1964 Chevelle Malibu SS History

1964 Chevelle SS History

The 1964 Chevelle is introduced on September 26, 1963 as a mid-size car to compete with the Ford Fairlane. In just a few years the Chevelle would become the most dominant and successful muscle car GM ever produced.

This new car attracted buyers right from the start, not only due to its attractive body lines but also because it offered a wide selection of models to choose from, as well as engine choices, a long list of options to pick from and an affordable retail price to boot.

The Malibu SS was by far the sportiest model offered, and came with your choice of either a 6 or an 8 cylinder engine. Some noticeable differences from its counterparts was the display of the Malibu name script on both the rear quarter panels and the SS name plate on the rear cove panel.

Other trim that came standard on the 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS included rocker panel moldings, wheel arch moldings, rear lower quarter panel and upper body moldings. Total production for the year was 76,860 units.

The base V-8 engine for the SS was the uninspiring 283 cid/195 bhp unit, but later in the year Chevrolet division woke up and made available the L30 - 327 cid/250 bhp, and the L74 - 327 cid/ 300 bhp engines. 1964 was also the only year in its history that a big-block engine was not offered for the SS model.

As far as the interior goes, the 1964 Chevelle SS displayed a deluxe steering wheel, bucket seats with a floor center console in between, but only if ordered with a 4-speed or powerglide transmission, a floor shifter and a four-gauge cluster. Unfortunately, if you wanted a tachometer mounted on the dash, well, that was optional. The "SS" name plate was visible on the glove box door and on both door panels.

There were 294,160 units built for the year, including 76,860 SS models.