Round two on the honesty front for the day, and located in California, Missouri, is this 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu convertible that has been cloned to appear as an SS396 model. And the seller is very forthright that this convertible is not what it appears to be. It is a looker nevertheless and worth a closer investigation. It’s available here on eBay for a current bid of $16,500, 46 bids tendered as of this writing.

Cloned muscle cars are a pretty common phenomenon and Chevrolet Chevelles seem to lead the pack on that front. They’re fine, provided that their true provenance is disclosed, not to mention that they make for a nice general driver alternative vs. fears of motoring about in a high dollar genuine article.

This example as all of the SS396 exterior trimmings including the badges, blacked-out grille and rear valance, vented hood, and correct rocker panel molding. The only thing that seems to be missing is the rocker panel molding’s continuation along the lower part of the quarter panel on either side. The body is properly aligned and straight and appears to be rust free – it shows very well in Marina Blue capped off with a white canvas top. Speaking of the top, the seller does state that it is manually operated but there is no word regarding its condition. Nevertheless, the images present it well.

Things get more interesting as you dig inside. The interior would seem to be SS396 correct though there are some missing items like the HVAC controls (this Malibu shows signs of having been an air-conditioned car), a missing radio, no center console added, miscellaneous wires dangling down from under the dashboard and a shifter that looks like it’s from an automatic transmission equipped car even though is example is advertised as possessing a four-speed manual gearbox. The clutch pedal is evident. The rest of  the interior, the black upholstery, door cards, carpet, etc. are standard ’66 Chevelle bits and all appear to be in good order.

Under the hood is a non-running 396 CI V8, 325 HP engine which would have been standard equipment in a ’66 SS396 Chevelle. The seller claims that the engine has been rebuilt with forged components but he provides no details regarding its non-running status. In stating the obvious, there is no carburetor, fan, radiator hoses, and the power steering pump is situated askew in the wrong location. Inquiries would have to be made to get more insight into the non-operational motor.

Continuing the tour, out back is a twelve-bolt differential that was either already in place or added by the seller; either way, it is correct for an SS396 clone and one of the items frequently missed when building a tribute. Also of note is the new fuel tank. With all of these changes and inclusions, this Chevelle has a lot going for it! It would be helpful to know more about the engine. If it merely needed the noted missing parts, it’s reasonable to assume that the seller would complete it and be done – voila, a running car! There may be more to the story that only the seller can answer. Years ago, I was dead set against cloned cars, they seemed like some sort of an undermining conspiracy. But in reality, I believe they have a legitimate role as long as they’re properly disclosed. How about you, are you accepting of a tribute or more inclined to hold out for the real thing?