Hey Scotty,
I've got an opinion question for ya. Me and my buddy were trying to think of the most unbiased opinion for this and we both agreed on you. We tried posing this question to the classic car community, but too many biases and too many comparing hot rod or resto mods. Me and my friend are debating which is the better car. A 1963 Chevrolet Impala or a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu; They are both equipped with 3 speed manual transmissions, the 63 Impala has the 300HP 327 CI V8 and the 66 Chevelle Malibu has the 275HP 327 CI V8. Which was built better; better performance, take off, braking, steering (neither have power steering), handling, ride quality, which was more reliable, and overall fit and finish. Performance wise 0-60, and top speed they aren't that far off, our biggest disagreement is that the quality of manufacturing/build was better in 1963 compared to 1966. We're talking stock cars no resto-mod.
Thanks
I don't much care for the X-Frame chassis used in the late 1950s and early 1960s GM products.
Still applies a bit today to some extent, but back in the 60's; it mattered more what day of the week and/or if there was a holiday close to the build date whether or not you got a well-built car. 🤣
I know the names and body styles, however other than that I am unfamiliar with the models from those years.
As far as build quality goes, I don't see how the quality could be that different considering the span of only 3 years.
I would think the build quality, handling components, and engines would have the same quality. Any differences in reliability and fit and finish would probably be to small to effectively measure.
I'm also assuming the vast majority of GM's auto workforce would have been virtually the same between the years they were built. The same engineers, designers, and upper management should have had roughly the same mindset, attention to detail, along with the same profitability expectations.
Between the two vehicles, I would think that due to it's size the Malibu would have the advantage in all of the scenarios you listed above.
