The forgotten Monte Carlo

THE FORGOTTEN MONTE CARLO

I was a block from the shop one recent morning when I saw this beauty idling in front of a deli:

This is a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in some sort of Black Cherry (I couldn't find an exact match for GM in 1978). This was a very short-lived generation of Monte, built for only 3 years; '78-'80. 

I love this forward leaning facade in its simplicity. There was originally a stand-up hood ornament on this ride but to me it looks better without it. That V shape on the hood mimics the prow of a ship like the much bigger '73-'77 Monte. This generation weighed 800lbs less than its predecessor and is a full 15" shorter. That one big square headlight on each side is a vast improvement over the stacked square headlights of the '77.

Two out of the Big 3 automakers had transitional years between the largess of the '70s and the more compact '80s (Chrysler decided not to participate and their enormous dinosaurs almost sank the company in the process). Ford had a particularly awkward Thunderbird for 2 years based on the Fox body Fairmont. Chevy did a much better job with this Monte. It has many of the hallmarks of the huge ride it replaced but doesn't look like an incapable afterthought. Indeed with some noticeable changes this body continued on through the late '80s.

The owner of this ride was standing next to it and was enthusiastic when I asked if I could snap a few pics. He confirmed that it had the original 305 V8 under the hood. The base engine was a 231 V6 borrowed from Buick. You could get a manual transmission for your Monte Carlo for the first time in several years in '78. A 3 speed was the base offering (listed as standard equipment with the V6) and a 4 speed was optional with the 305.

There were a couple of odd drivetrain choices which are now pretty scarce. One was a diesel 350 V8 built by the Oldsmobile division. The ultimate rarity for this generation Monte is the 1980-only Turbo Monte Carlo that used Buick's 231 V6. Finding one now would be pretty astonishing as it was a single year model without the support of a large ad campaign like the turbo Buicks. 

This ride is immaculate. I was actually offered a free '78 Monte back in high school. It was light brown with 1 purple door and it had no reverse. I was close to accepting it but due to an embarrassment of riches I passed it up (in those days free cars that ran were fairly common and running wrecks that cost less than $500 were all over the place). I did like the body style and still do.

Well that's where I'll leave this swoopy Chevy. The owner was rightfully proud of his ride and said it came from the midwest originally. Finding a rust free example is getting tougher by the year. If you encountered one of these for sale relatively cheap it would be a great purchase as everything that can wear out on this ride is available today. If you do buy one you can put a little distance between you and the crowd.