Steve Hardesty, of Bluffton, has owned this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS for 51 years. He purchased it when he was the body shop manager for a car dealership. It arrived as a trade-in one night and Hardesty bought it the first thing in the morning.
BLUFFTON — Working late and getting up early paid off in a big way for Steve Hardesty back in 1971.
The Bluffton man explained, “I was the body shop manager at Adwin Pontiac on Spring Street in Lima. One night a guy came in and traded in a 1970 Chevelle Super Sport convertible. It was in excellent condition. I made sure I was in the first thing in the morning to buy it.”
Fifty-one years later, he still has the keys to what has been called one of the most collectible and coveted cars in muscle car circles. As HotCars.com put it, the 1970 Chevelle is “a beautiful example of power and design.”
It’s no surprise the popularity of the ’70 Chevelle has also been recognized by Hollywood. Tom Cruise, who has driven a long list of hot movie cars on the big screen, drove a 1970 Chevelle SS in the action movie “Jack Reacher.” Matthew McConaughey favored a Chevelle in the movie “Dazed and Confused.”
Chevrolet produced the Chevelle from 1964 to 1978. For a short time, it was tops in performance for General Motors as it dethroned the Corvette as the automaker’s top horsepower car — a first in GM’s history.
Hardesty’s SS model came with a 396, four-speed engine. It was one of 49,862 SS 396 Chevelles produced in 1970. It currently has 69,000 miles on it.
Today, The National Automotive Dealer Association puts that price tag at an average of $72,900 for a two-door convertible SS in excellent condition.
A new convertible SS sold for $3,639 in 1970.
GET YOUR CAR FEATURED
The Lima News publishes photographs of vintage cars, 20 years or older, free of charge in Real Wheels. It is easy to get your car featured:
• Mail: Real Wheels, Newsroom, The Lima News, 3515 Elida Road, Lima, OH 45807.
• Email: [email protected]
• Include: Photograph of your car; year of car, make and model; how many years you have owned the vehicle; car’s history; best memory of car; your name, address and telephone number (the phone number will not be published).
If you have further questions, contact The Lima News newsroom at 419-222-6397 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
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