In the beginning, the 1964 Chevelle was considered a “senior compact” and not just a performance entry. Its aggressive conventional styling placed it directly into the hands of buyers who wanted a dependable, good-looking mid-size car for everyday use.

The 64 Chevelle was available in 3 models: the low-line 300, the sportier Malibu and the Malibu super sport. The 300 was available as a 2 or 4 door sedan and as a 2 or 4 door station wagon. The Malibu was offered as a 4 door sedan, 2 door sport coupe convertible and a 2 or 4 door wagon. The Malibu super sport was available only as a 2 door sport coupe or 2 door convertible.

A typical SS received a sport steering wheel; bucket seats and a higher grade trim level. A brightly trimmed console with floor shifter was added along with the optional Powerglide automatic or Muncie 4 speed. A set of four gauges (temperature, ammeter, oil and fuel) replaced the base Chevelle’s idiot lights. There were fifteen color choices available for the 64 SS. Convertible tops came in white, black and beige. Interior trim was offered in saddle, black, aqua, fawn, red and white and red.

From a true performance perspective, the Chevelle’s beginning was humble at best. Even for the sporty SS, standard power came from a 120hp 194ci six cylinder with the optional 155hp 230ci six cylinder.

The Chevelle SS by definition wasn’t the type of car you would expect to be pulled around by a six cylinder and accordingly only 9,775 were sold for the 1964.

The Chevrolet Chevelle SS represented Chevrolet's entry into the hot midsize muscle car battle. The Chevelle SS was the high performance version of Chevrolet's Chevelle, and had its own line of engines and performance equipment. The Chevelle SS would soon sport a powerful 396 V8 and eventually the most powerful rated engine in muscle car history, the LS6 454 in 1970. The Chevelle, along with the Pontiac GTO remain one of the most popular cars from this era and with good reason. Its strong performance at a reasonable price made it popular on the street and at the track.