Diamond Value Calculator Table
Wheelbase was 115 inches, five inches longer than that of the Chevy II and four inches shorter than the full-size cars. The top-level Chevelle was the Malibu SS, which came standard with an all-vinyl interior, center console with Powerglide or four-speed manual transmissions, bucket seats, functional dash gauges, and SS emblems on the door panels and glovebox. Other ’64 Chevelle models included the Malibu SS convertible, Series 300 4-door Sedan, and Series 300 4-door wagon. With the Chevelle’s introduction, Chevy now offered 43 models in five distinct car lines.
A vertical grid-patterned grille and new bright trim around the headlights were highlights. Landau coupes came with a vinyl roof, full wheel covers, whitewall tires, color-keyed body striping, and dual sport mirrors. A new “Chevrolet Efficiency System” was supposed to make cars run more economically. Malibu Classic coupes had distinctive opera windows. Variable-ratio power steering now was standard with V-8 models, and all 1975 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu models rode steel-belted radial tires. Rectangular taillights sat flush with the body surface, connected by a brushed chrome panel. Engines for the 1975 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu lineup ranged from the standard 250-cubic-inch six and 350-cubic-inch V-8 to V-8 options of 400- and 454-cubic-inch size, the last with a 235-horsepower rating.
No more 400-cubic-inch V-8s were available. Classics had a luxurious cloth/vinyl split-bench front seat, color-keyed steering wheel, and woodgrain-accented instrument panel. A total of 37,215 Malibu Classic Landau coupes were produced, as opposed to 73,739 regular Classic coupes and 28,793 base coupes. Regular Malibu grilles changed little. Malibu options included a $46 Exterior Decor group, $54 tinted glass, and $33 full wheel covers. In four-door sedan form, too, the Malibu Classics outsold base models by a substantial margin. Malibu Classics switched to a vertical grille pattern and six-section taillights but kept their twin stacked headlights and stand-up hood ornament.
Tough good looks weren’t enough to lure muscle car prospects into showrooms after V-8 engines had lost their vigor. Midsize cars in general, on the other hand, were selling strongly, and Chevelles earned a billing as “a size whose time has come.” Malibu Classics adopted a diamond-pattern grille and stacked headlights, while regular Malibus kept a single-light setup. Production of the Laguna edged up to 9,100 cars as the base price leaped to $4,621. Three V-8s were available: a 305-cubic-inch version rated at 140 horsepower, a 165-horsepower 350-cubic-inch, and a 400-cubic-inch engine that developed 175 horses.
