First Generation Monte Carlo- Chevy’s jewel in the crown
This sleek lowrider came up in the early 70’s when Chevy wanted to lure its patrons with a sleek and sporty package. It was named Monte Carlo. Chevrolet had designed a sedan for performance and comfort in tandem. That was the peak of the muscle car period. Chevy has built the Monte Carlo in sync with features of a muscle car. You won’t be blamed if you also categorize it as a muscle car. I prefer to tag it as a lowrider machine though.
Monte Carlo was Chevy’s answer to the G-body Pontiac Grand Prix. It was styled with the Cadillac Eldorado and Chevy’s Chevelle in mind. It only had additions like the new front-end sheet metal, wider C-pillars and new rear fenders. I guess the rounded form gives it the beefy look. While most Monte Carlos had the Turbo-Hydramatic engine, you still had myriad options when it came to picking the engine type. A two-speed power glide transmission, a three-speed turbo-hydramatic, or four-speed manuals, were some of the picks. This coupe was more at ease in the fast lane than in mountainous curves.
The Monte Carlo boasted of four-season air conditioning, power seats, Rallye wheels, full instrumentation and various other trimmings that made it hard to ignore. No wonder they sold like hot cakes at the full list price. It became Chevy’s trump card in no time. The Monte Carlo was coveted NASCAR’s ‘winningest’ racecars ever. The lowrider then segued into a luxury car and was downsized for fuel optimization. Despite the changes it continued to be a well-liked rear-drive sport coupe.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:59 am
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