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This ’64 Chevelle Malibu two-door wagon resto-mod is just about perfect

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While station wagons are all but dead, two-door station wagons predeceased them by decades. Their heyday was in the 1950s and early ’60s. With the exception of the high-style ’55–’57 Chevy Nomad (and the equivalent Pontiac Safari), two-doors were always cheaper than their four-door siblings, designed for families on a tight budget. Some buyers with little kids might have also seen them as a safer choice since the tots in the back seat couldn’t open their door while on the move and tumble out onto the pavement.

While the body style made a comeback of sorts among subcompacts in the ’70s (with models such as the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega), it was never very popular among larger offerings where four-doors also were available. That makes this 1964 Chevy Chevelle two-door wagon a particularly rare sight today. More impressive, though, is the restoration and upgrades that make it a real standout, and it’s up for grabs right now on eBay Motors.

The Chevelle two-door wagon was sold alongside its four-door sibling in 1964 and ’65 only. This frame-off restoration started as a ’64 but the builder swapped in a ’65 front clip. Still, the appearance is almost completely stock, with a subtly lowered ride height and period-correct “Malibu” and “350 V8” badging the only significant deviations. We particularly love the black steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps and redline tires.

Inside, the restoration took more liberties. The custom front bench seat has a center armrest, and the door panels are also custom-made. A modern steering wheel is attached to a tilt steering column, and A/C vents have been added to the bottom of the dash, with cool air supplied by a Vintage Air unit. Modern gauges are set into a stock-appearing cluster, and power windows have been added — including power sliding side windows and a power tailgate window.

Under the hood is a 5.7-liter LS1 V8, mildly hot-rodded to produce 335 horsepower at the wheels and 345 lb-ft of torque. It’s hooked to a four-speed automatic transmission and a 12-bolt limited-slip rear differential. 

So this Chevelle is not quite the basic grocery-getter that was when it was new. It looks and almost certainly functions better than new, and that’s reflected in the $74,900 asking price. And it proves that despite their humble origins, two-door station wagons can be head-turning modern collectibles.

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