1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396

Chevelle was restyled for '66, delivering style and thrills at a modest price.

Chevy repositioned its Super Sport Chevelle as an all-out performance muscle car for '66, but in some ways, more turned out to be less in the Chevelle SS 396.
Like other GM intermediates, it was reskinned, though dimensions hardly changed. SS models got a blackout grille and a new hood with nonfunctional vents. With engines of around 400 cid now obligatory in this game, Chevy made the 396-cid V-8 standard, so all its midsize muscle cars were now Chevelle SS 396s.
But instead of the 375-bhp Z-16 396 that bowed midway through the '65 model year, the '66s got detuned 396s rated at 325 bhp in base Turbo-Jet guise and 360 bhp in optional L34 form. Both new mills had 10.25:1 compression, but the L34 got a taller cam, stronger block, and larger four-barrel. It cost $105 extra and nearly one-third of SS 396 buyers ordered it. Still, the L34's mid 15s at around 90 mph in the quarter were pretty ordinary.

In 1966, all Super Sports now had a 396-cid V-8 of 325 or 360 bhp or the flashy 375 bhp 178.

So was much of the rest of the car, at least compared to the pricey, limited-edition Z-16. Instead of reinforced brakes and underpinnings, the '66 SS 396 used standard Chevelle brakes and suspension pieces. Chevy claimed it had stiffer springs and shocks -- an assertion some testers disputed once they experienced the car's wayward handling and subpar stopping ability. In fairness, comfortable seats, tractable engines, sporty styling, and a $2,776 base price made the '66 SS 396 a great daily driver.

 The SS 396's optional bucket-seat cabin featured a console with a clock and included the extra-cost "knee-knocker" underdash tachometer.

Then, in the spring, Chevy released the L78 396. This was essentially an updated Z-16, but with solid lifters and new exhaust manifolds. It had the 427-cid V-8's large-valve heads, plus 11.0:1 compression, aluminum intake manifold, and an 800-cfm Holley. The L78 echoed the Z-16's 375-bhp rating and was the 396 that hard-core Chevy street warriors had hoped all the '66s would be. Only about 3,100 L78s were built. But even the base Chevelle SS was now a genuine big-block muscle car, and the best was yet to come.

The 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Specifications

Wheelbase, inches: 115.0
Weight, lbs: 3375
Number built: 72,300
Base price: $2,776
Top Available Engine
Type: ohv V-8
Displacement, cid: 396
Fuel system: 1 x 4bbl.
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 5600
Torque @ rpm: 415 @ 3600
Representative Performance
0-60 mph, sec: 6.0
1/4 mile, sec. @ mph: 14.40 @ 100