Chevrolet introduced its Third Generation Chevelle in 1973, marking the most significant rework in the badge’s history to that point. Most of the changes were designed to comply with legislative requirements, although it remained a handsome vehicle. Annual upgrades were then largely cosmetic, with this 1975 Chevelle Malibu Classic Colonnade featuring a new grille and other subtle changes. It is a solid classic with a few minor mechanical improvements designed to extract improved performance. Its remaining needs are minor, and its new owner could tackle them in their home workshop during the colder months, so it is ready to strut its stuff when the sun returns. The Malibu is listed here on Craigslist in Milner, Georgia. You could drive it home by handing the seller $13,900. A big thank you must go to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting this beauty.
The 1975 Malibu Classic Colonnade is an attractive vehicle, and the seller accentuated it on our feature car by dropping the ride height and adding 15″ x 8″ Rally wheels. The changes add a sense of purpose, reducing the visual “weight” of the vehicle. It presents well in Gold Metallic with a matching vinyl top. The seller indicates a small rust spot on the edge of the vinyl, but it hasn’t crept beneath to potentially cause problems. There are no further rust problems, with the underside shots confirming this classic is rock-solid. The paint and panels look good, with no significant flaws or issues. The larger bumpers that appeared in 1973 dramatically changed some vehicles’ appearance, but the Malibu’s styling absorbs their impact better than most. There are no issues with the chrome or tinted glass, meaning this car makes a positive first impression.
This Malibu’s interior leaves me with mixed feelings, but the most obvious change that annoys me could be easily reversed. I’m referring to the column-mounted tach, which obscures the driver’s view of the speedometer. It is an upgrade that will divide opinions, but it is one I could live without. The under-dash gauges are a wise investment in monitoring the engine’s health, and I could live with the aftermarket stereo. Otherwise, I can’t spot any further additions. The Tan vinyl upholstery is good across the entire vehicle, with no tears or other problems. The Black carpet provides a striking contrast, and its condition is consistent with the rest of the interior. There are no problems with the dash, pad, or wheel, and no signs of plastic issues. The new owner receives ice-cold air conditioning and a tilt wheel, but there is no additional optional equipment.
Powering the Malibu is a 350ci V8 which sends 145hp to the rear wheels via a three-speed Turbo 350 transmission. Tightening emission regulations made themselves felt when you pointed the Malibu at a ¼-mile, with the journey taking an agonizing 19.1 seconds. However, this car might be able to improve on that figure. The listing is vague but suggests the engine and transmission may have been recently rebuilt. With the addition of Headers and dual Flowmaster exhaust, it should breathe better. The changes won’t make an enormous difference, but any improvement is better than none! The seller says it runs and drives extremely well, meaning it has no apparent mechanical needs. This car seems to fill the bill for a buyer wishing to slip behind the wheel for some instant classic motoring gratification.
By 1975, the Chevelle was no longer a firebreathing monster, and the Malibu Classic Colonnade demonstrated the company’s growing focus on luxury. This car presents well, and addressing its minor rust issue should not be challenging. The price is at the top of the market, and I can’t help but think the seller may be slightly ambitious with their figure. They may need to compromise, but there’s no doubt that if someone does pay the price, they will drive away in a head-turning classic. Will they get their price, or do you believe they may need to aim lower?
This is the complete opposite of the Riviera above.
A lot of odd angles that don’t go together well,& then
there’s those front & rear “porch” bumpers.
I REALLY hate it when people take pictures of the car when it is wet. Every one I have ever gone to look at that was wet in the pictures was dull and the pictures were deliberately meant to deceive. May not be the case here but to me wet= something to hide.
A car like this is not for everyone. Most people like to have what everyone else has. I’ve read the comments and I’m willing to bet most have never driven one or even researched to know what it takes to make them handle and run. Did you know that the suspension from a middle 90’s Impala SS bolts right up? With springs, good shocks and sway bars these cars tighten right up and are a blast to drive. If you feel you have to have 500hp to be relevant than that’s you. But a 4bbl swap, headers and a good exhaust will wake these motors up enough to have a good driver and that’s been done in this one. Not all classics are muscle cars. Not every weekend drive is a stop light to stop light drag race so you don’t need 500hp to cruise back roads. It’s easy for non car people to blast a car. But the real car guys can appreciate a car for what it is and what it was built for. Not a lot of these are left anymore. And this one appears to be a great example of one for someone to enjoy as is or with simple inexpensive modifications have a fun car that stands out in the sea of all the catalog cars out there.
Just because the ground is wet does not mean the car is. Looking at the photos the ground would be pooled up more than it is if the shine is due to being wet.
I love the rims and white letter tires on this car. 👍👍
It just always make me scratch my head when i read 350 and see 145 ponies.
My 230 six cylinder Chevelle is 155 hp .
I did put a 65 283 Impala 2 barrel for on it in lieu of one barrel for fun with e bigger exhaust so maybe it 158 🙃😉😜
Oh well i like the car design and even the now retro color.
Nothing that dual exhaust and oversized pistons with better intake plus fuel injection wouldn’t improve performance😃
Your Chevelle must be from the ’60s or 1970. The 250 motor then was 155hp & that’s the GROSS hp rating(no accesories attached) along with 235 ft lbs torque at a very low 1600 rpm.
The 230 motor would be less.
The 1975 malibu ratings are NET hp ratings(with accessories & restrictive cat converter attached).- for 1975, the chevy 250 net ratings are 105 hp & 185 ft lbs at an ever lower 1200 rpm. I would estimate the NET hp of a 1970 or earlier chevy 250 to be at most 115-120 hp.
Clean ride…..great lines. Loved these cars when I first got my license back in the 90s. They were cheaper than the earlier a-body Chevys by far but could accommodate any small block and big block combination and all the appropriate suspension and driveline updates. Full frame and comfortable ride too. Nascar teams enjoyed success with these body styles as well. Also…..Remember the movie Say Anything!
It’s a sweet looking Malibu, but 145 HP, a slushbox and almost 3800lbs does not a fun car make. Heck, a Dodge Omni GLH from a few years later would run circles around most “performance cars” from this era and get 30mpg while doing it. I know, I know. Apples to oranges and all that.
It’s just hard for me to get excited about cars from this era unless they were built in Germany or Italy, save the Super Duty Trans Ams which were the only fast American cars from the mid seventies.
Now take this car, a built small or big block and a 4 speed, now we’re talking! The performance to match the looks. I’d love to buy one of these cheap, and then build a NASCAR replica with a nasty V-8 and manual transmission along with the suspension and brakes to handle the power. That would be cool.
But as it sits, it’s an infuriatingly slow, poor handling land barge that barely gets moving and might get 12-15mpg while doing it.
I had a similar car as my first- a 1977 Dodge Diplomat with the 140 HP 318 and automatic transmission and the only reason I’d ever buy another one is so I could take it to my hunting camp, fill it with tannerite and blow it to kingdom come with a high power rifle. Cars from the malaise era were just junk after a few years, I’m surprised so many people have held onto them.
!! alot to unpack there..
I had to address a few issues with the strong sentiments that were stated so matter of factly yet in real world dont hold true.
First
Not all cars are supposed to be drag raced.
Second
The old ‘it has to have a manual trans’ is hype that is rooted from a demographic that wasnt so smart. There was a time when a drag racer could get a 1or 2 second advantage with a clutch IF they had the power in front of it and the skills to shift it.
Manual transmissions are inferior in most ways to and automatic, and since most people dont know how to shift/launch an auto their true potential is seldom tapped. These days there are paddle shifters, so there really is no real reason to opt for a manual trans other then to brag to other not so in the know motor heads that you have one, or if pushing a clutch whilst disrupting the ergonomics of your body is preferred. By the time you let of the clutch in second gear, youll see the tail lights of the auto nearing third ;)
Third
the gas crises, insurance companies, and DOT are the reason cars started being detuned. Besides, the muscle car was something a skilled enthusiast built, not something a rich kid bought.
These cars had all a skilled and/or knowledgable person needed to make easy and cheap power; not rocket science.
Forth
Even with a detuned 350ci, these cars out handled the second gen cars by a long shot.
So “poor handling” tells me you probably havent owned or even driven one. Take into account this cars lowered stance, even better.
Fifth
MPGs ?? really ?!, theres an irony there that i probably dont need to elaborate on.
So, JOOO, i thought a little explanation might help sooth your infuration ;)
To add to Adam C.’ yet another well written presentation regarding these 3rd gen A bodies :
The look of these cars is no coincidence, no fashion, its larging function.
This body was deliberately designed with a key purpose in mind, and by a legendary designer. Its a race car, and no, not a drag race car, a high speed track car. Wider, longer, lower, and obviously more aerodynamic than its predessesor. If the bumpers are a lil too much, as the new law for 5mph impact dictated, any novice tech and simply tuck them in.
As for this ‘barn find’ 75 Malibu, a full color match top, a 350, AC and no rust makes this one exceptional specimen. My first car was a 75 Malibu, and if it wasnt obvious by now, i still have one till this day; drove it yesterday :)
Sorry, money, but a car that looks this good needs to have the power to back it up. And I’ve driven several Malibu’s, including an SS from the same era and they were poor handling cars with worse brakes and absolutely no acceleration. And manual transmissions don’t matter? All of a sudden you’re talking about new cars with paddle shifters but I’m off base? Nah, dog. I stand by what I said. Built engine, manual transmission and suspension and brakes to back it up or keep walking. A ‘70 Chevelle with a 307 would laugh hysterically at this Malibu. And you bring up the fact that it’s already lowered, on what? Cut springs? I’ll take the same car with a manual transmission any day of the week over a slushbox. You can’t compare a modern day 6,7,8 or and now we’re up to 10 speed automatic with a 3 speed Turbo350 these cars came with. That’s not even a discussion rational people are going to have, let alone people who supposedly love cars and love driving them. But cool, you do you and I’ll stick by my statement and we can love whatever cars we darn well please.
Paddle shifters aren’t anything like a manual transmission.
I don’t want any car with them.They basicly are the same thing as
the old column shift automatics that you could manually shift.
Just what you said , thank you !
hmmm
A 70 Malibu 307 race a 75 Malibu 350..
and not just a drag, but a course
GOOO the suspension comparison was 2nd gen to 3rd ; not stock to upgrades
and paddle shifters were sighted in the furthering of the evolution of ‘shifting’ in how the automatic trans was the evolution to the manual.
and Amen to :
“we can love whatever cars we darn well please”
Yeah, those German and Italian cars from that era were so great that you literally can’t find one that hasn’t had tens of thousands of dollars of maintenance to actually keep it running. This Malibu, proyhad hundreds of dollars keeping it running
Imagine how slow it would be with the base 250 straight 6 motor, & 5 adults & their luggage inside & the a/c on, going up a mountain. lol
This car looks like one I had in 1983 except mine had the swivel buckets and console. I bought it with the motor out and gone, 250 was the price. A 100 dollar 74 Monte later I had a driver. Those were the days, only had it about 2 months. My little sister took it and our mom to go pick up grandma and while going to st joseph to look at the new off ramp the state put in where grandma lived in the 60’s another driver made a left turn in front of them. Tore my grandma up pretty badly, no one was wearing seatbelts. First time she had driven in St Joseph to boot
I had the twin to this car but mine had the inline 6. Soooo underpowered, but she looked cool!
Bought a 73 SS 454. Loved the ride. Smoother than a Caddie. I have driven a 74 and 75 as rentals while doing a few upgrades on my 73. The stock 454 was ok, but I wanted a bit more hp. Anyway both had small blocks and handled highway interaction just fine. This 75 is a daily driver and is over priced by @ $5,000.00.
To add a little tech info:
Stock 71 454 SS w/4 in the floor
289hp, 197in lgth, 75.4in w, 53.3in h
0-60 6.4 stock weight 3440
Stock 73 454 SS w/4 in the floor
245hp, 202.9 lgth, 76in w, 53in h
0-60 7.2 stock weight 3470
So really not that much difference.
And, surely everyone knows that the 73 models were actually supposed to marketed as 72 models. A strike at GM changed the arrival date.
Funny how engine sizes vs horsepower in different manufacturers were vast. A Chevy 350ci put out 145hp. A Dodge 360ci put out 190hp. Big differences in power vs 10 cubic inches. That’s engineering for you.
Shame on Chevrolet for using the Chevelle name on this boat. Who at Chevrolet thought that this was a good replacement for the 1970-72 models? They could have made those for the rest of the decade. Then there would be a lot more of them and prices wouldn’t be so obscene.
Everybody did, these were very popular and sold like hotcakes . Nobody would be buying 72 Chevelles in ’79, car styling had changed, peoples tastes changed – plus even if they were stupid enough to do it, you’d have massive govt mandated bumpers on them ! Car companies in financial trouble tried rehashing the same old car year after year and it never ended well.
Well don’t tell that to NASCAR champion driver Cale Yarborough.
The third generation Chevelle was an extensively used body style in NASCAR competition from 1973 to 1977. The Chevelle Laguna in particular was extremely successful allowing Cale Yarborough to win 34 races and earn the first two of three consecutive Grand National championships.
First car I ever drove extensively was one of these babies. I think it was a 1973, but could have been a 1974. No matter, it was a fun car to drive and since it was the first car I ever drove extensively….it was super fun. :)
Drove it to HS in Senior year, as sort of a bribe to entice me to not cut school. Plus since there was no bus….it meant they didn’t have to drive me.
Ours though…had the famous Chevelle Swivel Bucket Seats and the console shift, which was a relatively new feature in cars at the time.
Could really use those swivel buckets now, to make it easier getting
in & out of these cars/suvs of today !
Nice car, the wheels look good on these Malibu’s of the 70’s. Typical Chevy Monte Carlo look alike dash and the tachometer is totally not necessary in my opinion. I have no issue with the dual exhaust on these type of American personal coupes of that decade. I get ticked off when I see that type of exhaust on a family based car like a four door Buick LeSabre or of course a four door 71 Impala for example. I wouldn’t have mind having the keys to that car in the 70’s or even in the 80’s for that matter.
lub em (altho not this model). The big square (no apologies) grill, over powered (careful not to spin tire at every stop lght) the Camino esp for the radiused head board and rear glass, wagon’s great too. The last of the chevells, 3rd gen’n I aint even a cheb guy.
That car brings back a lot of memories! My mom and dad bought a silver with black guts, and a black landau top in 78. My mom drove it till I was about 10, and she hit a cow with it. It was drivable, but about 15 years old at that point and not worth fixing. My dad then sold it to my uncle turned it into a stock car and raced it for the next five or so years!
Have to laugh at the comments on power. What mid size car in 1975 had 400hp? These cars were meant to cruise. Not every weekend drive requires 500hp, not every drive is a drag race from stop light to stop light. This car has the needed mods already done. A 4bbl swap, headers and duals give these anemic motors a little more grunt. If done right the lowered stance and shocks will take the float out of it. I built a 75, did a bolt on swap of parts from a 1996 Impala SS and did a front sway bar from a 1978 Trans Am with the WS6 package and that really made for a fun driver. I know a lot of people want what is popular and really that is boring. How many 64-72 Chevelles are out there and how many variations of red with black stripes and black with white stripes can you really have? Not knocking those but these are a different car, different thinking. If you want a catalog car then there is nothing wrong with that but if you want to be different, and have a fun car with some cheap easy bolt on’s then this car is a steal. Not everyone has $40k to put into a classic and nice cars for under $15k are hard to find anymore. Sure, there are cheaper ones out there but what would those cost to get to the level of this one?
Nice old 75 malibu.chevelle car..no they are not ss motored cars.but a nice ride..I like the color and the ralley.wheels look great on it…yeah 145 hp motor not much.for the time..most of it is just a 2barrell carb.on it..I’m sure.its a.good driver car.enjoy it..r
Unfortunately American manufacturing was slow in reacting to the inevitable. The had the technical capabilities to make interesting cars but didn’t. Instead of fuel injection the just strangled carburetors and put cats on already restricted exhaust systems making power and milage horrendous. If they had reacted faster they wouldn’t have lost do much business to imports .
Wow this was my old car lol crazy seeing it. Would be interesting to know who has it now . Emailing me would be great please.