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Right, let’s play a riddle. Name an American car with an animal-inspired name. That is NOT, in fact, a horse (even a wild one – sit down, Ford-heads). Or a fish (get over it, Plymouth). Or a bird (again, Plymouth, keep quiet double time, it’s neither the quick nor the mythical blazing avian). No, it’s not a snake, either. I’ll give you a clue – it’s not a predatory animal and lives in Africa.
Chevrolet fans, you may proceed with your answer… as long as you don’t mention that antelope. Oh, why the long faces, Impala fans? There is, in fact, such a thing called a “gazelle.” So what, there’s no Chevy Gazelle? What if I told you there’s something half Chevrolet, half gazelle – and you know by the name of Chevelle?
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Alright, maybe I wasn’t playing all that fair; this is a riddle, so think outside the box a little. OK, I’ll make it up to you: name the most famous Cheve… Wait ‘till I finish writing the question before you yell, “MALIBU!”
Fine, it’s a 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu. That’s it, no SS badge on it – not this time. But it is a gorgeous survivor, and that counts for something – for nostalgic gearheading pleasure, if not for anything else. It also has a nice bit of history to it.
In 1965, Chevrolet dealerships worked relentlessly to keep GM on top of the car manufacturing world. I wish it were a metaphor, but a certain Bensenville, Illinois, showroom proves me wrong. May 23 of that year fell on a Sunday, the day when Ms. (or Mrs.) Esther M. Steging placed the order for a Chevelle Malibu two-door sport coupe.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
That’s fluke no. 1 – the dealer wasn’t closed on a Sunday, at least according to the original documents (play the video at the 2:50 mark). The second one is that she got her car the following day, May 24, 1965 – the perfect Monday for a first ride in this Mist Blue sport coupe.
Most likely, the dealership had the automobile stashed in the back (or a nearby facility), and they only needed to get it ready for delivery. Interestingly, the selling price of $3,266 was relatively high for the year and model, despite the short options list.
Because this car has an automatic drivetrain, the Powerglide was a $105 add-on to the base price of $2,600. The 327-CID V8 (5.4 liters) was another pricy extra – at $94 – and the pushbutton radio comes a close third in the hierarchy. Unless the entertainment option happened to be an AM/FM receiver – that would burn a $150 wallet hole, putting it right on top.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The power steering ($86) and power brakes ($43) made it a more suitable automobile for the lady that ordered it and added most of the 34,000 miles (54,700 kilometers) on the odometer. And the Comfort and Convenience (C&C) package varied in price between $41 and $51.
The ten-dollar difference was in the side mirror. If the driver wanted the standard, hand-adjustable rearview element, the C&C package was cheaper. The Remote-Controlled Mirror added the extra ten bucks to the equipment list that also contained an inside mirror, a two-speed wiper and washer, backup lights, a glove box lamp, and the washer fluid bottle. Overall, $666 worth of options were added to the basic Malibu trim to build this particular survivor (the number is purely coincidental, but it makes for one extremely tempting ride.
(Are you done laughing your smart car options off? This is 1965 spoilage, and many consider this to be a decent approach to motoring. The correct way to equip a car – putting valuable tools at the driver’s disposal instead of today’s supercomputers and obscenely high-definition touch screens and whatnot).
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Back to our story: the car is an elegant example of an age-pride Detroit-made automobile from an era when “Made in the U.S.A.” meant something. Honest, hard-working Americans shed sweat and blood for the greatest economy in the world, knowing that they had earned their bread and their right to live the American Dream.
The Malibu was the best-selling trim of the Chevelle model, with almost 272,000 units rolling off the assembly lines. The two-door hardtop was the most popular choice, with over 80,000 cars. The Super Sport was another best-seller – 82,000 two-door sport coupes and convertibles were made that year.
That’s why the current owner of this unmolested classic says that he gets the same reaction wherever he goes: “I used to have one.” And he is not afraid to drive his 58-year-old machine that left the factory in December of ’64.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Listen to that twin exhaust burble, and you know why we love it? Because 1) it’s pure uncurable piston addiction and 2) we’re mammals, and mammals perceive sound. Reptiles don’t make (many) sounds – and that eerie silence sends shivers of fear down our warm-blooded chassis. Just like electric cars – the quiet member of the Automobile genus: we appreciate them for not being noisy, but their mechanical music is awful. This Malibu Chevelle will quickly cure any EV affection by listening to its engine.
The 250-hp (254 PS) V8 and 350 lb-ft (475 Nm) from the Turbo-Fire V8 were (and still are) more than enough to casually cruise along, thanks to a two-speed auto. (If only GM knew that its cars would have a ten-speed tranny one day…).
The occasional – and isolated – rust spots on the body stand proof of the originality of the paint job – and the rest of the car. And don’t hold the torn seam on the driver’s side bench seat against the vehicle – it’s called patina where this car is from (that’s V8 Heaven, in case it’s not yet clear).
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