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Sleeper Chevy Malibu Smokes Them All at the Strip, Save for Unassuming Fox Body

While the Summit Midwest Drags event (May 31st to June 4th) is already over, there was so much action at this densely packed “Drag-N-Drive” competition that we’re probably going to witness the exploits of some of the most interesting racers for days to come. Right now, it’s time for something that easily qualifies into the cool and (always) surprising sleeper category.
Twin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACS 33 photos
Photo: Drag Racing and Car Stuff / YouTube
Twin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACSTwin turbo 1967 Chevrolet Malibu sleeper drag racing at Summit Midwest Drags on DRACS
With four days of competition and three racetracks to test their quarter-mile mettle against, it’s no wonder a wide variety of drag racing aficionados turned out for the Midwest Drags, even though conditions are quite tough on both drivers and cars.

That’s because all registered vehicles need to be driven on public roads between each track, and the teams could only carry the spare parts they could fit inside a trailer. Still, many rose to the challenge, and we’ve been particularly impressed by the vehicles looking all beat-down but using the patina atmosphere as a shrewd cover for hiding all the power fitted inside.

This 1967 Chevrolet Malibu easily caught the attention of the good folks over at the Drag Racing and Car Stuff YouTube channel, and it wasn’t only because of the tarnished body or the cool red wheels. Instead, it was probably entirely surprising to find out it can pull eight-second passes all day long.

That probably was the case with the Corvette driver seen at the start of the video almost forgetting to floor the throttle after an amazing pull by the Malibu. Naturally, the Chevy won the skirmish with an 8.62s pass against the rather slow 11.61s run of the ‘Vette. Consistency is key here, as the Malibu keeps it neatly in the mid eight-second ballpark every time it faces a series of foes.

The variety is almost as astonishing as the little snippets of presentation that were interspersed with the quarter-mile footage of the Malibu smoking just about everything in its path. One by one, all competitors fell prey to this vintage wonder equipped with a 414ci SBC, twin 71mm Borg Warner turbochargers, and a Holley EFI.

It didn’t matter if they were little hatchbacks (10:55), hot rods (8:40), wagons (4:40), Duramax diesel swapped Chevelles (1:10), or other sleepers (10:30). Even a modern Challenger got thoroughly ashamed after we took a peek at the Chevy’s goodies under the hood (1:50).

In the end, there was just one other car that was able to cope with this sleeper wonder, a totally unassuming (save for the rear tires and bulging hood) Fox Body Mustang that ultimately managed to snatch an 8.52s to 8.58s victory against the Malibu.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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