1965 Chevrolet MALIBU SS

Finished in Ermine White with a red vinyl interior, this stunning convertible Chevrolet Malibu SS has an electrically powered hood. An ultra-rare ‘matching numbers’ Swiss-built car from the GM plant in Bienne, it is fitted with the 283Ci V8 engine. Power windows all round too, plus power brakes and power steering.

Of course, as an SS, it also has the optional bucket seats and centre console gearchange, plus the extra-cost adjustable steering column, all of which are, like the rest of the interior, in a very good condition.

With an expenditure of almost £15,000 in the two-and-a-half years the vendor has owned it, it also shows very good bodywork. Said to drive “fantastically”, it comes with a good history file and has just passed its MOT with flying colours.

The Ermine White coachwork was stripped down and repainted in early 2019. The slide on page #347 lists the work, which cost more than £8,400, in detail but suffice it to say, it now looks simply sensational with ripple-free flanks, tight shutlines, and good alignment.

New decals were also fitted, along with silver numberplates and these, along with the top-tinted windscreen, a discreet flash of red and blue on the front grille, and the new headlamps, all conspire to give the Malibu a presence that contemporary British cars can’t hope to rival.

This presence is further bolstered by a set of new American Racing Mag Torq Thrust D wheels, which were fitted in July 2020 at a cost of over £1,000. They have also been fitted with new chromed wheelnuts along with the correct 205/75R14 Maxxis MA-1 whitewall tyres, all of which still have plenty of tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The car also comes with the original steel wheels, complete with four chrome hubcaps. Please see slide #196 for a photo of them.

It has, of course, still got the correct ‘Malibu SS’ badges on the rear wings (sorry, fenders…) and ‘283 V8’ badges at the front. It’s still got the original Chevrolet door mirrors, too.

The folding black hood is almost new and so free of rips, tears, and other damage. It rises and falls at the touch of a button and the plastic rear window is clear and unmarked. Oh, and the whole kit-and-caboodle folds away neatly under a bright red tonneau cover.

Problems? Well, as you might expect given the recent respray and cosmetic work, there’s nothing that needs doing at all here bar continued polishing and maintenance.

The vivacious red interior looks amazing. No one, and we do mean no one, did better interiors in the 1950s and ‘60s than the Yanks and this is an especially fine example of the breed.

As you can see, the red vinyl seats are in an amazing condition. They’re still firm and comfortable too, and the new red carpets, in the correct tufted material, further seal the deal.

The dashboard is as ornate as you’d hope and it’s all in good shape, as are the door cards, dashboard top, and the rest of the interior trim.

In fact, while the red ‘n’ chrome steering wheel is a real highlight, overall we simply can’t think of a better car for weekend beach runs or to keep at your Spanish villa for al fresco fun-in-the-sun, a role the speedometer, which reads in kilometres-per-hour, supports.

Problems? Well, while there’s no doubt that the radio-cassette player and six-CD multi-changer, which plays through door-mounted Roadstar speakers sounds lovely, its presence in the dashboard does rather grate. With this in mind, we can see the new owner will almost certainly want to hide it somewhere else and pop something more aesthetically appropriate in its place.

Other than that, it all good and ready to be enjoyed by its new owner.

Recent mechanical work includes a brake overhaul that comprised new shoes, cylinders, and a master cylinder. It has also been fitted only recently with a custom-built twin exhaust system and mufflers that has been topped off with stainless-steel tips.

It also features new coolant and heater hoses, plus new fan and power-assisted steering drivebelts. Wonderfully, it also has the original glass bottle for screenwash.

A full service, including eight new sparkplugs, was carried out by Alan Carrington Classic Cars in 2018. It also had the radiator pressure tested and painted, the alternator repaired, various engine ancillaries powdercoated, and the wiper motor fettled. Slide #346 refers.

The car has also had many hours of cosmetic and detailing work lavished on it, work that that included detailing the engine as well as painting the engine itself in the correct orange and the engine bay and underbonnet in satin black in August 2018. Please see the invoice (slide #345) for details.

The new rear dampers are on air suspension, so the car can be raised or lowered when an air supply is connected.

The vendor describes it as “fast, and a very good cruiser” and “remarkably fuel-efficient”. He says there’s no need to fit any of the usual tuning parts as it goes very well on the standard two-barrel carburettor, adding that there’s no scuttle shake, allowing you to enjoy the car’s performance without any untoward shakes, rattles - and only a little roll.

The underside and chassis is just as clean having been painted in satin black. It is, as you can see from the photos, ‘rock solid’.

The Malibu’s MOT certificate, which is valid until May 2021, was gained without a single advisory point bar an observation regarding the km speedometer, something it’s been doing since its first MOT in 2017.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. It also has some paperwork from its time in Germany as well as manuals for the Blaupunkt head unit and CD multichanger and two sets of keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

As a Swiss-built, left-hand-drive European car, we can see the Malibu’s spiritual home might be back on the continent, perhaps sitting in your Spanish villa’s garage, waiting faithfully for you to use it for holiday high jinks in te sun.

Or, perhaps even better, why not keep it back home in Switzerland; can you imagine a better way to navigate to and from your chalet, with winter tyres beneath and skis on top? Way, way cooler than any modern four-wheel-drive SUV, it would look sensation in the snow with its bright red interior.

Of course, it’s also sufficiently well protected to be able to be kept here in the UK; with a ready source of both mechanical and trim parts both domestically and internationally, keeping an American car of this era has never been easier – and with the boon in places such as the Ace Café in London and Caffeine and Machine in the Midlands, using one and showing it off has never been more accessible.

And, it’s not as if it’s going to be especially pricy; at a time when even a new Ford Focus can easily top £30,000, the £20,000 to £28,000 investment this represents means that you can get behind the wheel of one of the most stylish cars we’ve seen all year for considerably less.