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The station wagon, available in 6 or 9 passenger seating, featured a rear hatchback door which allowed for easier entry and loading. The Chevrolet El Camino and GMC Sprint were based on the Chevelle. Yearly design changes to the front and rear mark the aesthetic differences as in preceding years. The 1973 to 1977 Chevelles were top sellers for GM as was the Oldsmobile Cutlass, which used the same A-body platform.
The 1973 model offerings started with the top luxury Laguna series with its distinct urethane nose, followed by Malibu and then deluxe models. A Super Sport SS package was available for Malibu coupes and for the only time, station wagons. The Super Sport SS option included a black front grille, SS emblem on the interior and exterior, body side striping, rally wheels with white letter tires, F41 sport suspension with front and rear sway bars, and a 350 or 454 V8. A 4 speed Muncie transmission was available with 350 or 454 equipped cars on any model.
In 1974 the Laguna S3 coupe replaced the "Super Sport SS" as the sporty performance option on the Chevelle. The nomenclature S3 referred to sport and 3rd generation Chevelle. It sported a special urethane nose, body side striping, Laguna S3 emblem, rally wheels, 4 spoke steering wheel and F41 sport suspension with front and rear sway bars. Radial tires on 15" wheels and radial tuned suspension provided road grip and retractable 3 point seat belts were introduced and still used in new cars today. A 400 engine was new this year. The 454 was the top engine and available with the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 or Muncie 4 speed transmissions.
With the Laguna nameplate now bearing the sporty model in the Chevelle line, the top-line series for 1974 became the Malibu Classic, offered in sedan, coupe and station wagon models. Unlike the '73 Laguna, the Malibu Classic used the same grille work as lesser Chevelle models but added a spring-loaded hood ornament. Inside, Malibu Classic featured luxurious interiors with notchback bench seats (or optional Strato bucket seats) upholstered in cloth or vinyl, carpeted door panels and wood grain instrument panel trim, and vertical opera windows on coupes or exterior wood trim on station wagons. Also for 1974, the base Chevelle Deluxe series was dropped, leaving the plain Malibu as the low-end series.
The 1975 Laguna S-3 debuted as a 1/2 year model in February and sported a new sloped front nose designed for NASCAR. H.E.I. or High Energy Ignition provided spark to the spark plugs with minimal maintenance and increased power. The larger distributor cap also provided better high RPM performance by decreasing the likelihood of the spark conducting to the wrong terminal. The 454 and Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmissions was available for the first half of the model year and then the 400 was the top engine choice. In 1976, the Chevelle was available with the new 5.0 liter 305 V8 the 350 and the 400. 1977 offered the Malibu Classic as the top model and the 350 was the top engine. A Chevelle S.E. or special edition was available and provided front and rear spoilers, rally wheels, special graphics and sport suspension. Only 50 or so were built. When GM downsized its intermediate models for 1978, the Chevelle name was dropped and all models took the Chevrolet Malibu name.
The 1973 to 1977 Chevelle was the top car in the NASCAR circuit in the 1970s. The car was so popular and successful on the track that Chevrolet developed a new front nose in 1975 that lead to the aerodynamic cars of today. The car dominated the field so much that NASCAR imposed a carburetor restrictor plate for all Lagunas. Drivers that raced 1973 to 1977 Chevelles include Darrell Waltrip, Junior Johnson, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Bobby Isaac, Lennie Pond, A.J. Foyt, Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt and female racer Janet Guthrie.
