Either someone really likes Michelob or the beer company sponsored this retired drag car. In this case the seller says the beer-themed drag-racer once tore down dragways in the Norfolk and Suffolk areas of Virginia. Presumably it was built with the “very finest obtainable” ingredients, which makes you wonder how cars and beers made with unobtainable ingredients can even compete. But I digress. The 1969 Chevelle Malibu in Toano, Virginia has to cope with that empty feeling inside that comes from having your 454 cid racing motor yanked out. The listing here on eBay describes a metal shell of a car, and more than 30 bids have raised the market value above $2000.
The spartan interior pays tribute to the car’s drag racing past with the hollow housing of a prominent aftermarket tachometer, fire extinguisher within reach of the driver, and what looks like a kill switch on the dash. Last raced in 1993, it evidently gave up parts for other projects until someone felt it was old enough to possibly fetch a buck or two.
A grenaded rear-end sidelined the mighty Malibu, and it seems to have been forgotten since then, aside from having its parts ripped off like a wounded Cape Buffalo on the Serengeti. Wild animals may have also ripped away the fleshy vinyl top.
The VIN and body tag decodes to a Cortez Silver Malibu sport coupe with V8 engine and black cloth interior. Thanks to chevellestuff.net and ss396.com for some details.
Chevy experts can comment on whether those rivets are factory rosettes or white downspout rivets from Home Depot. Joking aside, I’ve seen silver rivets like this on what seem to be legitimate ’69 Chevrolets from Baltimore. How would you build this forgotten classic?
This was featured last week.
It doesn’t make financial sense to rebuild it as a race car since turn key competitive bracket cars can be bought in the low-teens, grudge night or T&T bombers go for less even less. This car, if it isn’t too rusty will be better suited to be built into a street car.
Steve R
Likely a car put together or otherwise bankrolled by a local Budweiser distributor of the day. The distributors did really well, financially, and structuring the costs of racing as a business expense meant that the IRS paid for a big part of the project, in a way.
I used to drink Michelob actually around the time this car got sidelined. None, not a drop of alcohol since 2003. This Chevelle looks to be suffering from a nasty hangover!
I have a 69 Z/28 Camaro that the original owner ran at Richmond Dragway around 1969 – 1976. It might have run against this car, or at least parked in the pits beside it. My car is still “Day two” with the lugs for the tow bar still welded to the frame and a Moroso Cool Can under the hood. Other than that it has an interior and drive train rebuild, so it’s about what it was in 1970.
If you weren’t around in the early 70’s, the cool can was meant to put dry ice in to cool the fuel between the fuel pump and the carb. It makes a great place to set your beer while you’re changing plugs, so it’s been there since I got the car out of VA in 1982.
Unfortunately for Anhuiser Busch, my family history of diabetes problems made me quit drinking their product 20 years ago. I’m sure the local distributor would have sponsored my Camaro if I wanted to race it. They’re friends and made a LOT of money off me in the good ‘ol days.
I started kindergarten in 1972, but I know exactly what a Moroso Cool Can is and what it’s for. I still use one under the hood of my drag car today. I was kinda diggin’ on the “vintage” Accell Super Coil still attached to the firewall of this Malibu. Everyone used to run those too but I haven’t seen one in quite a while.
if you aint first, your last!
Big project for a Malibu.
I’m embarking on a project a lot like this with a 1973 Dodge Dart Sport last raced, to my knowledge, in the late 90s. https://tinyurl.com/sfusnrv
Nice car, do you plan on leaving the graphics?
Go over the safety equipment with a fine tooth comb. Get a current NHRA rulebook to make sure the car is compliant for the ET and MPH you will be running. Recently someone at my local track brought their old racecar out of storage. He took a 25+ year hiatus to raise his family. He was killed when his brake pads disintegrated as he applied the brakes after crossing the finish line and the car made a 90 degree turn into the wall. It turned out that he never replaced the pads when he running the car again.
Steve R
That’s saddening.
While the graphics have been painted over, I want to put the paint back as it was. The car will get a full mechanical makeover to be safe, but will retain virtually all of the 80s style. That’s the goal… for it to look like it just rolled off of a trailer 40 years ago and ready to make some passes. Admittedly, it will lounge around in a garage more than anything, but I would like it to run some respectable times. It ran a best of 7:20 with the original 340 and I’ll get it back to that at least.
Rivets are correct. I can’t post pics but they are usually hidden by dash pad.
My chevelle had the rosette rivets but the rosette was down. I don’t look at those as much.
I would go for this one! Power drums in the front?
I like it.
The street car route is the way to go!! This car needs everything redone to get back to racing!!