That there is the spitting image of my Chevelle...except with rally wheels and a flat hood.
Riley,
Beautiful car. The '66 and '67 cars are among my favourites.
Question: The fender tags are missing. Is there any way to know if my car is actually a Malibu SS? My did has a dealer brochure from 66 and it shows a Malibu SS in the same color, same rear quarter panel emblems, and has a flat hood like mine. Ever seen one of these?
At the end of the 1965 model run, in the U.S.A., the Malibu SS was discontinued. 1966 is when the Chevelle SS396 first appeared. Due to the Auto Pact and resulting import duties, the Oshawa plant continued making the Malibu SS for two more years. The Canadian cars did not get the domed hood, even when ordered with a 396.
In Canada, the Malibu SS was a trim (or appearance) option, rather than a performance option as in the Chevelle SS396 in the U.S. Instead of making new emblems for the small number of Canadian market Malibu SS cars in '66 and '67, GM used the 1965 Malibu SS emblems. Yes, you could order a 396 in a Canadian Malibu SS, but that didn't magically turn it into a SS396. There was no SS396 in Canada in 1966. It remained a Malibu SS
that happened to come with a 396 engine.
In the U.S., the 1966 Chevelle SS396 was a performance option, and of course came with the 396 engine.
If your car is a 13617 model, then it's a Malibu two-door hardtop. If it's a 13667 model, then it's a Malibu convertible. If it also has the A51 Sports Option, then that's what makes it a Malibu SS, even if it has a 6 cylinder engine. That is unless it was a U.S. built car. Then the A51 option simply meant bucket seats.
Like I said before, isn't this 1960's Chevy minutiae an amazing thing?