From the February 1979 issue of CAR and DRIVER

Smokey's best can be yours.

If you're planning to be disobedient, on the road or elsewhere, it's a good idea to know all you can about those who would be your adversaries. Know thine enemy, in this case your friendly law enforcement specialist. If he's up on his game, his primary law enforcement tool will be a 1979 Chevrolet Malibu 9C1 police car. He couldn't be better equipped to battle the heinous crimes perpetrated by vile antisocial criminals like you know who.

That's because the 9CI happens to be one of the best American sedans extant-if not the best. There's 113 mph of pursuit speed available, even with a speed-sapping light bar on the roof. And if the roof is "clean," the 9C1 is probably good for almost 120 mph But that's not all. This Malibu can zigzag through the twisty bits like O.J. wiggling through a crowded airport. Double-nickel defers never had it so bad.

But there is a bright and cheery side to all of this. The silver lining in this anti-insurrectionist cloud is that, for a mere $283 above the cost of a normal Malibu, you too can avail yourself of the joys of 9C1 ownership. It's the deal of the year. But first you must locate a dealer willing to special-order a 9C1 for you. Then you have to bide your time for a couple of months until Chevrolet sees fit to run off a batch. Rest assured it will be worth the wait, because the 9C I rewards a good driver even more than the Malibu F41 we liked so much when we tested it last fall. In fact, the athletic F41 package is the foundation upon which a 9C1 is built.

Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Price as tested: $5927 (base price: $4781) Engine type: V-8, water-cooled, cast-iron block and heads, 1x4-bbI carburetor Displacement..............................350 cu in, 5728cc Power (SAE net)......................165 bhp @ 3800 rpm Transmission.............................3-speed, automatic Wheelbase................................................108.1 in Length.......................................................192.7 in Curb weight..............................................3620 lbs Top speed.................................................113 mph

The most important ingredient added to the F41 to upgrade it for pursuit work is a subtle but thorough chassis retuning. The cop-car engineers specify a larger-diameter rear anti-sway bar to bring the 9C1's steadystate cornering closer to neutral. Harder front-suspension lower-control-arm bu-shings, along with stiffer front-anti-sway-bar grommets, quicken steering response. Stiffer body mounts add to road feel and steering response. Special Goodyear police-pursuit P205/70 radials increase high-speed safety and, with their stiff sidewalls and sticky compound, tighten directional responses and raise the cornering limit. High-speed braking is buttressed with semi-metallic brake linings and a larger-capacity brake booster, with revised front-to-rear proportioning. Slotted 14-by-6-inch Rally wheels are installed to improve brake cooling. And with every 9C1 there is a hidden bonus: added durability. Numerous critical items, from the valvetrain to the frame, are strengthened to make the 9C1 live longer in hard police service.

The result of all this special attention is that a 9C1 can do just about everything a bit better than its F41 brother. You can feel the effects of the suspension tuning through the eat of your pants-provided you can keep from sliding off the slick, heavy-duty police vinyl buckets. (We recommend the "undercover" cloth seat trim-or, better yet, a set of aftermarket buckets.) The only rough edge in the F41's handling, a slight tail wag when turning into a fast corner, has been eliminated. And when the 9C I is locked into a sweeper, you can also feet the tail end digging in more than before. Still, there's enough understeer to make sure you stay pointed in the right direction should you blaze in too hot. The 9CI's extra measure of road sense makes snaking through your favorite esses even more fun than it is in the F41-and that's saying a lot.

Of course, since the 9C1's springs, shocks, and steering gear are common with the F41's, the two cars feel more alike than not. The suspension is resilient and reassuring without being harsh. The steering, while a bit light on effort, is direct and linear in its responses to your commands. And there's excellent tracking, even at 90 mph, despite the aerodynamic disturbance caused by the light bar. You'd be hard pressed to find a more competent American-built road car.

Well, actually there is one, but it will be in the hands of the police. You see, only they are allowed to order a Malibu 9C1 with the 170-hp (165-hp in California) 350-cubic-inch V-8. The rest of us have to scrape by with the 305-cubic-inch four-barrel V-8, which produces just ten horsepower less.

And speaking of getting by, we'd like to offer this very strong suggestion to all prospective 9C1 buyers: be ready to arm yourselves. Not with guns, but with the most sophisticated radar detector and the strongest CB you can muster. If your flesh is as weak as ours, you'll need them. The 9C1 is an irresistible incentive to rapid motoring. -Rich Ceppos

CAR and DRIVER