One of the most popular muscle cars during that genre’s heyday was the Chevelle SS 396. With a big-block engine under the hood of a mid-size car, the Chevelle SS 396 had youthful buyers under its spell. But the muscle car craze began to change and fade as the 1970s unfolded and even the 396 wasn’t what it was before – it had actually become a 402 cubic inch V8 but the car was still marketed as the SS 396. This 1972 “SS 402” is a matching-numbers convertible that looks to be a solid restoration candidate and will need some servicing before becoming roadworthy. It’s located in Woodstock, Connecticut and available here on eBay where the no reserve auction has reached $16,100.

The second generation of the Chevelle/Malibu ran between 1968-72 and would be the nameplate’s best-selling iteration. The Super Sport or SS became available in the Chevelle right from the beginning in 1964 and the SS 396 joined the line-up in 1966 (although 200 are said to have been built for 1965). Chevrolet engineers changed the famous 396 engine in 1970 by boring out the motor .030-over from 4.09 to 4.13 in piston size. That increases the displacement slightly, but they still hawked it as a 396. They didn’t want to confuse buyers familiar with that engine or have people think it might be the new small-block 400 that Chevy had also cooked up. Besides, SS 402 just didn’t sound as cool as SS 396 did!

Details about this 1972 Chevelle SS 396 are a bit scarce. We’re told this is the first time the car has been offered for sale in 40 years, which means it must have had the same owner for four decades. Besides, it being a convertible, the engine and 4-speed transmission are numbers-matching. The 402 V8, also known as the LS3, found its way into a little more than 20,000 Chevelle installations in 1972, but the number of ragtops produced that way is sketchy. And the engine was not exclusive to cars ordered with the SS package.

The red paint has run its course but there doesn’t appear to be any real body damage, including rust besides surface. We’re told that the Chevelle has a solid foundation and that all the sheet metal is original. That would include the cow induction hood. The chrome, top, and glass all look to be in decent shape. The Chevelle is wearing aftermarket Cragar wheels, but the original wheels that came with the car are also provided (and frankly would look better to me). The car’s reported mileage is just shy of 83,000.

This Chevelle starts up and will drive around the yard, but the brakes need work and should not be trusted for anything more than loading up on a trailer. Besides the brakes, the rest of the mechanicals will need servicing before being driven, but there is no mention of any other reason to keep it off the road. The interior looks okay with no major issues besides the carpeting being shot. The undercarriage is a bit crusty and hopefully, that doesn’t translate into soft floorboards.

Going into the 1972 model year, we understand that Chevy engines did not come with any displacement size stickers on the air cleaner housings. So, even if the seller had provided a photo of the engine compartment, there would be nothing special there saying it’s the LS3 402 that had an output of 240 hp (SAE net). An original SS 396 of this vintage (and not a clone), especially a convertible, can be easily worth north of mid-five figures in the proper condition, although the big money seems to be with the SS 454.