3 minute read
Red-Head Turner
This is a 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu. With just over 180,000 produced for the 1968 model year in a V8, this car is not rare. In fact, cars from this era sold in the hundreds of thousands, and many of them survive to this day. But rarity isn’t what makes these cars unique. Instead, because so many people have experiences with similar vehicles, everybody has a story and everyone wants to tell it to you.
Flaunting its red paint down the main drag in Seguin, heads turned, and hands waved. During the photoshoot, one by one, guys came by and struck up a conversation with owner Craig Guttierez, talking his ear off and grilling him with questions before the real interview even started. When
it was finally time to do the official interview, there wasn’t much to do but hop in the passenger seat and ride along, listening to what the car meant to Craig.
Just as a well-made bed is essential to keep a room looking clean, a clean and organized engine bay is just as important to the overall look of the car. A car with a detailed engine bay with an unkempt exterior will always be better than a detailed car that’s dirty under the hood.
For Craig, his Malibu isn’t a sum of its parts; it’s not one of 180,000. His Malibu represents his entire existence. He and his grandfather Tony Guttierez bought it as a project when Craig was in sixth grade. It took lots of love and even more, work to get it to where it is today.
“It took time,” Craig said. “I block-sanded for what felt like years.”
It wasn’t until his senior year that Craig could actually drive the Malibu. It could stop and go, but the saga was still far from over. The ‘68 didn’t truly become a build until he got his
first high paying job as an engineer after college. First was the wheels, an important choice that really affects how a car looks.
“Yeah, the wheels were my first big boy purchase after graduating college,” Craig said. “They’re Work VS-KF wheels in 18x9 in the front and a full 10 inches in the rear”.
Japanese wheels on American muscle may seem like blasphemy to some, but for Craig, it’s just personal preference.
“In my opinion, they look like the classic Torq Thrust revisited,” Craig said.
Torq Thrusts being the classic five-spoke muscle car wheels that are so recognizable.
While cruising Seguin and the surrounding country-side, Craig lamented why his car means so much to him and how much of an inspiration and guiding figure his grandfather was in his life.
“It’s one thing to go out and buy a car that was built by someone else,” Craig said. “To have had a good portion of my childhood building this car, and spending all that time in the garage with my grandfather, it has a lot of sentimental value. Though you can never get it back, all the time spent is still in this car, it’s still available. All you have to do is turn the key.”
His most recent memory with the car goes to show what Craig’s Malibu means to him. He explained that when he proposed to his now-fiancee, they were in his Malibu after having a picnic (restaurants not being open at the time due to the pandemic). They rolled up to the top of the parking garage downtown, where his family was waiting for him to pop the question. Thankfully, she said yes.
“We were driving home, and
she said ‘you know you can’t get rid of this car now right,’” Craig remembered. “To which I replied ‘first of all, there is no way I am ever getting rid of this car. Like yeah, it wasn’t going anywhere before, but now it really isn’t!’”
As he said, the Malibu isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Craig plans to swap the carburetor for a modern electronic fuel injection system for better fuel mileage, power, and first crank starts. He also intends on installing airbag suspension to control ride height and more comfort remotely.
Craig is a perfect example of how much cars can mean to people. So much more than a vehicle, his Malibu is a testament to family and all the good that comes with having their support. Just as his red ‘68 Malibu created cherished childhood memories, it seems that there’s room for even more as he intends to spend the first part of his marriage — driving away in his Malibu.
