My older son treated me to a round of golf this past Fathers' Day Weekend and much to our delight, this lovely 1968 Chevelle Malibu was in the parking lot of the golf course. He parked his 2017 Camaro a couple of spots up from it and we both went a bit weak in the knees the closer we got to it. I guess there is is some truth to the adage, "like father like son".
Might be cliched to be a fan of these cars but seeing my son's reaction to this one, there is something to them. Even in retina searing "Butternut Yellow". Although my wife didn't join us, I know she likes them too although I'm not so sure she'd approve a purchase order for anything yellow that wasn't a banana.
Those of a particular vintage may be familiar with the "Chevelle" moniker but few may know exactly what one was. In short, any intermediate Chevrolet made between 1964 and 1977 was a "Chevelle". The origin of the name the subject of conjecture. Some say it's a mashup of Chevrolet and "gazelle", a gazelle a somewhat smaller impala although most people use the terms gazelle, impala and even antelope interchangeably. Others say that "Chevelle" was meant to invoke a smaller Chevrolet; the "Chevette" nameplate was rumored to be in play at first too.
Not that there's anything "small" about this car as its certainly "full-size" by today's standards, but everything being relative, it's got nothing on the full-size dreadnaughts of the day. The new-for-'64 Chevelle was dimensionally all but identical to the seminal 1955 Chevrolet and bridged the literal huge gap between the compact Chevy II and the seemingly always getting larger Impala. Our '68 here is roughly three-inches longer, nearly two-inches wider, all but two-inches lower and a whopping 800-pounds heavier than a 1964 Chevelle.
The near half-ton of extra weight certainly doing our subject's 327-cubic inch, "Turbo-Fire" V-8 any favors. I wasn't about to pop the hood to check which one of the three 327 engines this might have had with 250-, 275- or 325-gross rated horsepower. Safe to say, at least it doesn't have a "307" or the "Turbo-Thrift", inline-six. I don't like taking pictures of interiors but it this has a column shifted automatic (2-speed Powerglide) and bench seat. This is no muscle car.
Chevelle's came in four different guises or trim levels for 1968 on two different wheelbases. Our Malibu coupe here rides on a tidy 112-inch wheelbase, four-door models and station wagons rode on 116-inch wheelbases. "Above" the Malibu, which was also available as a pillared and hard top four-door, was the SS396 Sport Coupe and convertible, below it the entry-level "300" series. There was also a luxury-themed "Concours" model that was only available as a four-door hard top. Chevelle wagons for 1968 were all called "Nomad". Sigh. So many Chevelle's and only so much space in the garage.
Chevrolet riveted or glued "Chevelle" to their intermediates for only fourteen model years but I think it deserves a plaque in the Chevrolet Hall-of-Fame right up there Impala, Caprice, Monte Carlo, Corvette and Camaro. Malibu too, I guess. Chevrolet intermediates were dubbed "Malibu" after GM downsized all their mid-sizers for 1978; those stubby little cars survived through 1983.
Subsequently, Chevrolet affixed "Malibu" to a series of compact and intermediate sedans starting in 1997 and is still doing so currently. The most recent Malibu, while actually a fine, modern transportation conveyance, not exactly the stuff dreams are made of like our '68 here. Fore!
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