Video: An SS Passion That Started While Pumping Gas

Back in the 60s, Mark Lundquist spent the beginning of the muscle car era pumping high octane fuel into his dream cars. It was then that he developed an obsession with the Super Sport GM muscle cars. Fast forward to current times, and Lundquist has quite the collection that includes four magnificent GM SS cars, and a “standard” 1968 Camaro.

Included in the collection is a 1965 Malibu SS. He also has a bit of modern representation in the form of a 4th-gen Camaro SS. This collection, especially the Chevelles, is not babied.

Back to the Malibu, this monster has a 502 cubic inch, 502 horsepower, 567 lb/ft of torque powertrain from Chevrolet Performance. Mark bought this car a little over a decade ago. When he saw it, it wasn’t exactly for sale, but the owner managed to part with it — no word on the purchasing price but it was in stock condition at the time. It didn’t stay stock for very long, the 283 was quickly snatched out and replaced with a 502 crate engine. The Malibu is so torquey that the factory visor has a tendency to whack him in the head on hard launches.

chevelles-1Even with the modern aftermarket, the Malibu was somewhat difficult to find parts for with the new GM crate engine. It took a few different tries to find the right headers, a set of Hedmans finally saved the day. It recently got the MSD Atomic fuel system to clean up the engine bay and increased the mileage a good bit.

The ’72 was an eBay find that only needed a little work when it was received by Mark. This Chevelle is a lot more laid back, somewhat of a beach going, highway cruiser. It’s described to be very comfortable and has a modern feel with a smooth ride and ice cold A/C — somewhat of a sweetheart car.

Mark’s passion for fast cars has remained strong since he was a young boy pumping gas. He often uses the excuse that they need gas to flex their legs a little on the way to fill up. He often travels 60 miles for a tank of gas so he can put in some wheel time with his beloved collection. Not to mention, he’s still turning wrenches in his shop in Joshua Tree. If you ever see Mark at any shows or events, he’s the guy you’ll want to talk to. His passion has spanned decades and he’s a true old school gear head.

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