The Chevy Chevelle SS 396 may have been the second most popular muscle car in the 1960s. First-place honors surely went to the Pontiac GTO. It began as an option on the mid-size Malibu and became a series of its own in 1966. 63,000 copies were built in ’66, and all but five percent of them were Sport Coupes like the seller’s car (the balance were convertibles). This one is numbers matching with less than 7,000 miles, but we assume that’s because the car was restored (another assumption). Located with a dealer in Clearwater, Florida, this sharp hot rod is available here on eBay for $69,900. Tip credit here goes to “Curvette”!

Like the other GM intermediates, the Chevelle got its first facelift in 1966. So, the 1967 editions were quite similar with different grille and taillight treatments, enough to be able to tell them apart. The starting point for the SS 396 was the L35 version with an output of 325 horsepower. In the case of the seller’s car, it’s paired with a TH-400 automatic transmission, column shifted. The original owner decided to go with a bench seat rather than the more common bucket seats with a console. Numbers matching is the order of the day,

Upgrades include an aluminum radiator, engine bling, and disc brakes up front (power-assisted). The Granada Gold paint looks exceptional, as does the rather plain but matching interior. The majority of the details in the seller’s listing are about the dealership and the terms of sale. This Chevy looks to have been treated to a no-expense-spared restoration, but we don’t know when. It looks too nice not to have gone down this path.

If this Chevelle runs and drives as nicely as it looks, this could be quite a catch. But the asking price is top dollar and probably includes recovering some part of the expense in getting it to look and perform as the multitude of photographs suggests. If you were searching for a first-generation SS 396, does this one check all the right boxes?