The non-SS396 Chevelle! That’s what attracted me to this listing, it’s just a 1967 Chevelle Malibu. I did a search on ’67 Chevelles that have been covered on Barn Finds and the SS version, real or cloned, definitely holds sway but the bowtie made its financial bones on cars like this and the ordinary Impala sedan. So, anything special here? Let’s dig in and find out. This Malibu hardtop is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is available, here on eBay for a current, no reserve bid of $17,100 with twenty-four bids tendered so far.

Let’s talk numbers. Chevy sold 403K Chevelles of all stripes, El Camino included, in ’67. The largest single segment was the Malibu two-door hardtop, such as our subject car, which accounted for 166K copies. The SS396 performance variant managed less than half that with just about 63K units. The Malibu could be outfitted from mild (six-cylinder power) to wild, with a 325 HP, 327 CI small block and a four-speed manual gearbox if so desired – those were the days, no smog regulations, no CAFE standards, few safety rules, essentially no nuffin’!

So the seller says that he bought this Chevelle in California with the intention of performing a full restoration but that never happened. The seller details, “Despite its history in California, the car has some rust in the typical places. I included some underside photos. While under the car taking photos I noticed some rust in the floor pans, mostly the driver’s side which is typical. The car has a low-quality respray with many imperfections. These cars are notorious for collecting water in the cove between the back glass and the “wind-wings” and this car is no exception“. I’m down with that “wind-wing” problem, I had a ’67 Chevelle in the early to mid-70s and mine got so much rot in the channel, due to water intrusion, that the rear window was just about to take flight before I caught it.  But still, this car shows pretty well. As for the California provenance, it is a California build, assembled at the Fremont, CA plant (the place where Elon builds his Teslas) and the engine is equipped with an A.I.R. pump that attests to its west coast residency. One unusual thing noted is the “283” badge, positioned above the crossed flag emblem on the driver’s side fender only. That’s not correct as Chevy stopped displaying the 283 legend (base V8 engine) after the ’65 model year. The passenger side, which displays just the crossed flag emblem, is correct for a 283 CI engine-equipped car. In ’68, they would go back to numerically identifying, externally, all V8 engines, base equipment or not.

Speaking of that A.I.R. pump, it rests atop a 195 gross HP, 283 CI V8 engine, a tried and true motor if ever Chevrolet built one. It was in its eleventh and final year in ’67 and with 93K miles of experience, it should just about now be broken in. That said, the seller mentions that this Chevelle is only good for lot driving and it likely has a carburetor or fuel pump issue. As is usually the case, a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission makes the rear-wheel power connection. BTW, it looks like an aluminum radiator has replaced the original Harrison brass piece.

The interior is a standard bench seat affair and there is some wear noted on the driver’s side of the backrest – of course, that’s 93K miles and 55 years of use too. Assuming that the mileage is accurate, it’s actually light for its age – lot’s of sitting around I guess. The seller adds, “Interior is dirty and worn but doesn’t look too bad at first glance“. It is a little grungy looking and I imagine that the dash topper is hiding a split pad. I can tell you from experience, taking the dash apart in a ’66 or ’67 Chevelle is a real bear of a job! One bright spot, however, is this Malibu’s factory air conditioning! It’s not said whether or not it works.

The seller concludes with, “These cars have gotten really expensive over the years and this is a chance to get into a Chevelle at a reasonable price and you can build “sweat equity” over time as you make improvements“. That expensive part is the truth, though I’m not certain why – I mean this is a fine vintage Chevelle, but that kind ($$$) of fine? Pricing on the SS version has become stratospheric over the last few years and I’m sure this Malibu will ring up a solid number too – it remains to be seen as to whether or not it will be “reasonable”, right?