Photo: Mecum
If you really want to get noticed in your neighborhood and money is not an issue, then you can definitely go for a brand-new Mercedes-Maybach EQS. Imposing and screaming luxury through all its seams, the $179,900 German electric SUV is at the top of the food chain when it comes to carmaking. Yet, in some respects, it is dwarfed by a 60-year-old Chevrolet Malibu.
The two cars have absolutely nothing in common, but one has to be blind not to notice the fact that the expected selling price for the old American mid-size car is way, way higher than what Mercedes dares ask for its prized and very modern vehicle. And that's something that doesn't happen very often.
You all know the Malibu, the nameplate initially introduced as a trim for the Chevelle and later transformed into a standalone model line. You've seen examples of it coming under our spotlight time and again, as talented custom shops keep remaking them and collectors keep selling them.
The latest Malibu conversion comes in the form of an SS from the nameplate's very first year, 1964. It was put together as a frame-off restoration by an undisclosed American garage, and it is presently waiting to go under the hammer at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
The car is your usual custom transformation of a Malibu, with nothing truly extraordinary standing out. Granted, the thing is an impressive beast, visually speaking, thanks to the exterior silver color that gives it a cold metal look and the staggered Foose wheels with their ultrawide tires that make contact with the ground.
Lowered courtesy of an air ride suspension system with an A-arm at the front, the Chevy still wears original-style trim and emblems (minus the Chevy script at either end) and moves its occupants about in a tan interior equipped with bucket seats.
The interior, the work of a shop called Paul Atkins Interiors, is adorned by Classic Instruments analog gauges installed in a one-off dashboard, a center console runs through the middle of the car, and a tilt steering column sits in front of the driver.
The wheels spin under the power supplied to them through a Ford 9-inch rear end by a massive 7.4-liter V8 tied to a six-speed transmission. We are not given the performance specs for the engine, but they probably are as impressive as the rest of the build.
I guess the biggest question about this Malibu is whether it is impressive enough to be worth the price of an EQS. When it goes under the hammer on May 16, the custom Chevy is expected to fetch at least $180,000, with the more optimistic estimates placing the sale price at a staggering $220,000.
We'll see if the car manages to snatch that much next week, when we'll report back with the relevant info.
You all know the Malibu, the nameplate initially introduced as a trim for the Chevelle and later transformed into a standalone model line. You've seen examples of it coming under our spotlight time and again, as talented custom shops keep remaking them and collectors keep selling them.
The latest Malibu conversion comes in the form of an SS from the nameplate's very first year, 1964. It was put together as a frame-off restoration by an undisclosed American garage, and it is presently waiting to go under the hammer at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
The car is your usual custom transformation of a Malibu, with nothing truly extraordinary standing out. Granted, the thing is an impressive beast, visually speaking, thanks to the exterior silver color that gives it a cold metal look and the staggered Foose wheels with their ultrawide tires that make contact with the ground.
Lowered courtesy of an air ride suspension system with an A-arm at the front, the Chevy still wears original-style trim and emblems (minus the Chevy script at either end) and moves its occupants about in a tan interior equipped with bucket seats.
The interior, the work of a shop called Paul Atkins Interiors, is adorned by Classic Instruments analog gauges installed in a one-off dashboard, a center console runs through the middle of the car, and a tilt steering column sits in front of the driver.
The wheels spin under the power supplied to them through a Ford 9-inch rear end by a massive 7.4-liter V8 tied to a six-speed transmission. We are not given the performance specs for the engine, but they probably are as impressive as the rest of the build.
I guess the biggest question about this Malibu is whether it is impressive enough to be worth the price of an EQS. When it goes under the hammer on May 16, the custom Chevy is expected to fetch at least $180,000, with the more optimistic estimates placing the sale price at a staggering $220,000.
We'll see if the car manages to snatch that much next week, when we'll report back with the relevant info.
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