Headlamps in separate square bezels
Each pair of headlamps sits in its own bright square bezel. On the 1969 a single chrome bar runs across the grille between them.34
Class of '68 · Chevrolet Chevelle · 1968–1969 body · second generation
1968Chevrolet Chevelle
The second-generation Chevelle arrives: a new long-hood body on two wheelbases, 112 inches for two-doors and 116 for the rest, and the SS 396 as a series of its own.
The year in brief
For 1968 the Chevelle got a new body with a long hood, a short deck and tapered front fenders. Two-doors now rode a 112-inch wheelbase and four-doors and wagons a 116-inch one.34
The line ran from the Chevelle 300 through the 300 Deluxe to the Malibu, with Nomad, Nomad Custom, Malibu and Concours Estate wagons. A 307-cubic-inch V8 replaced the 283 as the standard V8.24
The Malibu sport coupe was the best seller by far: 200,962 built, 180,401 of them V8s (our sum of The Chevelle Report's rows).1one source
The SS 396 was a series of its own, with a 325-hp 396 as standard and the 350-hp L34 and 375-hp L78 as options. The sport coupe cost $2,899, $236 more than a V8 Malibu sport coupe by GM's April 1968 prices.23
The story of the year
The SS 396 in numbers
The Chevelle Report's table, reprinted in GM's kit, counts 55,309 SS 396 sport coupes, 2,286 convertibles and 5,190 El Caminos. Together that is 62,785 (our sum), the figure Consumer Guide gives for all 1968 SS 396s.15
Wikipedia's 60,499 sport coupes is 55,309 plus the 5,190 El Caminos (our arithmetic), which suggests the pickups were counted twice. That is our reading; Wikipedia does not say so. See the ruling.16
Consumer Guide says only a fraction had the solid-lifter L78, and remembers how it sounded through Car and Driver's Patrick Bedard: «sixteen little hammers».5one source
How to spot a 1968
What tells it apart from a 1969.
Smaller tail lamps
The 1969 has larger, more upright tail lamps that run into the rear quarter panels.3one source
Front vent windows
Hardtops and convertibles still have front vent windows; on the 1969 they began to disappear with Astro Ventilation.7one source
Serial plate on the door pillar
The serial-number plate is on the left front door hinge pillar. From 1969 it sits on top of the dash.28one source
Production159
422,878 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 2-door coupe | Chevelle 300 | 12,652 |
| 300 Deluxe | 9,457 | |
| All 2-door coupes | 22,109 | |
| 2-door sport coupe | 300 Deluxe | 11,337 |
| Malibu | 200,962 | |
| SS 396 | 55,309 | |
| All 2-door sport coupes | 267,608 | |
| 4-door sedan | 300 Deluxe | 22,371 |
| Malibu | 40,509 | |
| All 4-door sedans | 62,880 | |
| 4-door sport sedan | Malibu | 17,018 |
| All 4-door sport sedans | 17,018 | |
| Convertible | Malibu | 7,794 |
| SS 396 | 2,286 | |
| All convertibles | 10,080 | |
| Station wagon | Nomad | 11,270 |
| Nomad Custom | 11,003 | |
| Malibu | 16,107 | |
| Concours Estate | 4,803 | |
| All station wagons | 43,183 | |
| Total | 422,878 | |
The Chevelle Report's rows (reprinted in GM's 1968 kit), six and V8 added together, without the El Camino (41,791 pickups by our sum, 5,190 of them SS 396). With the El Camino the page's total is 464,669, which its own rows bear out. Over-Drive's table has the same rows but a total of 464,699, a typo by our arithmetic. The Concours row is the Concours Estate wagon; the Concours sport sedan was an option (ZJ6), and since the table has no row of its own for it, we take it to be counted with the Malibu sport sedans (our inference). Totals are our sums. See the ruling.
Engines245
9 engines. The code is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) code from GM's own lists; standard engines have none. Until 1971 the VIN tells only six from V8.
Gross ratings from GM's engine table of September 1967; the 375-hp L78 is on GM's option price page bound with the schedule of April 1968. GM's table calls the base 396 «Standard» in the SS 396, and its engine-identification list gives it as RPO L35. Over-Drive's engine section calls the 275-hp 327 «L79»; GM and Over-Drive's own option list call it L30.
Price when new235
Base retail prices in 1968 dollars, before options.
Manufacturer's suggested retail prices from Chevrolet's price schedule revised 22 April 1968, before options and delivery. Wikipedia gives the same $2,899 for the SS 396 sport coupe; Consumer Guide gives $2,875 in its text and $2,899 in its specification table (see the ruling). The 375-hp L78 was $237 on top, the 350-hp L34 $105.35.
Colors24
15 factory colors. 14 of the 15 color names are confirmed by a second source24; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo BlackAA
Ermine WhiteCC
Grotto BlueDD
Fathom BlueEE
Island TealFF
Ash GoldGG
Grecian GreenHH
Tripoli TurquoiseKK
Teal BlueLL
Cordovan MaroonNN
Seafrost GreenPP
Matador RedRR
Palomino IvoryTT
Sequoia GreenVV
Butternut YellowYY
The fifteen solid colors on GM's color sheet revised January 1968, with GM's two-letter paint codes. Over-Drive gives one-letter codes and lists a Silverstone Silver (Z) that is not on GM's sheet, and has no Teal Blue. GM also lists five two-tones for sedans and coupes, none on wagons or convertibles. No source we have counts cars per color.
Reading the VIN12
A 1968 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
134698A1000262one source · GM's own example from its 1968 serial-number page, an illustration rather than a known car: The 26th Chevelle of any series built at Atlanta, in GM's example a V8 300 Deluxe four-door sedan (13469).
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Chevelle |
| 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 | Series; an odd digit is a six, an even one a V8 |
| 27 · 35 · 37 · 39 · 45 · 67 · 69 · 80 | Body: 2-door coupe (pillar) · 4-door wagon, two seats · 2-door sport coupe (hardtop) · 4-door sport sedan (hardtop) · 4-door wagon, three seats · Convertible · 4-door sedan · El Camino pickup |
| 8 | Model year (1968) |
| A · B · G · K · Z | Plant: Atlanta · Baltimore · Framingham · Kansas City · Fremont |
| 100001 → | Unit number, from 100,001 at each plant regardless of series |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Questions about the 1968
How many 1968 Chevrolet Chevelles were made?
Chevrolet built 422,878 for the 1968 model year: 22,109 2-door coupes, 267,608 2-door sport coupes, 62,880 4-door sedans, 17,018 4-door sport sedans, 10,080 convertibles, 43,183 station wagons.159
How can you tell a 1968 Chevelle from a 1969?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: headlamps in separate square bezels; smaller tail lamps; front vent windows; serial plate on the door pillar.23478
What engines did the 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle have?
Nine engines, from the 230 cu in inline-six to the 396 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.245
How much did a 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Chevelle 300 2-door coupe, six $2,341; 300 Deluxe 2-door coupe, six $2,415; 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan, six $2,445; Chevelle 300 2-door coupe, V8 $2,447; 300 Deluxe sport coupe, six $2,479; 300 Deluxe 2-door coupe, V8 $2,521; Malibu 4-door sedan, six $2,524; 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan, V8 $2,550; Malibu sport coupe, six $2,558; 300 Deluxe sport coupe, V8 $2,584; Nomad wagon, six $2,625; Malibu sport sedan, six $2,629; Malibu 4-door sedan, V8 $2,629; Malibu sport coupe, V8 $2,663; Nomad wagon, V8 $2,731; Malibu sport sedan, V8 $2,735; Nomad Custom wagon, six $2,736; Malibu convertible, six $2,757; Nomad Custom wagon, 2-seat, V8 $2,841; Malibu wagon, six $2,846; Malibu convertible, V8 $2,863; SS 396 sport coupe $2,899; Malibu wagon, 2-seat, V8 $2,951; Nomad Custom wagon, 3-seat, V8 $2,953; Concours Estate wagon, six $2,978; Malibu wagon, 3-seat, V8 $3,063; Concours Estate wagon, 2-seat, V8 $3,083; SS 396 convertible $3,102; Concours Estate wagon, 3-seat, V8 $3,195.235
What colors did the 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.24
Where is the VIN on a 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle?
Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1968, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1968 Chevelle production
Our ruling: 464,669 with the El Camino, 422,878 without it (our sum). Over-Drive's rows are The Chevelle Report's and add to 464,669 by our arithmetic, and so do its own column totals, 82,845 and 381,824 (our sum), so its 464,699 is a typo. The Chevelle Report's own subtotal for two-seat V8 wagons, 30,117, is 60 short of its rows (30,177, our sum), and its eight-cylinder total of 381,824 uses the right figure. Because Over-Drive repeats The Chevelle Report row for row, the two count as one source.
What each source says (2)
- 464,669 with the El Camino, in rows that add up to it1one source
- 464,699, with the same rows9one source
Settled
1968 SS 396 production
Our ruling: 55,309 sport coupes. The Chevelle Report's three rows add to 62,785 (our sum), exactly Consumer Guide's total. Wikipedia's three figures add to 67,975 (our sum). Its 60,499 is exactly 55,309 plus the 5,190 El Caminos (our arithmetic), which suggests the pickups are counted in the sport coupes and again on their own; no source says so. Consumer Guide confirms the total, not the split.
What each source says (3)
- 55,309 sport coupes, 2,286 convertibles and 5,190 El Caminos1one source
- 62,785 SS 396s in all5one source
- 60,499 sport coupes, 2,286 convertibles and 5,190 El Caminos6one source
Settled
1968 SS 396 sport coupe price
Our ruling: $2,899, Chevrolet's suggested retail price in its schedule revised 22 April 1968; Wikipedia gives the same, and so does Consumer Guide's own specification table. Consumer Guide's text says $2,875, which is on no GM page we have; we do not know where it comes from.
What each source says (3)
- $2,89923
- $2,899 in its specification table5one source
- $2,875 in its text5one source
Sources
- 1968 Chevelle and El Camino Production Totals The Chevelle Report (reprinted in GM's 1968 Chevelle kit) · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Chevelle Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Chevelle: the 1968 SS 396 production sentence Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevelle production, 1968–1972 (five tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1969Chevrolet ChevelleA facelift with a chrome bar across the grille, the SS 396 turned into an option package, and 323 Chevelles with a 427 by special order.454,100 built
1970Chevrolet ChevelleNew sheet metal and the 454: the SS 454 with the 450-hp LS6, the 402 still badged SS 396, and almost 302,000 Malibu sport coupes, Canadian-built cars for U.S. dealers included.440,262 built
1971Chevrolet ChevelleSingle headlamps, round tail lamps in the bumper and lower compression for low-lead fuel: the SS became one package for any optional V8, and no source shows an LS6 Chevelle sold.345,449 builtSee the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.