The Chevrolet Malibu is a car with a pretty peculiar story.
First released in 1964, the Malibu was originally a top-level offering.
However, there was a bizarre, non-factory edition that was released in just two states.
And it’s remained an unknown ever since.
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California Soul: Chevrolet Malibu has intriguing history
Before we get into this intriguing Chevy edition, it’s important to understand the history of the car itself.
The Malibu derived its name from the coastal community in California.
It was produced by Chevrolet in 1964 as a top-line sub-series of the iconic Chevelle.
By 1974, the Malibu had grown so popular that it became the official entry-level model of the Chevelle.
In 1978, it was so popular that it replaced the Chevelle in Chevrolet’s line-up completely.
As with most American brands, the Malibu has had a variety of V6 and V8-powered options over the years.
M80 Malibu: one of Chevrolet’s great mysteries
And that brings us back to today’s Chevrolet conundrum.
The fourth generation Malibu was manufactured from 1978-1983.
At some point in the late 1970s, the seven most powerful Chevrolet dealers – who all happened to be located within the Southeast zone of the US – came up with an idea.
As emission regulations started creeping in, the dealers wanted to make muscle cars cool again, reviving the spirit of the 1960s and early 1970s.
Their plan? To upgrade the Malibu, and make it appeal to a younger, NASCAR-savvy clientele that regularly made the pilgrimage to Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
M80: The Chevrolet derived from a firework
In case you’re wondering why the special edition car is called the “M80”, there’s a particular reason why.
Initially, we thought it was because of the release year of the package – 1980.
However, it actually gets it’s name because of a firework – the M80 military firework.
These fireworks, designed for training in the 1950s, were so explosive and caused such severe injury that they were banned by the US military in 1966.
The seven dealers all joined forces to oversee the M80’s manufacturer at the GM plant in Lakewood Heights, Georgia.
All of the M80 cars were built to the exact same specification.
They were painted white, with two dark blue racing stripes. A dark blue interior with bucket seats completed the inside of the M80.
The entry-level M80 produced 155HP, powered by a 305 cubic-inch, four-barrel V8.
The car actually shared its LG4 305 engine with Corvettes of the 1980s, but those engines were tuned to produce 180HP.
How many of these cars were made?
It seems less than 2,000 M80s were ever made.
Nobody actually knows for sure, but the accepted figure is around 1,901 units.
Because this Chevy was only released in North and South Carolina, it was always going to be a limited run.
Interestingly, the M80 Malibu was legally limited to just 85mph on the speedometer.
This was in an effort to tackle emissions, and carmakers had to comply with the mandate.
Sadly, at the moment, there do not appear to be any M80 Malibu examples for sale.
So if you happen to spot a white 1980s Chevrolet with blue racing stripes on your travels, let us know – you’ve just seen something very special…
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