Now this is how you update a classic. This 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu (or is it Malibu Chevelle?) pulls out all the stops with trick body mods, a gorgeous interior, LS1 power, and a pro-touring stance, all designed to create the coolest A-body ever seen. If you want to get noticed, this car is definitely going to do it for you.Black isn't the kind of color you fool around with. If you're going to paint your car black, you start at the very earliest stages because you have to get it right. So when this Chevelle was stripped bare and the bodywork started, everyone knew it had to be right. It was finished two years ago and looks absolutely sinister sitting there on those big shiny wheels. At a glance, you may not have even noticed that it was a Chevelle, because the custom grille totally changes the look. Other body mods include shaved emblems and door handles, a cowl-induction hood, custom bumpers, and a blacked-out tail panel. The car just looks serious from any angle, and the work is so good that traffic stops when this apex predator cruises past. Panel gaps are excellent and aside from a few signs of use, it's still extremely clean. Even the license plate gets in on the action, pulling itself up out of sight behind the rear bumper when you shut off the ignition. Too cool!The interior is just as trick, anchored by a pair of black leather and alligator skin bucket seats that are far more comfortable than the original bench. Then there's the custom center console that steps up to the dashboard, housing a JVC touch-screen entertainment system and the controls for the Air Ride suspension and Vintage Air A/C system. The instrument panel is polished billet aluminum and filled with white-faced VDO gauges that look great through the spokes of a custom leather-wrapped 3-spoke wheel. Custom door panels use original style hardware for a very neatly integrated look and plush carpets have lots of sound deadener underneath to make it feel hushed inside. Don't worry, there's still room for friends in back, with another pair of custom bucket seats that offer built-in seat belts, a very cool trick. The trunk is finished for show as well, including a custom enclosure with a pair of 10-inch subwoofers that fill the car with sound.The 5.7 liter LS1 V8 under the hood was pulled from a C5 Corvette, fully rebuilt with an upgraded cam, and dropped neatly into the Chevelle's engine bay. Aside from the Corvette coil covers, it looks like it was born there, with all the OEM equipment fully intact, so it starts instantly and idles well under any conditions. There's a big aluminum radiator keeping it clean and the throttle has been converted to cable operation for simplicity's sake. It's backed by a rebuilt 4L60E 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission with a 3200 stall torque converter and a 12-bolt rear end with 3.73 gears inside. The suspension is fortified with Hotchkis componentry and a full Air Ride setup, and there are SSBC 13-inch brakes up front and Camaro 12-inch discs in back. It's beautifully finished and the car rides and drives like it's decades younger than it is. Staggered Foose wheels measure 18x9 up front and 20x10 in back, totally filling the fenders for the ideal look.There's a huge pile of cash tied up in this car and it delivers on every single level. If some garden-variety Chevelle isn't for you, perhaps this incredible resto-mod will work better. Call today!
|