Real Cars I Have Owned In Diecast Miniature Chapter Five: 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS Convertible

June 13, 2020

#390

Gentle reader,

I have finally been able to find and obtain for a very reasonable price a dealer promotional model of the second car that I once owned.

My second car was a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS convertible. It was once a light blue color with a medium blue interior and whomever ordered it new, had it built for speed.

It had the 300 horsepower 327 cubic inch V8 engine with a four barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, four-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential which GM called "Posi-traction".

I bought it in 1974 for $250 specifically to take the much higher performance 327 V8 engine out of it and put it in my first car, a 1964 Impala. Which I did.

First, here is a link to all previous articles I have written about diecast cars as well as HO slot cars:

The Robb Collections: INDEX To EVERY Diecast Die Cast Car And HO Slot Car Article I Have Written  

This car, was posted for sale a few years ago on Bring-a-trailer.com and is similar to my car.

The previous article in this series is about the third car I owned and can be seen here:
The Robb Collections: ERTL Authentics Muscle Machines 1967 Chevy Impala SS 427. THE Most Detailed And Realistic Diecast Car I've Ever Seen!

As far as diecast metal recreations of ANY 1964 Chevelle in any scale, there are almost none. Except for a series of at least three NASCAR models in 1:24th scale. At least three drivers from then are featured.

The most famous being this representation of the late-Dale Earnhardt's car in which he won his first race on asphalt.

Due to the model's dedication to replicating the actual cars as they were raced back then, it could not easily be returned to stock, let alone a convertible.

A company called EXACT DETAIL DIECAST built several versions of the 1965 Chevelle with various engines and other changes. 

A very good representation based upon the photos I've seen while researching this article. Only these two are large enough to show you here.

The engine compartment above is from one of their 1965 models and looks very much like I remember mine. 

As far as 1:64th scale goes, again, very few Chevelle or Impala models. I have these two cars. A 1964 Impala on the left, similar to my first car and 1964 Malibu SS, my second car.

I seem to recall the Malibu as being sold as a replica from the 1960's TV show Bewitched.

As a high school student in the early 1970's in Denver, Colorado, I came across a 1964 Chevelle two-door wagon in the neighborhood. I fell in love with it. The two above are 1965 models.

Most small objects are best enjoyed with the naked eyes. 1:64th diecast being an example.

The all-capturing eye of a digital camera shows all the flaws not seen when we look it it in our hand.

Still, the details on these two are very good, especially the front and rear ends.

The wagon on the left, is the two-door 1965 Chevelle 300. Two-door Chevelle wagons were only made in 1964 and 1965 and basically the same as the El Camino. In fact, the bed of 1960's El Caminos has sheet metal covering where the back seat and foot well are in the wagons.

These photos are scans of a 1964 Chevelle 300 two-door wagon a coworker bought to fix up.

He knew I loved these cars and brought the photos in for me. That was in 1995.

More photos of the car for sale with photos of my dealer promotional model which just arrived today in between.

Both the model and real car have the "V" emblem which represents a 283 V8 engine.

If the V had flags on each side, that would mean the 327 V8 engine.

Dealer promos were sent to the new car dealers prior to the new models coming out. 

1964 was the first year for the new Chevelle models. Previously, Chevrolet did not have a midsize car.

Some promo cars were painted, but the majority were molded all in one color.

The promo cars, of which I have a few, were very detailed but plain, most being all one color as this one is. 
The interior mine was blue like this one, but not nearly as nice. The body was multiple colors. The rear window was missing from the soft top. The brake lights did not work.

Even with it's flaws, the car was very quick off the line. I had just tuned it up and rebuilt the carburetor way back then. 
I drove from the Mobil station where I worked through the shopping center parking lot to the next traffic light. 
It had a ramp to turn right. I glanced left, traffic was stopped for the light, so I gunned it.
The tires broke loose and the car swung to the left. I corrected and got it straight. 
Then I saw the red lights of the Denver police car in the mirror. 
I pulled around the next corner and got out. The cops both got out of their car. 
"Quite a stunt you pulled back there." "I just tuned it up and wasn't expecting that much power."
"Whatcha got under there?" I opened the hood, they took a look, told me to be more careful, got back in their police car and drove away. Whew!

This particular model has what the eBay sell called a "motor" in it. He thought it was a pull-back self-winding type, but it is not. 
I took the car apart to see what it was and it's simply two gears which seem to have no purpose whatsoever.

This photo above is from an eBay auction for another one that is for sale as of this writing. 
I show it here so that you can see the standard chassis. He wants $220 for it. It is painted, but come on! Yet, eleven people are watching the auction. 

I paid $51 for mine. The color has turned greenish towards the front of the car. I suspect sunlight did that.

The interior is one piece and the pegs that align it to the body were melted flat in the factory to keep it in place.

I used a bright LED flashlight to illuminate the interior for these shots.
Promotional models were made by model companies in a deal to get early and accurate drawing from which to make their own model kits to sell. 

There are avid collectors out there. I have many more diecast and/or plastic models to show you in the future.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my humble blog. Take a moment to click FOLLOW above and leave a comment below or on Facebook.

Scott
June 13, 2020
#390