John C. Reilly’s ’68 Chevy Malibu Convertible Is for Sale on BaT

• Comedic and character actor John C. Reilly is selling the ’68 Chevy Malibu convertible he’s owned for more than 30 years.
• Largely original apart from the turquoise repaint, this Malibu is a pure SoCal cruiser with a 307-cubic-inch V-8 and a two-speed Powerglide transmission.
• The auction ends on Tuesday, June 27.

Perhaps best known as the “Shake” to longtime collaborator Will Ferrell’s “Bake” in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, actor John C. Reilly has appeared in dozens of roles since his film debut in 1989. Sometime in 1992, he bought this 1968 Chevrolet Malibu convertible, which he’s owned all through a long and storied career.

Now, it’s up for auction on Bring A Trailer, which like Car and Driver, is part Hearst Autos. It’s your chance to own both a machine that’s the perfect convertible for cruising slow on California’s highways and has also been anointed with just a touch of celebrity status.

New for 1968, the second-generation Chevelle could be ordered with some serious firepower under the hood. Today, it seems most survivors have a 350-cubic-inch V-8 or even a 396, often with a few performance parts bolted on. This ’68 Malibu convertible, however, is the furthest thing from a would-be dragstrip hero. It still has the base V-8: a 307-cubic-inch engine good for just 200 horsepower paired with a two-speed Powerglide transmission, along with 14-inch steel wheels wearing 205/75 whitewall tires. The paint has been changed from Ash Gold to Tripoli Turquoise (a period-correct Chevrolet color), but this Malibu is basically true to what it was when it was new.

This is a pure California car—quite literally, as it was assembled at GM’s Fremont Assembly plant near San Francisco. When Reilly bought this car, he would have already appeared in Days of Thunder and could have been seen on-screen in a supporting role in Hoffa.

Unlike the Rolls convertible Reilly drove as team owner Jerry Buss in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, this Chevrolet convertible has a touch of the understated about it. Drop the top on this classic Chevy, load the soundtrack to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story into the aftermarket Alpine stereo, and head for the beach to catch the last rays of that California sunset.

Contributing Editor

Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.