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The first-generation Chevelle produced one of the rarest and most faked muscle cars General Motors ever built. Only 201 Z-16 Malibu SS 396 cars were assembled in 1965, roughly 75 are believed to survive, and their six-figure values have created an entire cottage industry of counterfeits. The reason the fakes fall apart has nothing to do with paperwork. Read on for how to read a real one, and what made the 1966 SS 396 different.
This 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS carries the rare RPO L78 396 engine, factory-rated at 425 horsepower and backed by a 4-speed manual — a combination that may survive in as few as five convertible examples today. Two commenters share their own family histories with the exact same drivetrain. Watch for the burnout at the end that one viewer calls the king of all time.
RS, SS, and Z28 weren’t just badges on the late-1960s Camaro — they were separate engineering paths that could be stacked, combined, or chosen alone, and the production numbers behind each one tell a story most fans never hear. From a dealer-only 427 swap Chevrolet never officially offered to the year Z28 orders nearly tripled, read on for the details behind the badges.