The Chevelle was first introduced to the world in 1964, with the second generation debuting in 1969. Chevy equipped the SS version with one of the most beastly V8 engines made by the manufacturer at the time. The Chevelle was the counter-attack to Ford’s 5th-gen Fairlane (1966). The Chevrolet Chevelle was available as a station wagon, sedan, convertible, and coupe. Out of all of them, people fell in love with the SS models the most.
Chevrolet’s 194-cubic-inch engine powered the square-looking 1st-gen Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe. The RWD 3-speed manual version was equipped with a 3.2-liter straight-six mill producing a modest 120 hp (122 ps) with 177 lb-ft or 240 Nm.
It had a top speed of 96 mph or 154 kph and reached 60 mph in 13.5 seconds and 62 mph or 100 kph in 14.4 seconds. Some even claim it finished the quarter-mile in 19.6 seconds.
Suffice it to say that the 194-ci first-gen Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe wasn’t a rocketship, but thankfully, other versions tried their best. One of the popular engines, the 327-ci (5.4-liter) Turbo-Fire V8, produced 250 or 300 horsepower.
Then, in 1965, the 327-ci small-block V8 delivered 350 horsepower. Another powerful one was the 375-horsepower 396-ci (6.5-liter) big-block V8. Love it or hate it, the Chevelle made quite a ruckus back in the day.
Moving on to our 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, this model was originally made in the Arlington, Texas, assembly plant on the third week of March and was coated in Nevada Silver paint.
Photo: bringatrailer
The muscle car was refurbished in 2022, including an engine replacement, a black paint job with a vinyl roof and white stripes, bumper re-chroming, new glass, and cabin reupholstering in black vinyl.
The Malibu now has a 454-ci V8 engine fitted with an Edelbrock intake manifold and MSD ignition, an aluminum radiator, a 12-bolt rear axle with a limited-slip differential and 2.73:1 gears, a Turbo Hydra-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission system, and power steering. The battery was replaced in 2023. It also has a black grille, a cowl-induction hood, hood pins, hideaway wipers, front bucket seats, and a retro-looking digital stereo.
The ride has been lowered with QA1 dampers and tubular control arms and stands on 18″ Ridler wheels mounted over the power front disc and rear drum brakes with 225/45 Summit Ultramax tires.
Behind the three-spoke steering wheel, you’ll find a replacement dashboard containing a 120-mph speedometer, tachometer, an analog clock, and supplementary readouts. The total mileage is unknown, but the odometer has 5 miles on it.
Currently, the bid is at $10,000, with five days left on the clock. This model was part of another auction that ended on March 5 at $24,000, but it wasn’t sold. Will this Chevelle Malibu finally sell this time; who knows? In a few days we’ll find out.