 16,235 units built over two model years soldiered on for five decades still in one piece. Sadly enough, most of them ended up just like the green example you see here.
Found by YouTube’s “Auto Archaeology” in a junkyard, the hardtop looks like it’s been neglected for decades after it’s been involved in a crash that left the front section severely damaged. But the wrecked front clip is not the car’s only issue.
The Chevelle is now a rust bucket with a trashed interior and a missing big-block engine. Making things that much harder to watch, this car used to be one fine-looking Heavy Chevy thanks to its metallic green paint and black stripes.
Is this example worth restoring? The answer is no, unfortunately. It hurts me to admit it, but this is one of those cool muscle cars that will never hit the road again. Check it out in the video below.