Chevrolet Malibu

The Chevrolet Malibu (named after Malibu, California) is a mid-size car produced in the United States by General Motors. It is marketed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Israel.

First Generation 1964-1972

For more details on this topic, see Chevrolet Chevelle.

The first Malibu was the mid-range Chevrolet Chevelle from 1964 to 1972, the SS being the top of the line. 1964 was the first production year of the Chevelle Malibu.

Second Generation 1973-1977

The Malibu was restyled for the 1973 model year. Models included the base Chevelle Deluxe, mid-range Malibu and the top-line Laguna.

For 1974, the Deluxe was dropped, and the Malibu became the entry-level Chevelle. The Laguna trim package was replaced with the Malibu Classic. The Laguna S-3 model was introduced to replace the SS, and continued through 1976.

Third Generation 1978-1983

For the 1978 model year, the Malibu name replaced the Chevelle name. This was a downsized version compared to previous mid-sized Chevrolets. Only two trim levels were offered - Malibu and Malibu Classic. The Malibu Classic Landau series had a two tone paint job on the upper and lower body sections, and a vinyl top.

A very rare 1980 Malibu M80 was a dealer package for only North and South Carolina in an effort to revive the muscle car era. It was however mostly aimed at Nascar fans who regularly traveled to Darlington Raceway. To this day, its unknown how many are left or were actually produced. (Estimates place this around 1,901 cars) All M80's had to be white with dark blue bucket seat and center console interior. The base of the M80 was a 2 door sport coupe equipped with the F41 Sport Suspension package and the normal 1980 305 V8 (140 hp) drive train. The M80 option added two dark blue skunk stripes up top and a lower door stripe with the M80 identification. The package also added front and rear spoilers and 1981 steel rally wheels. There was no factory Malibu SS option available from 1978-83. The SS only came in the El Camino.