MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION With a red-hot final package, Chevrolet’s marketing team cooked up a custom crafted and highly targeted plan to get the word out. From the get-go, the Malibu SS Z16 wasn’t to be released in wide-spread figures, but rather in an initial run of just 200 vehicles to, as an internal memo put it, test “future market exploration.” The batch was built entirely at Chevrolet’s Kansas City plant, designated by a “K” as the seventh numeral in the VIN. The run was further broken up into two groups. The first batch of 25 cars was to be used as a marketing fleet, assigned for press and media driving opportunities in 12 cities. To raise awareness, 88 top magazine and newspaper auto editors were mailed special invitations to come out and spend some time behind the wheel of a Z16, with many more invites sent out locally. The second group, totaling 175 vehicles, was to be sold to the public through Chevrolet dealerships across the United States. Many of those locations were known for moving a lot of performance-oriented inventory. Such examples include Doane Chevrolet, in Dundee, Illinois, which was plugged into all kinds of Corvette competition and racing ventures at the nearby Meadowdale Raceway in Carpentersville. Another heavy hitter was the legendary Yenko Chevrolet, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, who pioneered the COPO performance car program and the model of dealer-network distribution. The sales staff selling the Malibu SS396 was asked to collect feedback and reactions to document the car’s reception. The 396 option wasn’t cheap, adding $1,501.05 to the base price of the Malibu SS and bringing the retail total to more than $4,500. No marketing efforts were allocated to “The run was quickly scooped up by enthusiasts who wasted no time in unleashing them at stoplight brawls and drag-racing events.” # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Location Huffman’s Chevrolet Co. Bob Rosenthal Chevrolet Co. Rathman Chevrolet Friendly Chevrolet L.B. Hartman, Inc. Ammon R. Smith Doane Chevrolet Yenko Chevrolet Johnson Chevrolet Hicks Chevrolet Tubbs Motor Company Yingling Chevrolet Co. Black Chevrolet-Olds, Inc. Black Chevrolet-Olds, Inc. Greg Sutliffe Jack Shaw Chevrolet Clippinger Chevrolet Jim Quinlan Chevrolet Jim Rathman Chevrolet Don Steves Chevrolet Farmington, IL Arlington, VA Melbourne, FL Rialto, CA Salamanca, N.Y. York, PA Dundee, IL Canonsburg, PA Dallas, TX Washington, D.C. Arkansas City, KS Wichita, KS Walterboro, SC Walterboro, SC Harrisburg, PA Euclid, OH Covina, CA Clearwater, FL Melbourne, FL La Habra, CA Code 314 475 390 172 280 540 163 900 379 250 885 971 072 072 585 298 103 386 390 213 the special SS396 package, and as such, it didn’t show up in period advertising or brochures. Chevrolet’s PR team counted on its “unlisted” status to make it ultra- desirable, and with enough exposure, it’d become the “most-wanted car in the country.” The ploy worked, and the run was quickly scooped up by enthusiasts who wasted no time in unleashing them at stoplight brawls and drag-racing events. 1965 CHEVELLE MALIBU SUPER SPORT: Z16 INVENTORY ALLOTMENT: 1ST 20 VEHICLES Dealer Order # 92142 86026 28025 39539 30661 000010 56619 01023 43034 12898 30477 30476 91128 91129 47767 67754 17270 59323 39077 20023 Zone Peoria Baltimore Jacksonville San Diego Buffalo Harrisburg Chicago Pittsburgh Dallas Baltimore Wichita Wichita Charlotte Charlotte Harrisburg Cleveland Los Angeles Jacksonville Jacksonville Los Angeles MECUM.COM • 47
