Curbside Find: 1966 Chevelle Malibu At The Shopping Center – The Way It Used To Be

Photos from the Cohort by Jerome Solberg.

Here’s a ’66 Chevelle Malibu 2-door hardtop, beat up and worn, the way they used to be found around my high school grounds back in the ’80s. A once gleaming belonging, now reduced to second rate transportation.

Undeniably, “The way it used to be” is a subjective phrase. And some may recall a different period for these, as when they used to be new. But those youthful days are long gone, and mine are too. So this find by Jerome Solberg in California is a reminder of days past, in one way or another.

And this is no mere Chevelle, but rather a Malibu model in 2-door sport coupe form. Chevrolet’s upper trim line in the midsize market. Of course, it was the ’60s, and if you preferred your Chevelles as full-time muscle cars, you had other choices too. 

When going around the car, one can see that it embodies different timelines. Those hubcaps move the proceedings to the mid-’80s. Who told this Chevelle to have Caprice dreams?

Leaving those hubcaps aside, a hint of the original timeline is in the front fender. And if I’m not mistaken, that bit of pot metal indicates this sports coupe carries a V8. A 283 most likely?

Talking about “the way it used to be”, here’s the car’s no longer “as it used to be” side. But as can be seen, someone went through the trouble of rebuilding the past for this angle.

And yet one more timeline appears, thanks to another Chevrolet hubcap. At least this Malibu’s owner is remaining faithful to the bowtie division, right?

On to the interior, with the top shot showing a pretty well-kept instrument panel. Just the way it used… Oh, heck. You know where I’m going with this.

Meanwhile, that front bench seat has clearly been reupholstered. With the kind of vinyl covering that reminds me of Puerto Rican taxis. Very sticky and sweaty under the heat.

Despite all the time shuffling, I assume the strangest timeline this Malibu has lived through is the current one. A 2-door hardtop from the ’60s, not rusted to pieces and yet, not snatched up by some restomoder?

In our CC world, I guess it’s all for the better. After all, how else to be reminded of the way it used to be?

 

Related CC reading:

Curbside Classic: 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sedan – The American Opel

Chevelle SS Or Malibu SS – An Overview Of Chevrolet’s Intermediate Super Sport