diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 43598825..0dfd2d17 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ Optional features:
   --disable-shared        inhibit building shared library [enabled]
   --disable-static        inhibit building static library [enabled]
 
+Optional packages:
+  --with-malloc=...       choose malloc implementation [oldmalloc]
+
 Some influential environment variables:
   CC                      C compiler command [detected]
   CFLAGS                  C compiler flags [-Os -pipe ...]
@@ -139,6 +142,7 @@ static=yes
 wrapper=auto
 gcc_wrapper=no
 clang_wrapper=no
+malloc_dir=oldmalloc
 
 for arg ; do
 case "$arg" in
@@ -168,6 +172,7 @@ case "$arg" in
 --disable-wrapper|--enable-wrapper=no) wrapper=no ;;
 --enable-gcc-wrapper|--enable-gcc-wrapper=yes) wrapper=yes ; gcc_wrapper=yes ;;
 --disable-gcc-wrapper|--enable-gcc-wrapper=no) wrapper=no ;;
+--with-malloc=*) malloc_dir=${arg#*=} ;;
 --enable-*|--disable-*|--with-*|--without-*|--*dir=*) ;;
 --host=*|--target=*) target=${arg#*=} ;;
 --build=*) build=${arg#*=} ;;
@@ -214,6 +219,12 @@ done
 set +C
 trap 'rm "$tmpc"' EXIT INT QUIT TERM HUP
 
+#
+# Check that the requested malloc implementation exists
+#
+test -d "$srcdir/src/malloc/$malloc_dir" \
+|| fail "$0: error: chosen malloc implementation '$malloc_dir' does not exist"
+
 #
 # Check whether we are cross-compiling, and set a default
 # CROSS_COMPILE prefix if none was provided.
@@ -779,6 +790,7 @@ OPTIMIZE_GLOBS = $OPTIMIZE_GLOBS
 ALL_TOOLS = $tools
 TOOL_LIBS = $tool_libs
 ADD_CFI = $ADD_CFI
+MALLOC_DIR = $malloc_dir
 EOF
 test "x$static" = xno && echo "STATIC_LIBS ="
 test "x$shared" = xno && echo "SHARED_LIBS ="