While à la carte means according to the menu, today's Canadian Malibu is serving up its pre fixe menu à la crate, as in with a crate motor.

And we're back! It may have been a hell of a week, but we're not going to let a little thing like the storm of the freaking century get in NPOCP's way, are we? OH HELLZ NO. We're just going to pick up where we left off and pretend like nothing ever happened, even if the Gawker servers now all smell like seagull belches and have been commandeered by switchblade wielding hermit crabs.

Where we did leave off, pre-catastrophe, was with a weird and wild that was itself a cloudburst of axles and tires and custom paint and pinstripes. That show truck's seller may have hoped for a flood of potential buyers coming his way, but with a 70% Crack Pipe loss, you all just rained on his parade.

Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom GMC Suburban show truck is so freaking long its bumpers…

Perhaps more to your taste will be this . Not only does this clean and stealthy longroof sport brand new faux timber on its flanks, but where there is no woodgrain, the car is as spectacularly purple as an angry bruise.

The Malibu name derives from the Chumash Humaliwo which means the surf sounds loudly. Chevy had for years used the name as a sub-model of the Chevelle brand, and not so loudly kicked that nameplate to the curb in '78 while elevating Malibu to full brand status.

It was at that same time that GM's A-body platform underwent a massive Jenny Craiging, dropping hundreds of pounds while conversely and incredulously adding interior space. The Malibu not only became far more efficient transportation, but was damn fine looking to boot.

This ‘81 wagon, resplendent in a fresh coat of plum and curiously reassuring woodgrain-pattern vinyl siding, still looks like a Reagan-era family hauler. But look closely, and perhaps after sobering up, and you'll note the bumped-up reverse cowl hood and meaty Radial T/As on cool Rallye wheels, potentially making this car a mali-BOOYAH!

Under that hood bulge is a crate motor- I'm assuming a 350, but the ad doesn't say so specifically. Atop that is a 670-CFM carb and K&N filter matched on the other side of the party by a set of tubular headers dumping into Flow Masters. The transmission is an automatic, but the ad says that received a quick shift kit, and behind that is a Posi rear end with 373 gears.

Although crate and barreled it looks like the car still has its A/C intact, and the ad further claims that the car sports power brakes steering and windows so it's still pretty fancy. The body is absent rust or major issue, and the copious amounts of brightwork all look suitably shiny.

The seller chose to focus his picture taking efforts on the car's exterior and engine bay leaving the interior to just his description of it being mint. One would expect that description to be related to condition rather than color, and so we can assume it's not two green overturned buckets and a pair of Visegrips in lieu of seats and a steering wheel. On the other hand, it could be wafer-thin.

Also missing in the ad is the car's mileage, however when considering a vehicle with such extensive modifications and updates, how relevant to the purchase decision is distance travelled? And after all, you take one look at this Malibu and I'll bet you wouldn't care if its odometer made two trips round the horn, it's just that sweet a ride.

But is its price equally as sweet? The seller is asking $9,800 Canadian for this Vancouver BC-located Malibu, or, at present exchange rates, $9,798.04 American. That's a lot of Loonies for an old A-body, but then this isn't just an old A-body. What do you think, is that a good price to live the Malibu dream? Or, does that throw cold water on owning this hot wagon?

You decide!

or go if the ad has been washed away.

H/T to Rob Young for the hookup!

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