In the mid-1960s, Chevrolet was looking to fill a gap between the compact Chevy II and its full-size cars led by the Impala. Their answer was the mid-size Chevelle which debuted for 1964. It was successful and would run under that nameplate or as the Malibu through the 1970s. For the first several years, the Malibu was the upscale version of the Chevelle, which would include the seller’s previously restored ’65 model. It looks to be beautifully preserved and is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds and through eBay where the bidding has reached $15,100 but the reserve is unmet. Marsing, Idaho is where the car can be found in case you were in the mood for a road trip.

This 1965 Malibu was treated to a complete restoration in 2015 after living in a barn for 15 years. It has seen only 5,000 miles of use since that work was done, mainly going to car shows and the like. A beautiful job was made of it and Super Sport branding was added to the car. But the seller doesn’t promote it as an SS and the VIN number suggests it left the factory as a Malibu sport coupe with a V8 engine, the 327 being the most likely choice. Whatever was under the hood before has been replaced by a then-new crate 350 cubic inch engine flanked by a 700r4 automatic transmission. Adding a performance element to the car is a Street Avenger carburetor and dual exhaust. We’re told the Chevy runs well and performs as you might expect.

The body and paint look great, and the only wear after the past six years would be a little bubbling by one of the wheel wells which may just be a flaw in the paint. The glass is all good with a few scratches on the door glass from use. Another indication that the car isn’t a true SS is that it has a bench seat and column shifter rather than buckets with a console. But the interior rework was well done with no flaws to note now. Aftermarket air conditioning was added as a comfort feature for the car’s occupants.

Rather than wearing standard steel wheels and covers, this Malibu has a set of those cool Rally wheels, but they wouldn’t arrive at Chevrolet for another couple of years. The odometer reading is 52,000 which could be accurate given the car’s storage prior to its restoration. Online price guides suggest a sweet ’65 Malibu is worth around $25,000, but this car has some upgrades that could push its value higher. While the Malibu may not be stock and not a true Super Sport, it’s still one sweet machine that would be a nice addition to most Chevy muscle car collections.