The fifth-generation Chevy Malibu, underpinned by GM’s N platform, was a big deal when it emerged in the late 1990s as a serious competitor to Japanese midsize sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. However, today, its reputation is as a bargain-basement used car of last resort.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a collectible. For your consideration is a very special 1997 Chevy Malibu Cruiser concept, which turned heads at the 2001 SEMA expo. It’s for sale in Fillmore, California with an asking price of $17,500, making it one of the more valuable N-body Malibu models in existence. The same car sold on Bring a Trailer in April 2024 for $13,500.
Under the hood seems as good a place as any to start with an overview of the modifications performed by the GM Performance division, the predecessor to what we call Chevrolet Performance today.
This 1997 Malibu was originally powered by a 3.1L V6 L82 rated at 155 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, a whopping 5-hp upgrade over the base 4-cylinder. This one is bored out for a 3.5L displacement and assisted by an Aerodyne turbocharger pumping up its output to 230 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. A 4T65-E 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive delivers power to the front wheels.
Other mechanical mods that can harness all that extra power and torque include a coilover suspension system, upgraded SSBC disc brakes at all four wheels, and summer tires.
Exterior mods include “Sublime Lime” paint, 19-inch Mille Miglia Evo wheels, “Altezza” style headlights for a JDM-style look, a rather bold body kit, and tinted windows. A thick chrome bar across the grille is a harbinger of what the front of the sixth-generation Malibu’s face would look like just a few years later.
On the inside, the Chevy Malibu Cruiser is a little less practical than its mass-produced counterpart. Instead of a simple bench rear seat, this cabin has four heavily bolstered Sparco bucket seats and a full-length center console. We also have carbon fiber appliques everywhere, a billet knob on the shifter, and an absolute requirement for a SEMA show car in this era; an ostentatious Kenwood audio system. There’s also a “Malibu Cruiser” plaque next to the shifter with the GM logo on it to convince your friends that this really was an actual GM show car.
Ultimately, the Chevy Malibu Cruiser concept failed in its mission to give the Malibu the same reputation in the aftermarket scene as import tuner darlings from rivals like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. However, it’s a fascinating relic of its time that only could’ve come from the early 2000s.
Comments
Surprised it’s still in one piece, but then it is a custom. I had a ’98 and it was one of the worst vehicles, build quality-wise, that I’ve ever owned.
We had one with 289,000+ miles on it, before some teenager ran into the front end at a side street intersection, even though I had the light. Only problem we had with the car, was the brake package wasn’t worth a damn. But that seemed a continuation across almost all Malibu models 97 and up