More than 272,000 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupes were built by Chevrolet in 1970. But, not all of them were made in the U.S. – nearly 30,000 were assembled by GM in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, including the seller’s edition. What makes this one unusual – and said to be one of only a couple of dozen – is that it was built with a 400 cubic inch V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission like the SS 396 in the U.S., but for sale within Canada. This car needs body and interior work and is on its third engine that we know of.
As far as Chevelles go, this example was pretty basic when new – no power steering or brakes, and no factory air conditioning, etc. It did come with tinted glass, however. Most of the emphasis was on going fast from a straight line (and less on turning and stopping). The seller indicates that only about 75 Malibu’s were ordered with the 400 cubic inch engine (see the script on the front fenders; you won’t see that on a domestic Malibu). And only a third of that number had the M20 transmission.
The 454 cubic inch V8 currently in the Chevy could be at least its third. The car was parked for whatever reason in 1978 and – when the seller bought it four years ago – a 427 was living under the hood. We assume it had problems, so the seller put in the 454, described as “mild” in terms of any mods. The 4-speed is the one it left the factory with. While the seller has owned it, the brakes, suspension components (including shocks), and the exhaust have all been renewed. The shifter and clutch are upgrades.
The driver’s side door and trunk lid don’t match the rest of the car, so they have been replaced. There is rust in the fenders and quarter panels, and a tad resides in the undercarriage and trunk. The interior is original and could suffice with a good cleaning, but if you’re going to rework the body, why stop there?
Located in Edmonton, Alberta, this Chevy is available here on eBay. The current bid is $11,211.11 (USD) but a reserve is in play that must be met. The listing says a dealer is selling the car. If you’re looking for a Chevelle that might impress your SS 396 friends when fixed up, could this be it? It’s a sleeper with only the aftermarket wheels to suggest something else is going on.
You could get this in the US. The “400” was optional throughout the entire Chevelle, Malibu, El Camino lineup including convertibles, station wagons, 4 doors. These came with the 330hp LS3, not the 350hp L34 which was the base engine in the SS. The “400” option carried on through the 1972 model year, there have been a few documented 4spd wagons and 4 doors highlighted on Chevelle forums. A now inactive website dedicated to 400 Malibu’s was quoted as saying 1970 400 estimated production was between 1,200 and 1,300. They are rare, but not unusual, though many that survived have been converted into SS clones.
This is a cool car, the Canadian documentation is nice, but represents what was manufactured in Canada only, not the entirety of the 1970 production run.
Steve R
The Malibu 400 was also available in the US.
Cool, 4sp makes it extra sweet 🍁 😎
The Vintage Svcs report and the eBay ad both say “approximately” 75 Canadian built with this engine. Where did 1-of-25 come from in the title to this article ??
4-speed
Someone was dodging the SS insurance premium. Big block, stick shift without power brakes and steering? How fast can you accelerate in a straight line while keeping premium money in your pocket?
Wasn’t the 400 a small block? The 396 was actually 402
Yes to both. Chevy never called the big block a 402. 400 emblems sufficed for both across all cars and trucks. No confusion after ’72 when the only big block was a 454.
It is a neat little car but a comparable condition SS can probably be had for the same price, since the reserve is still in play. Regardless, cost to restore is the same as restoring an SS. Like I said, a neat car, but which would you rather have, an SS or a Malibu for the same price? Having said all of that, a running, documented, Malibu is still probably worth 10 or 15 thousand in today’s world.
That engine was in Chevelle’s here in the states
The location of the “400” script may have been different on Canadian models, being forward on the fender and not directly under “Malibu”. That might be the difference here, not the engine availability. I like odd, rarely seen cars and this is one of those. A friend bought a ’72 300 deluxe with a 400-4spd combo because he never had seen one and had to have it.