A totally new Chevelle design came to market for the 1968 model year. During its five years of revision it would find tremendous acceptance by a new generation of performance enthusiasts. It would be equipped with some engines that will surely rank among the most powerful ever installed in street-driven automobiles.

Super Sport equipment and the 396 V-8 were again offered only in team form for Chevelle buyers. The SS 396 Sport Coupe and Convertible were classified as distinct models by Chevrolet, although they shared sheet metal and chassis with the complementing Chevelle Malibu models. The 1968 SS 396 used a new short 112-inch wheelbase shared with all contemporary Chevelle coupe and convertible styles (four-doors and wagons used a new 116-inch wheelbase). Tread width was increased one inch, as well.

The 1968 GM intermediate's hardtop body was getting pretty close to a full fastback roof line. An upsweeping curve at the base of the rear side windows gave the new A-bodies a rather distinctive look. The SS 396 and Concours (the luxury line Chevelle, new for '68) used Chevrolet's innovative Hide-A-Way windshield wipers, which were available optionally on lesser Chevelles. All 1968 Chevrolets had side-marker lights for the first time, and engine displacement numerals were carried in the same bezel as the front marker lamp.

El Camino, the popular sport truck from Chevrolet, shared the Chevelle's new styling, using the sedan and wagon 116-inch wheelbase. For the first time it could be ordered officially as an SS 396 (model 13880). Sales of the El Camino SS for 1968 totaled 5,190 units. (Subsequent El Camino SS production figures are counted with Chevelles through 1974.)

Black accents were liberally applied to the new SS 396 for 1968. Grilles were almost completely blacked-out, and a black-filled, bright-outline panel tied the taillights together at the rear. On all but dark-colored Chevelle SS 396 cars, the lower body was painted black, with the band of black sweeping up to the headlamp indentation in the front fender. To divide the contrasting colors, an extra strip of bright metal was added behind the rear wheelhouse on SS 396 cars. Body-side striping was initially listed as an extra-cost option, but was made standard later in the year.

SS emblems were located at front and rear, and SS discs were used instead of Concours identifiers when the cars were delivered with the rather plain full wheel covers used for 1968. The now-traditional twin-dome hood was continued; new styling placed the intake grids nearer the rear edge of the hood.

Series identification for the interior was indicated by an SS emblem on the instrument panel, above the glovebox door. Many SS 396 buyers opted for extra-cost Strato-bucket seats, of course. A console was included with this option. All two-door Chevelles were available with RPO U14 special instrum- entation, which included a temperature/ammeter/oil-pressure gauge, tachometer and electric clock.

Chevrolet's fifteen exterior colors were offered on SS396 Chevelles; five two-tone combinations could also be specified. Ten interior vinyls were offered, including blue and parchment (with buckets only). Vinyl roof colors remained black or white; convertible tops could also be ordered in blue.

Wearing F70x14 Firestone Wide Ovals on six-inch JK rims, the new shorter and wider Chevelle SS 396 had the look of a tough street fighter, especially when wearing after-market accessory mag wheels. A new, stronger frame was better able to handle the tremendous torque of the big 396's.

For the first time the always-secretly-available L78-type 375-hp 396 option appeared on the back of the order blank. Such an order might still take three or more months to process, but sales increased anyway. A total of 4,751 375-hp 396 Chevelles were built in 1968. Delivered from the dealer such a Sport Coupe would do 0-60 in about 6.6 seconds, break into the fourteen-second bracket at the drags and near 100 mph in the traps in the process.

Specification sheets continued to list the 325-hp 396 Turbo-Jet V-8 as standard equipment for SS 396 Chevelles. The L34 option, the 350-hp 396, was offered (and accounted for 12,481 sales). Backing these engines was the M13 Special three- speed, unless an optional four-speed was specified. It would be either the 2.41:1 low RPO M20 (production of 38,933) or, for the 350-and 375-hp units only, the 2.20:1 low box (RPO M21, 11,208 built. There were 1,049 M22 heavy-duty four-speed 1968 Chevelles). For shiftless types, the old Powerglide or new Turbo Hydra-matic automatics were cataloged.

A limited number of Chevelle enthusiasts continued to look upon the big-block cars with disdain. For them, the L79 with the 325-rated-hp 327 was optional again, and found 4,082 Malibu installations. A straight Malibu Sport Coupe, equipped with this potent little V-8 (with its lighter weight, hotter cam and big valves in higher compression heads) was a giant-killer, capable of humbling the 325-hp 396 handily. Of course, a close encounter with an L78-type 396 would be another story.

The revised SS 396 proved to be as popular as the 1967 version. Sales were 62,785 units for the model year, just 300 less than in 1967. A calendar record for Chevelle was also established as 1968 sales sailed over the 400,000 mark. In Baltimore, Chevrolet's assembly plant used a special SS 396 Coupe to commemorate the five millionth Chevrolet assembly made there since operations began in 1935.


This Article is from the book Chevy Super Sport 1961-1976