According to the 1966 Canadian Chevelle brochure, the Sports option (i.e. Malibu SS) on a Malibu gives you all-vinyl interior and special exterior trim. For the Sports Option they say "All-vinyl Strato-bucket seats of course, and you choose from five 66 colors: red, bronze, black, ivory with black, and bright blue."
It is significant what you said about having bright blue bench seat interior. That year on Canadian Chevelle Malibus (non-SS) they came only with cloth & vinyl bench seats on the coupes and sedans (wagons & convertibles excepted). For the wagons they offered blue, red or fawn vinyl; for the Malibu convertibles bright blue, red or black all vinyl bench seats. In light of that I could see some rational for them building an SS with a bench seat if for no other reason than to offer an exclusive all-vinyl bench seat with exclusive colours. That would carry the air of exclusivity even with the bench seat. Still, if that car turns out to actually be a 1966 Malibu SS from the factory with a bench seat, that is the first one I have EVER heard of. I have been watching these cars since the late sixties, but a lot more closely since the mid-seventies. Like I said, a first! The brochures do not always have the last word, Turquoise interior was not available on the 1966 Malibu SS or Sport Deluxe according to the printed word, yet I have seen original turquoise interior on both a Malibu SS (Tahitian Turquoise with 396 power) and a Sport Deluxe (Artesian Turquoise with 230 power).
I realize that in the U.S. the Chevelles were different for 1966 than the Canadian offerings. Unlike in Canada, you could get all-vinyl bench seats on Malibu hardtops (coupes and Sport Sedan), plus buckets on the Malibu Sport Coupe and convertible. The SS396 came with all-vinyl bench seats, with buckets an option (console was yet a separate option).
I also realize that Oshawa made 1967 Malibus and Beaumont Customs with bucket seat, its just that EARLY in the run the buckets came only with the Sports Option (Malibu SS & Sport Deluxe). Later in the run the 138-series SS396 & 738-series Sport Deluxe were being made, and indeed they came standard with all-vinyl bench seats. At that time buckets became an option on the Malibu & Beaumont Custom, and also an option on the SS396 & Sport Deluxe (which was now 396-only). Do you follow?
I would really love to find out what GM VVS says with regards to that 1966 Malibu SS. Its not that I cant handle being proven wrong, I mean so what? I think it is exciting to learn about a really unique offering that up to this point was unknown except by a few people. If the car had cloth & vinyl in regualr colour I would tend to believe that the rear quarter emblems were swapped (dont even need to drill new holes!) as well as the rocker moldings, plus the addition of rear lower quarter extension trim & argent rear paint on the existing Malibu trim.
I should mention that a guy I regard as a 1965 Chevelle expert, and especially an L-79 expert, one Rich Cummings out of Nebraska, has told of a documented 1965 Malibu SS with a bench seat from the factory (U.S. car). Now the 65s are a different animal but in terms of marketing it is very much like how they marketed the Chevelle SS in Canada in 1966. Veeerrry intersting....
Thanks for the input guys. Keep it coming. And please keep us posted on what Vintage Vehicle Services say about that bench seat Malibu SS. To me it's like a scientist discovering a new species!
67BBSD wrote:
Carl Stevenson wrote:
67BBSD wrote:
I'm with ya Carl-I've had malibu's with bucket seats that were not Malibu SS, I had a Sport Deluxe Beaumont and Super Sport Chevelles with bench seat-now for the kicker-I just e-mailed Wayne to see if he has GM vintage documentation on his 66 Malibu SS 327 4-speed-he's the original owner and it has a bench seat !
Well, I would have lost money on that bet. I had always thought a 66 Malibu SS had to have buckets. That is interesting, and very cool!!! Hard to dispute if it's one owner with the pedigree!
Deepwater blue with bright blue bench seat-correct Malibu SS trim not just the emblems. Wayne bought the car new in the fall of 65-he has a Trans Am that he got documented so I e-mailed him to ask if he has GM Vintage for the 66-he knows what it is-he ordered it-but it'll be interesting to see what George had to say-this car was original paint in 87/88 when I dated his daughter-painted in the mid 90's
-- Edited by CdnGMfan at 23:46, 2008-11-26
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
I'm with ya Carl-I've had malibu's with bucket seats that were not Malibu SS, I had a Sport Deluxe Beaumont and Super Sport Chevelles with bench seat-now for the kicker-I just e-mailed Wayne to see if he has GM vintage documentation on his 66 Malibu SS 327 4-speed-he's the original owner and it has a bench seat !
Well, I would have lost money on that bet. I had always thought a 66 Malibu SS had to have buckets. That is interesting, and very cool!!! Hard to dispute if it's one owner with the pedigree!
here goes-its a bench seat car but has A51 on the cowl tag ! he has never documented it with GM vintage because he has all the original paperwork-I encouraged him to do so
67BBSD wrote: here goes-its a bench seat car but has A51 on the cowl tag ! he has never documented it with GM vintage because he has all the original paperwork-I encouraged him to do so
Yes! Encouragement is good!
In Canada for '66 & early '67 A51 was the trigger for The Sports Option (Malibu SS, Sport Deluxe, even Parisienne Custom Sport in '66). In the U.S A51 was Strato Bucket seats, nothing more. I seriously wonder if the trim tag on your friend's Malibu SS says 732 for the trim (Bright Blue all-vinyl Bench) or 731 (Bright Blue buckets). I wonder how such an exception would be handled through the system back then, A52 bench seat? What I have seen is that GM didn't code all the options on the trim tag, they coded the options that Fisher Body had to deal with and accomodate at their end . I suspect that A51 & the 732 trim code are how Oshawa handled the car as described. I think it would be quite significant to find out how it is documented.
If you friend needs someone to kick in a little towards the cost of GM documentation... I will gladly pay you for a hamburger Wednesday...
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Interesting discussion, since i asked Dave W. if a an early custom 67 beaumont could have come with buckets, he says yes, which means A51 would not be for sports option (which i'm still not sure then how would one know when an A51 became a SD or 'custom with buckets'). Also early paperwork (circa 1990) from GM, on an undisputable 736 sports option, did list A51 as Strato Buckets, and didnt list sports option, it didnt list the sports option until more recent paper work...
Interesting discussion, since i asked Dave W. if a an early custom 67 beaumont could have come with buckets, he says yes, which means A51 would not be for sports option (which i'm still not sure then how would one know when an A51 became a SD or 'custom with buckets'). Also early paperwork (circa 1990) from GM, on an undisputable 736 sports option, did list A51 as Strato Buckets, and didnt list sports option, it didnt list the sports option until more recent paper work...
ak
My first 67 SD396-now Jerry's was documented with GM vintage in 1993-it was a 73817 v.i.n. but the RPO showing A51 said Sports Option ! go fiqure I already knew it was a Sport Deluxe being 738 vin and a 396 and they called the A51 Sports Option-The car was built in february 67. I believe GM vintage is the best supporting documentation we have but clearly even the best has flaws-wonder why they don't just tell us why/how some A51's are bucket seats and others are Sport Deluxe ? George told me he only once called a 736 vin car a Sport Deluxe in error due to the A51 RPO.
I'm pretty sure Wayne will send for documents on his 66 Malibu-I offered to pay but he said no, he'll get it done-its hard to push original owner's its like I'm doubting its real-he says he knew supervision at the Oshawa plant and that they watched it go down the assembly line for him.
