Unleash the Power: Exploring 1968 Chevy Chevelle Engine Options

Summary

• The Chevrolet Chevelle’s second generation was introduced in 1968, featuring a sleeker and more stylish design that contributed to its growing popularity among muscle car enthusiasts.
• The Chevelle had a wide range of engine options, ranging from small inline-six engines to powerful V-8 engines, allowing buyers to choose the level of performance that suited their preferences and budget.
• The 1968 Chevelle came in various body styles, including coupes, sedans, convertibles, and even a unique utility coupe known as the El Camino, catering to different market segments and creating a cult following for this classic muscle car.

1968 was a brilliant year for muscle cars. The Golden Age of Muscle was in full swing and manufacturers were engaged in an all-out horsepower war. One of the biggest players in this fight was Chevrolet and a massive player in their offensive was the Chevrolet Chevelle.

The Chevrolet Chevelle had been around for four years and had garnered itself quite the following. Its brawny exterior matched the rumble of its incredible V-8 engine perfectly. However, 1968 marked the year of a ton of changes for Chevrolet’s mid-size muscle car. Sleeker and cooler than ever before, the Chevelle’s popularity only grew.

From the four-door station wagon to the two-door coupe, your choices of body style and powertrain were near endless in the ’68 Chevelle. As we navigate through the intricacies of displacement, horsepower, and torque, we uncover the subtle differences that distinguished these engines and discuss their influence on the Chevelle’s performance both on the street and the track.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Hagerty, SS396, and Automobile Catalog.

1968 Ushered In The Second Generation Of The Chevelle

The Chevrolet Chevelle hit the market all the way back in 1964 and was met with massive public appeal. The love for Chevrolet’s new mid-size offering was ever-growing and it showed in their massive sales numbers.

The Chevelle wasn’t perfect by any means and it was up against some tough competition from the likes of Ford and AMC. This is why in 1968, despite the Chevelle receiving a massive overhaul to the design of its body the year prior, Chevrolet introduced the second generation of the muscle car hero.

Notable Changes

• All-new body
• Shortened Wheelbase
• Hardtops adopted a fastback look
• Hide-A-Way wiper system on top trims
• Updated engine and transmission options

The Chevelle entered its new generation with a fresh new look. Where the old Chevelle was blocky, the new one featured smooth, strong lines. Chevrolet was keeping up with the times and this is why the second generation Chevelles, particularly the sport coupes, are considered to be one of the best-looking muscle cars ever.

The changes weren’t purely cosmetic though. Chevrolet invested a ton of energy and engineering into making the Chevelle faster and more nimble. One of the main changes they settled on was the shorter wheelbase.

Issues In Production

With the second generation of the Chevelle, Chevrolet had absolutely upped their game in terms of the muscle car’s interior. More premium materials were being used all over the cabin and the overall design was much more appealing. However, a lot of these materials were sourced from Chevrolet’s General Motors-affiliated cousins from the likes of Buick and Oldsmobile just to keep up with demand.

The Chevelle Could House Anything From A Small Inline-Six To A Massive V-8

During the era surrounding 1968, America was considered a big player in the world of performance cars. Where European sports cars were opting for delicate elegance, the American car industry went in with brute force. America was showing the world that you didn’t have to be rich to own a sports car and everyone wanted a taste of V-8 muscle.

This meant that most American muscle cars had to cater to the tastes of a number of different people and to do this there had to be a number of different price points. For most manufacturers, including Chevrolet, the natural decision was to offer a ton of different powertrain and body-type options.

Engine Options

(Sourced from SS396)

This long list of options would be overwhelming to anyone. The Chevelle, however, came in a number of different body types and variations and depending on the variation you wanted you would be presented with a much small list to choose from.

Coveted among all the choices as being the most performance-oriented is obviously the 6.5-liter big-block V-8. In terms of cubic-inches, 6.5-liters translates to 396 cubic inches of displacement. For those familiar with Chevelles, 396 is a well known number and closely associated with the most desirable Chevelle configuration you could buy, the Chevelle SS 396.

Chevelle SS 396 Performance

(Specifications sourced from Automobile Catalog)

Of all the 1968 Chevrolet Chevelles, those equipped with the Super Sport package were considered to be the best performers. These Chevelles were equipped with a ton of racing equipment, from bucket seats to performance tyres. They were also, obviously, equipped with the best possible engines.

Chevrolet’s big-block 396 V-8 is considered to be one of the greatest engines to ever come out of the America. The Chevelle was also not the only car in Chevrolet’s line-up to receive the 396, it was also under the hood of the Corvette. This brilliant engine gave the Chevelle all the power it needed to smoke tons of rivals.

You Could Have Your 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle In A Ton Of Different Body Styles

As mentioned, a couple of times above, the Chevrolet Chevelle came in a number of different body types. This was a part of the manufacturer’s strategy to hit as many markets as possible with a single model.

The Chevelle did not only come in classic coupe and convertible body styles, but Chevrolet offered station wagons and sedans too. Along with these more obvious body styles was another strange yet alluring choice which has created one of the biggest cult followings of any classic muscle car to date.

Body Styles

For the Chevelle’s second generation, most of the body types from the previous model were carried over. Your Chevelle could be had in a number of different shapes and sizes. The main changes were the exclusion of the two-door station wagon and that Chevelle changed the name of the two-door pillar body style from “sedan” to “coupe”.

The El Camino

As you can see in the table above, there is a unique body-style that you don’t see too often, the utility coupe. This was a two-door pick up truck which featured a small bed and all the stylings of a muscle car. While this was undeniably a Chevelle, its better known by its other designation, the El Camino.

The year 1968 was special for the El Camino as it was the only year that the utility coupe would receive the SS396 designation. Having a low-riding pick-up truck that sported a 6.5-liter V-8 that output 375 horsepower made you an incredibly unique individual.

A Perfect Condition 1968 Chevelle Has Value Nearing $150,000

The 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle is an incredible item for any collector of American automotive history. Any body style and powertrain combination would evoke awe in a muscle car enthusiasts and spark joy in the heart of its owner.

However, there are definitely a few Chevrolet Chevelles from this era that can fetch a pretty penny. Depending on the condition of the Chevelle, these pieces of muscle car history can be worth a small fortune.

Valuation

(Values sourced from the Hagerty valuation tool)

This table shows off great examples of low-, middle-, and high-end Chevelles. The values range is reprasentative of conditions from ‘fair’ to ‘concours’.

As is obvious from the table, the SS Chevelle’s are by far the most valuable. Some other key takeaways are that the convertible variants of almost all the Chevelles are more valuable than any of the other body types. This is so much so that convertible variants with lower horsepower engines sometimes hold more value than non-convertibles with more power.

The 1968 Chevelle Is A Classic Muscle Car

There are a ton of reasons for why the 1968 Chevelle is worth so much money. Not only is this muscle car and excellent example of the engineering and power that came out of the Golden Age of Muscle Cars, but it holds a special place in the history of Chevrolet. This incredible car will only continue to become more valuable, both in terms of money and the history that lingers in every rev.