Hunkins’ love for the ’73 – ’76 Laguna S-3 just continues to persist.

For the past three years, I’ve publicly professed my fondness for the unloved, forgotten musclecar: the ’73 - ’77 Chevy Malibu. Specifically, my interest lies in the ’73 to ’76 Laguna, which was differentiated from the run-of-the-mill Malibu or Chevelle by upgraded bodywork at the minimum. No matter how loud I scream, those sentiments only seem to be echoed by people who share the same passion. All others seem unmoved.

Were it not for the Arab oil embargo of September 1973, the musclecar era would likely have continued, at least for a little while longer, and these sexy cars would’ve carried the banner proudly. High gas prices, long lines at the stations, and rationing soon put that to an end. But that doesn’t mean as hot rodders we can’t revisit the past, and perform a little revisionist history, right? With the cost of “real” musclecars skyrocketing, the notion of building the ultimate Heavy Chevy out of one sounds like a better idea with every passing day.

The ’73 Laguna is among my favorites, with its one-year-only round taillights. These quad lamps mirror the Camaro and Corvette of the same vintage, and define the Chevy styling of the era. I also like the Endura bumper up front. By contrast, the standard Malibu and Chevelle that year have a slightly awkward wrap-around grille that make it look a little too wide in my opinion.

The ’74 Laguna styling was similar to the ’73 in front (the turn signals in the grill are square, not round), but the rear taillights are now rectangular. Gone are my dear round quad lights. Still, it’s a great looking car in Laguna form. And just so you know, the standard Malibu and non-Laguna Chevelles are all fine in my book—I’m just talking faves here, alright?

And while the Colonnade Malibu continued on until the ’77 model year (the ‘78s were the new downsized A-body), the swan song in my mind was the NASCAR-inspired slant nose S-3 of ’75 and ’76. These things were designed to kick butt on the high banks of Daytona and Talledega, and they did not disappoint. A swoopy, laid-back Endura front nose sliced through the air and bent it over the hood for superior aerodynamics. Flared wheel wells at all four corners let the Laguna really hunker down and hug the track. And it looked menacing too.

In spite of the poor performance resulting from low compression, bad gas, and new smog equipment, you could get a 454 big-block all the way up to the ’75 model year. In my perfect world, I’d take my time machine back to early 1975 and order one as a slant-nose Laguna S-3 with a 454 big-block, no vinyl roof, stripe delete, and swivel buck seats. I’m not choosy about color, but I kind of like the garnet red on my ’76 Camaro.

I think one of these would make a great g-Machine. Start out with a ’75 Laguna slant nose, set it on an Air Ride Shock Wave system (like Tony Lloyd’s ’73 that we featured on the May 2006 cover), endow it with a 540-inch big-block, order a set of 18-inch Vintage Wheel Works V40s (like on our ’68 Chevelle, only larger), put on gummy R-compounds as wide as will fit, and turn it into a NASCAR-inspired highway hauler. Overdrive is a necessity, as is a super-huge custom 40-gallon gas tank. My goal would be to take it out on a high-speed banked oval, and let it stroll as fast as they’ll let me.

So why haven’t I done anything about this fantasy yet? Because these cars are incredibly hard to find in good condition. When you do find them, they carry astronomical price tags. (You can probably blame me for that. I’ve been praising these cars far too openly.) But I am patient. One day, the right deal will come along, and I’ll be there to grab it up. You wait and see…