Chevrolet Malibu Fourth generation

Production	1978 to 1983
Class	Motor Car
Assembly	U.S.A ,Canada, Mexico, Venezuela
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Platform	A-body (1978–1981) (G-Body 1982-1983)
Transmission	3-4-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	108 in (2,743 mm)
Length	192.7 in (4,895 mm) (sedan & coupe) 193.4 in (4,912 mm) (wagon)
Width	71.5 in (1,816 mm) (sedan & coupe) 71.2 in (1,808 mm) (wagon)
Height	53.3 in (1,354 mm) (sedan) 54.5 in (1,384 mm) (wagon) 193.4 in (4,912 mm) (coupe)

In the spring of 1978, the Malibu, the bestseller of the Chevrolet Chevelle series, became an independent model series. He was Chevrolet's second smaller series after the Caprice of 1977.

The new chassis was more than 30 cm shorter and the vehicles - depending on the model - by 250 to 500 kg lighter than its predecessor, but offered more foot and headroom in the interior and a larger trunk. There were two trim levels Malibu and Malibu Classic. The Landau coupes of the Malibu Classic series had a two-tone paint and a vinyl roof.

The Malibu built on the same reworked rear-wheel-drive GM-G platform as the Pontiac Grand Prix , the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and the Buick Regal . 1982 was the last year of production of the Malibu Classic.

There were four-door sedans and four-door station wagons with the same optional equipment as the new front-wheel drive models based on the GM-A platform (from 1984), until the 1984 model was replaced by the front-wheel drive Celebrity . The production of sedans and station wagons was discontinued, only the El Camino was further built until 1987.

There were four body styles: a two-door coupe , a two-door Landau coupe, a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon . The sedan originally had a conservative notchback shape with six windows in contrast to the hatchbacks of Oldsmobile and Buick. In order to save costs, the windows in the rear doors could not be opened, but you could open small ventilation windows in sedan and station wagon.

In late summer 1980, the sedans received a four-window shape with a vertical rear window.

The two-door coupe was manufactured until the end of 1981. From the fall of 1981, the Malibu models presented slightly revised with rectangular double headlights and underlying elongated turn signals.

End of 1982, the production ran out.

OPTIONAL
limited slip differential; Turbo-Hydramatic 200 or 350 automatic transmission with 3 ratios 1.520, 2.730 axle P195/75R x 14 or P205/70R x 14 tyres; anti-roll bar on rear suspension; power steering; tilt of steering wheel; servo brake; vinyl roof; heated rear window; electric windows; air-conditioning; electric sunshine roof; automatic speed control.

For collectors especially the (based on the Malibu) El Camino is interesting. The coupes were often converted to muscle cars , even if they were not as popular as the first and second generation.

The four-door Malibu was also used as a fleet vehicle, especially at police and judicial authorities. After the nova was set in 1979, the 9C1 police equipment (not to be confused with the 9C1 of the Chevrolet Impala ) was transferred to the Malibu, so that it served as a police vehicle of medium size.

M80 Sport Package 

From the factory there was no Malibu model with SS equipment. A super sports package was only available for the El Camino. In model year 1980, traders in North and South Carolina had a very rare Malibu M80 package to revive the era of muscle cars. But mostly it was meant for NASCAR fans who regularly drove to Darlington Raceway . Today it is no longer known how many packages were sold or how many vehicles equipped with them still exist (it is estimated that there will be 1900 vehicles).

All M80 versions were painted white with dark blue single seats and a center console. The basis of the M80 was the two-door sports coupe with F41 sports suspension and 5.0-liter V8 engine with 145 hp (107 kW). The M80 package consisted of two M80 blue trim strips for the doors, front and rear spoilers and rally steel wheels.

Production in Mexico 

In Mexico , GM manufactured this generation of Malibu in the model years 1979 to 1981 at the Ramos Arizpe plant . The Mexican version was available in three trim levels - Chevelle, Malibu and Malibu Classic - and in two body styles - sedan and coupe - with 4.1-liter R6 engine or 5.7-liter V8 engine with 260 hp (191 kW). The latter machine was standard on the Malibu Classic, which was possible because of less stringent emissions regulations in Mexico than in the US.

In 1981, GM Canada produced 25,500 Malibu sedans at the Oshawa plant for Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government. The business should have had a volume of well over 100 million CAD . These Malibu models differed from the other versions and were equipped with the weakest 3.8-h V6 engine with 110 hp (81 kW) in conjunction with a manual three-speed transmission with mid-circuit. All of these vehicles were painted white and had air conditioning, high performance cooling system, durable padding and 14 "steel rims with" baby moon "caps and wheel trim rings.

Of the 25,500 copies of the Malibu sedan, however, only 13,000 units were actually delivered to Iraq, of which the largest part was used as a taxi in Baghdad . For this purpose, the fenders were painted orange. In 1982, when about 12,500 copies were still waiting for their shipment either at the docks in Halifax or in Oshawa, Iraq suddenly canceled the order . As reasons for allegedly different "quality problems" were stated, so u. a. the problems of the Arabian drivers to switch the hakelige manual Saginaw transmission. The problem could be solved on the spot by a readjustment of the couplings by a Canadian technician crew.

It was later assumed that the Iraqis had to withdraw from this business for financial reasons, as the escalating conflict with Iran devoured more and more money. Initially, GM Canada director Donald Hackworth tried to sell the cars to other countries in the Middle East. Finally, the remaining "Iraqi taxis" were sold to customers in Canada for a comparatively low unit price of 6800 CAD. Over the years, these vehicles gained a certain "cult status".

GM sold a 1:25 advertising model of El Camino plastic from the manufacturer MPC, which was revised from 1978 to at least 1982 annually. Kit versions thereof were also manufactured, later there were corresponding advertising models from the Camino SS. The manufacturer Monogram also built a model of the 1978 El Camino in the then customary, slightly larger scale 1:24 and also a 1979 Malibu sedan with police package as a simplified 1:32 -Schnellmontagemodell. Both models were launched several times.

While the body of the Chevrolet Chevelle the second series was often recreated and in different scales as a die-cast model and a toy car, there were few versions of the scaled-down generation of the Malibu. The manufacturer Maisto brought out a model of the El Camino with rectangular twin headlights.

• PERFORMANCE: 200 cu in
• max speed: about 93 mph, 149 km/h
• power- weight ratio: Sedan 31.8 lb/hp (43.2 lb/kW), 14.4 kg/hp (19.6 kg/kW)
• Classic Sedan 32.2 lb/hp (43.7 lb/kW), 14.6 kg/hp (19.8 kg/kW)
• consumption: 26.4 m/imp gal, 22 m/US gal, 10.7 1x 100 km.
• max power (DIN): 94 hp (69.2 kW) at 4,000 rpm
• max torque (DIN): 154 1b ft, 21.2 kg m (208 Nm) at 2,000 rpm
• max engine rpm: 4,400; 28.1 hp/l (21.1 kW/l)

• PERFORMANCE: 231 cu in,
• max power (DIN): 115 hp (84.6 kW) at 3,800 rpm
• max torque (DIN): 190 1b ft, 26.2 kg m (257 Nm) at 2,000 rpm
• max engine rpm: 4,200; 30.4 hp/l (22.3 kW/l)
• max speed: about 96 mph, 155 km/h
• power. weight ratio: Sedan 26 lb/hp (35.4 lb/kW), 11.8 kg/hp (16.3 kg/kW) - Classic Sedan 26.3 lb/hp (35.7 lb/kW), 11.9 kg/hp (16.6 kg/kW);
• speed in direct drive at 1,000 rpm: 25.4 mph, 40.8 kb/h
• fuel consumption: 22.8 m/imp gal, m/US gal, 12.4 1 x 100 m.

• PERFORMANCE: 267 cu in
• max power (DIN): 125 hp (92 kW) at 3,800 rpm
• max torque (DIN): 215 1b ft, 29.7 kg m (291.3 Nm) at 2,400 rpm
• max engine rpm: 4,200; 28.6 hp/l (21 kW/l)
• max speed: about 99 mph, 160 km/h
• power- weight ratio: Sedan 25 lb/hp (34 lb/kW), 11.4 kg/hp (15.4 kg/kW) - Classic Sedan 25.3 lb/hp (34.4 lb/kW), 11.5 kg/hp (15.6 kg/kW); speed
• in direct drive at 1,000 rpm: 25.4 mph, 40.8 km/h
• fuel consumption: 21.6 m/imp gal, 18 m/US gal, 13.1 1 x 100 km.

• PERFORMANCE: 305 cu in
• max power (DIN): 160 hp (117.8 kW) at 4,000 rpm
• max torque (DIN): 235 1b ft, 32.4 kg m (317.7 Nm) at 2,400 rpm:32 hp/l (23.5 kW/l)
• max speed: about 106 mph, 170 km/h:
• Power-weight ratio: Sedan 19.6 lb/hp (26.7 lb/kW), 8.9g/hp (12.1 kg/kW) Classic Sedan 19.8 lb/hp (26.9 •lb/kW)' 9 kg/hp (12.2 kg/kW); speed in
• direct drive at 1,000 rpm: 26.4 mph, 42.5 m/h
• fuel consumption: 19.2 m/imp gal, 16 m/US gal, 14.7 Ix 100 km