The popular Chevy Chevelle got its first major restyle in 1966, the car’s third year in production. The Super Sport (SS) 396 would become a series of its own that year. The seller suggests this car is an SS, but the VIN points to it being a regular Malibu Sport Coupe. It’s been laid up in a standalone carport for about 10 years and is ready for someone to rescue and restore it. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this project is available here on eBay where only a single bid has been cast at $22,000.
From all indications, this Chevelle is an older SS 396 clone. The reported series/model number in the VIN is 13617 making it a Malibu Sport Coupe. If it were 13817, that would qualify it as an SS 396. The badging on the front grille and the rear quarter panels would have been added later. The seller says he/she is marketing the car for a friend and – from the looks of everything inside and outside of the carport – the friend is a hoarder. The Chevelle is keeping company with a 1970s Ford Maverick of a similar color.
The good news here is that the body may be solid as the seller indicates, but you can’t see every nook and cranny from all the junk surrounding the automobile. The Chevy has a bench seat as would be the case with a standard Malibu and much of the interior may be okay, but the carpeting looks old and may be hiding some corrosion further below.
As a clone, a big block engine (a 396?) and 4-speed manual transmission are present. But the floor shifter has been removed. On the plus side, we’re told the engine turns by hand, but if it’s been idle for a decade, who knows what may be needed to get it going again. The radiator was lifted along with the battery, which would be bad by now anyway. If you were to acquire this car, would you continue down the cloning path or go back to a grocery-getter Malibu, but with a big motor?
FYI – A Bench Seat was simply standard equipment regardless of a Malibu…or a Super Sport. A person could order Buckets in a plain Malibu if they wanted them….and many SS’s came with a Bench. Many folks thinks for one to be a factory SS it had Buckets and that’s simply not true.
A high school buddy had a ‘67 Malibu convertible with a 275hp 327, 4 speed, buckets and console. Marina blue with blue interior. Cool car that had to be pretty rare!
You are correct! My 66 Malibu is a factory buckets console auto car. I owned a 67 SS 396 a couple years ago with a factory bench seat and column shift Auto. Only in Impala did the SS package get you buckets in a console. It was Goofy though. A Chevelle SS only had a 396, and offered a bench or bucket seats, and an Impala SS was standard bucket seats, but you could get any engine available.
In Canada in 66 and 67 you could order a Malibu SS with a small block. They had MalibuSS emblems on the rear quarters rather than Super Sport. As for buckets , I had a 67 Malibu 283 4 speed with buckets and a console but not an SS.
I just found out that you could still get a Malibu SS in Canada after 65 about a year ago. I’ve owned a 65 Malibu SS Convertible, 327 4-speed and a 67 SS-396 4-speed, but I put a 427 I had laying around in it. Very cool cars, wish I still had the 65 Convertible the most.
My friend bought a new Malibu conv. with a 283 4 gear witha bench seat. Probably the only one ever made.
Lots of potential here. Assuming the body and floors are sound, it should make for a reasonably easy restoration. I’d leave everything as-is and go the sleeper route. I’d even remove the 396 badges. If the owner is really a hoarder, the radiator is probably somewhere amidst all the junk around or near the car. Hoarders never throw anything away.
A single bid at 22K?? Someone’s trying to hike up the price.
That was my first thought. I’ve seen this car on Chevelles.com and it was listed on Craigslist for $23k, so it’s definitely the owner trying to get the bidding going- albeit way too high out of the gate!
Yep! Scared everyone away. If he had made a $5k bid, it would be near there by now and it would be someone who is actually trying to buy it.
The ven # show’s it’s clearly not an ss so the best that can happen is a clone or a restro. Like a few viewers have mentioned the starting bid is high for not being able to inspect the whole car out in the open.
yea and kudos to the guy for cleaning up around the car. cant see much beyond the belt line, and sitting in wet hay is a recipe for disaster to say the least. And you guys are correct- the first bid is suspect. One thing about selling anything on feebay–never start with big number- set it low and let em go. You dont have to sell if you decide not to. This used to be fun, now so much fraud it’ll make u puke. Good luck–this may actually be a decent Chevelle.
Cheers
GPC
Yeah, I don’t understand people listing cars with terrible pictures. Drag it out of the debris so you can take real pictures. Unless there is something to hide. In this case there probably is. I have a real 138 VIN 66 and I love these cars . I would run from this one unless you are close enough to inspect it in person
Not worth 22k imo.
I’m estimating it about $15,000 to high on the price. The “buddy” listing it for his “friend” might have made a $500 offer to drag it out of there and was turned down. With all the unknowns, and the amount of work to drag it out of the carport, I would top out @ $7K. Of course with only 1 day and a little time left on the auction and no bids the “buddy” is probably getting a bargain to flip.
Really,not any of us actually know what’s going on with this ’66 Chevelle. I had ’67 Malibu super sport. On the rear quarters it said Malibu super sport. It was factory with 396/325 hp & came w/ bench seat with a 4 speed. We just don’t really ever know, do we ?
Besides the asking price (turn off) that poor SS is sitting next to a Maverick! No car deserves that torture. It’s screaming cover me back up.
Forget the Chevelle, lemme know when he lists the Maverick! (And I thought my storage barn was a mess! I feel better already! Thanx!)
Definatally a shill bid nobody starts a bid that high
Hey ! only needs a radiator and battery
and you are good! Why not pull it out, clean it, and put down the beer when taking a picture for $20K ? Hell, I’d spend $400.00 for a rad and battery and start it up for that kind of money!
MAN I like this guy! Not only does he have a Chevelle, he has a Maverick!
It don’t matter much, he’ll probably get it. Someone has some cash and wants to be a muscle car owner, hell that’s why price’s are going crazy cause people are getting away with it.
Yes sir, we want to get top dollar for the car but we don’t have time to clean the trash out of it or move it out from the “hole” that it is parked in. SMH. some people.
It looks like Jamie has seen this car on two other sites for sale and at $23,000 on one. I smell something real fishy here, I guess there hoping someone will buy this car without digging it out and inspecting it top to bottom and front to back. What happens (if) someone buys this car without inspecting it in person, it has to be dug out at some time. Than what have you bought? A jewel or a rust bucket or something in between and it don’t look like anyone has rolled the dice yet!
22k huh? Well this “Might” be worth 22k in mint condition. It’s a clone. Maybe the real term should be “Clown”. Yeah a 396 – maybe, if they are telling the truth. YOU won’t know till you tear it down. SO- this car is looking for a sucker that who will spend 15k thinking it will be worth 25k+ when they restore it. The problem with this car is it really is a “No – Win” situation unless you get it for no more than 5k. Good luck with this one.
I was fortunate enough to have owned a 66 ss 396 convertable w/ Muncie rock crusher 4 spd in the same blue as this + black top. What a blast it was to drive this iconic muscle machine! Now are you ready for this? I sold it for $850.oo.
Yes to this day I hate myself…
I hope someone buys this old Chevy. So we can see the Maverick a little better.
That’s so funny, I was gonna say I hope somebody would buy the old Maverick so we could see the Chevelle better! 😉
Listing removed as suspected. Probably will relist somewhere at a much more realistic starting bid after reading all these posts lol.
The very reason I don’t buy nothing on Fleabay anymore too much fraud . Ghost bidding and sellers bidding on their own items to get the price up . Just BS
SOLD for $22,100.