Trans Am Worldwide, the Florida-based specialist that’s been building GM-licensed Pontiac Trans Am recreations for well over a decade now, recently debuted its first foray into the old-school Chevy realm, the 70/SS. As its name implies, this is a modern iteration of the 1970 Chevelle SS and it’s based on the current sixth-gen Camaro.
The unveiling of the neo-retro muscle car took place on Saturday at the specialist’s headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. You can clearly see the lines of the classic muscle car here, albeit with a slightly more angular take that, together with the larger size of the Gen VI Camaro base vehicle, gives the machine a standout identity.
Thee 1970 model year brought a now-legendary Coke bottle body for the Chevelle and cult design items such as the coupe’s rear bumper-integrated taillights are present on this recreation.
The Chevelle, especially in Super Sport trim, is one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time
Six decades ago, Chevrolet realized that, with the ever-more-popular Impala constantly growing, it had a gap in its range. And, in 1963, just two years after releasing the Nova/Chevy II compact, the Golden Bowtie released the Chevelle, a mid-size offering that would quickly become one of the era’s best-sellers.
While the vehicle came in a wide variety of bodies, four-door wagon included, muscle enthusiasts naturally prefer the coupe. And the Chevelle is not just considered an icon by the aficionados who grew up with it. For one, the Fast and Furious series has cemented the said status for the 1970 Chevelle SS among the younger generations.
A convertible with an optional removable hardtop
The 70/SS is only offered in convertible form, but a removable hardtop is in the works. And, as the company explains in the not-high-res live stream debut video at the bottom of the story, the custom creation is 6 inches wider and 14 inches longer than its ‘Maro base.
All that space is occupied by carbon fiber panels to keep the weight in check. The wonder material is covered in retro-inspired colors such as the shade of green covering the premiere car see here. Speaking of which, those golden stripes are a nod to how the 1970 Chevelle took a page from the contemporary Camaro book with its twin racing stripes adorning the hood and trunk lid.
And while we mentioned the hood, we should tell you that the cowl induction scoop of the original—the 1970s premiered a roof scoop on a cowl induction hood, forcing fresh air into the carb—has also returned for 2022.
Boosted Big Block power is optional
Trans-Am Worldwide (this is the label handling the new-age vintage cars, while Trans Am Depot takes cars of restorations) is offering at least three engine options—please note that the full specs/high-res images haven’t been released yet and we’ll update the story to include them once they do.
It all starts with the Camaro’s factory LT1, an atmospheric 6.2L V8 that’s good for 450 hp. This is followed by the 396 on the premiere vehicle, which features a Magnuson blower and makes 900 hp at the crank (it’s been dynoed at 807 hp at the rear wheels). At the top of the range, we find an LSX 454 that’s been boosted to 1,500 horsepower. And buyers get to choose between manual and automatic transmissions, while a sequential setup is probably available.
There are two types of wheels available, both of which naturally pay homage to retro units: the Cragars on the display car, which allow you to check out the super-sized brakes behind them, as well as a Rallye-style units (the look of the originals dictate a much less “see-through” design for these units).
And since you can talk 70s muscle without chrome, this sort of finish is available for the bumpers of the 70/SS as an option, with the specialist confirming it on its Facebook page.
The cabin retains that factory layout, but it’s been adorned with custom materials. And while the dashboard trim is now carbon, there are also heritage patterns offered for various bits.
The Pricing
As mentioned above, there’s no official data yet. However, based on the company’s previous offerings (think: Pontiac Trans Am or GTO Hurst edition), pricing for the 70/SS will kick off at well over $100,000, and it seems that fully-loaded builds will sit around the $200,000 mark.
Renderings help us dream of such modern-day muscle monsters all the time. So, seeing a new one joining the game in the real world—and using an extinct GM brand nonetheless—is naturally a reason to jump for joy, even though the high-end nature of the project means only a limited part of the Americana audience can enjoy it.
