Longterm Relationship with a ’77 Chevy Malibu Classic

Back in 1979, Arturo Garcia walked into a dealership and purchased the car of his dreams: a 1977 Malibu Classic. That transaction, which was done for a mere $6,000, marked the beginning of what would become a longterm relationship and a lesson in loyalty and lowriding.

Just a year after taking it home, the Malibu had already been lifted, made an appearance in Eddie Money’s video for “Shakin,” and throughout the years has had its fair share of media coverage in LOWRIDER magazine. But if you’ve been in the game long enough, then you already know that this Malibu has been seen everywhere from Whittier Boulevard to Hollywood, and it’s become a staple fixture on the streets of the San Fernando Valley. But the true beauty of this story isn’t all the glitz and glam of the media coverage it’s received, but more so the longterm love affair he’s had with it ever since.

Whereas most are dreaming, flipping, buying, and selling, Arturo can say that he knows the history of his car inside and out, and the memories created with the Malibu are priceless. In total, the Malibu has been reincarnated four times over, and time and time again and it’s been done so with the help of his club brothers from Thee Artistics—a club he joined back in 1981. Yet that adds another element to that story; his loyalty and devotion to game of lowriding, as well as the loyalty he’s shown to his club and his car.

To pound the pavement, his Malibu is knocked up with a set of 14×7 Zenith wire wheels that are massaged onto a set of 520 Premiums all around. Powered by the stock Chevy 350, it’s what gets the wind flowing through the custom 38-inch moonroof that exposes a classic throwback interior that’s reminiscent of the early pioneer days of lowriding.

Outside, the exterior has been blessed by the paint, bodywork, and pinstriping from Edgar at Maxima Imagen, based out of Irwindale, California. It’s a classic look with classic lines that define the historic body lines of the Malibu, but the history and memories behind this build are what truly defines not only Arturo’s passion, but our own passion for lowriding and the moments frozen in time.

We tip our hats to Arturo for keeping true to his ride or die, while also doing one hell of a job preserving one of the big-body greats to hit our scene.