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American Muscles | Episode 01 – Chevrolet Chevelle SS
AMERICAN MUSCLES
CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS
Words Christian Parodi / Photo Merritt Thomas
So this is how my wandering around the States comes to life. It is a morning like many others, but actually everything is about to take on the colors of the dream of a child who has been waiting for this moment for a long time. I leave the lunatic New York traffic in the early morning and head towards Morristown. My friend Gary awaits me there, with his 1970s Chevy Chevelle SS. I can hardly believe it, yet this authentic symbol of the great America of opportunities will be my travel companion of my first solo days. There will be numerous intermediate stops from here to St. Louis – city where I will return the keys of the Chevelle to my friend – and about 950 miles of road to be experienced.
The big block V8 396, a gigantic 6.5-cc with 375 horsepower and 563 Nm of torque, fills the eardrums, heart and spirit. It is literally impossible not to leave your signature with the tires if you step on the gas with a little more decision than usual. At that point, the first few meters of the Highway 287 serve to tune with a car so far from the current concept of sports car. The Chevelle Super Sport is a huge, tapered coupe that is as wide as a truck and just as spacious. It suggests a relaxed cruise, yet knows exactly what it takes to unleash the horses on some secondary roads. It is pure pleasure.
I leave the main road and head south, pointing Pittstown, where the yellowed meadows are the perfect backdrop for a postcard that already from the first days is worth the price of the ticket of this trip that I wish would never end. The adventure continues driven by a V8 always thirsty for air and petrol, but capable of satisfying my need to experience a sensation that I would have never thought so vivid: driving a car like this, on these roads and without any thought, an experience impossible to describe with simple words. I keep going until the sun goes down. Another day ends and I rest long enough to get back on the road at the first light of dawn. And the Chevelle SS is back on track awakening unexpected emotions.
… to be continued
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