These first gen Monte Carlos were bullet proof. We had these cars back in 70's high school days and beat the snarts out of them. We were teens! They never broke down "never" and were so easy to tune up. Same goes for Impala's-Caprice's and the Malibu's of the early to mid 70's era.
It seems like half of my friends had these cool "old" 70s personal luxury coupes that their parents gave up in the 80s for smaller more fuel efficient imports... Which means the kids got big comfortable cars but it also kept us under control because gas was so expensive and they got horrible gas mileage, it limited our driving and how far away from home we could get. So often we cruised to a mall parking lot or dead end road and shut them off because we couldn't afford to drive to any place else LOL. It seems like half of the people had Monte Carlos, Cutlass Supremes, Chevelles, Malibu coupes, Thunderbirds, Cougars etc, which had been their dad's "nice" car in the 70s that got handed down. Unfortunately my practical parents always had a four-door and I inherited a Mercury Montego MX Brougham, which wasn't nearly as cool as the Torino it was based on, and never felt nearly as cool as the big coupes with two doors that were focused more towards young singles than my family car boat with Lincoln trim on a midsized Ford derived car lol
Agree completely!!! The '73-'75 Montes with the round headlights were a lot more beautiful just for that reason alone. Adam felt the '74 back end wasn't as nice due to the bumpers. To me that didn't take away anything. It (and the '75) had a slightly longer look which added to the sleekness. Very much of a sexy "Rolls Royce" for the average guy to buy and enjoy. As far as the '76-'77 Montes go, they were entering their 4th and 5th model years and so they felt a new look somewhere on the car was needed, so they gave the Monte the ugly Chevelle stacked headlights. I basically hated the Chevelle's looks period starting with the '73 anyway. It did not make the attractive transition to the Colonnade style (at all) the way the Monte did. This was true for the ugly Pontiac LeMans staring in '73 also, vs. the beautiful Grand Prix. I liked the GP front end of the '73-'76, but not the 'separated '77 headlights.
I had a midnight blue 75 with a white vinyl roof. Had a rebuilt engine 350 out of a 71 Monte Carlo. You're right, the square headlights ruined the looks of that generation.
The rectangular headlights looked good on rectangular cars like the '76 Seville and most of the downsized '77s and '78s, but the '76-'77 A-bodies were just a mess, trying to graft squared on details on cars that were still pretty bulbous overall. The quad rectangular headlights on the '76 B and C cars worked a lot better, usually appearing to be part of a wrap-around stripe that included the parking and cornering lights. I guess they had more space to work with on those cars.
I remember one of my dad's friends showing up at our house to show off one of the first '73 Monte Carlos sold in our local area - I thought it was one of the most beautiful car designs I had ever seen, especially the sculpted flowing sides.
My neighbor had a '73 Monte Carlo, triple white, 454, swivel buckets, fully loaded. It was stunning and rode and drove beautifully. He was very kind and let me drive it once, even though I was too young for a learner's permit. Thanks for the memories!
13:32 That's like the one I bought used in 1977. 454 (with a Holley dual feed I think) that got 10 mpg. Gas prices had doubled during the previous 5 years from 36 cents to 62 cents, so it hurt at the time.
The blue 73 base model was my first car. Bought it used in 1980 for $750. It would seem to float at 120 MPH. Great car and great to see it again. Thanks!
I had a buckskin 77 Monte with rally wheels, power windows & Locks, swivel buckets, tilt wheel, cruise, rear window defogger and other extras. Bought it at the end of 77 it had been one of the dealer manager's cars ordered fully loaded.
I remember reading consumer reports used car buyer guide and marveling at the available engine options the 454 was available in 73-74 according to that source. Wow imagine a big block! This was when I was 15 or so in the mid 80s dreaming about getting my first car.
I graduated high school in 1977 . In 78 I was looking at a beautiful 1974 Monte Carlo. Man I loved that car and I could've bought it but something else caught my eye instead. 1972 Riviera GS got my money.
My 69 GP SJ was a honey, but they sure like to suck fuel, but they were kind of a slug for 400 ci., get it rollin and your riding on air. Paid new a little over $4K.
Great Video. I always wanted a 2nd generation Monte but could not find one in really good condition, here in Germany. So I ended up lucky with a pretty close 75 Buick (Century) Regal in great condition with zero rust. A gorgeogus car too... but in fact, deep inside, I am still dreaming of a Monte Carlo.
My dad got a new 1973 Monte Carlo when I was three. I remember how beautiful it looked. I still think that. As for the 78, it was the right car, but they got it right for 1981.
73-74 the best ones ,yes 81 was a good refresh , the 78-80 bumper, rub strips fell off in a few yrs.saw them when new and quality wasn't that great , opened drivers door and could hear it rub against the fender, large dasd pad ,what will it look like after sitting in the Arizona sun for 5 yrs? ,my aunt had a carport but she always covered up the dash , cloth int rear seat top to protect it from the sun and #1 always cover the metal seat belt buckles
Agreed. I did not like the downsized '78s. They looked out of proportion and too small. The '81 re-skin really fixed that, and somehow the proportions were once again right on.
My first car was a 1973 Monte Carlo... was dark red with matching vinyl roof and still remains one of the smoothest riding cars I've owned... and was fast for its time with 350 4-bbl... loved it!
I recall riding in the back seat of one of these in the 1970s, with my friend and his little sister. It was their dad's car (their mom had a Pinto). I recall the rear window had a sharp crease in the center, and the front bucket seats *_swiveled._* That is the first and last car I ever saw with swivel front seats. Not sure if it was 1973, 1974 or 1975, but the taillights did look like that, so it might have been a 1973.
had a 76 in oxblood red with a red vinyl interior and a white landau top - 350/4bbl and it ran and drove like a cadillac - loved that car , body on frame cars ride like a dream
Dad had a 70 when I was a kid. Then he gave me a 78 for my 18th birthday. I still have it. 78 (3rd gen) is by far my favorite generation of Monte Carlo
I like the 3rd gen too. It was put in the difficult position of maintaining the fancy 2nd gen styling on a drastically smaller body, and did a great job. Personally, my favorite is the 4th starting in 1981. It had the efficient size of the 3rd gen, the back end (style) of the 2nd, and the simple styling on the 1st along the sides.
My favorite generation Monte! I especially like the ‘73 model before the 5mph rear bumper regulations took effect. Thanks for another winning video Adam!
In 1990, I bought a '73 Monte Carlo with a swapped 307 4bbl for a college mechanics class, and we as a class rebuilt the engine. Come to find out through GM service manuals, the 307 churns out 300hp with the 4bbl manifold and carb. We finished with a premium highway car which zoomed the highways with ease and joy, and it looked damn good doing it.
I love the '73, especially the tail lights. When I was 16 back in '76, I had a buddy who frequently used his sister's '70 Monte with a big block. That thing would melt both back tires without brake torquing it. Good times...
My brother had a 1970 Monte, dark green, black vinal top. I wasnt old enough to drive, but made a deal with him. If I washed it, he would let me drive it around the block! Man, was i trilled!
When I was four years old, my family went on a trip to Florida. We went to DisneyWorld and saw an Apollo launch. Not just any launch, but the Apollo 17 night launch. I remember none of this. However, I recall our rental car was a beige '73 Monte Carlo. This memory is distinct, even the shape of the taillight on the car.
I had one these beasts! Mine was a 1973 . 2 door 350 4 barrel carb., It floated like a luxury car and always wanted to burn rubber! Solid car car, but at that time just like the other car companies, it suffered from the dreaded rust disease! Still my favourite car!!😊
A neighbor around the corner, she's a widow now, has a 1970 Monte Carlo with its original 454cid/th400 with only around 60,000 miles on it...! She will not sell it...!!! It just sits in her garage and hasn't moved outta the driveway in at least ten years and hasn't come outta the garage in the last four years...! She had been backing it down her driveway once a week, but that stopped during covid... She has no living children, so who knows what will happen to it when she passes, but someone will get a mint condition Monte Carlo...!!! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness...
What a waste for a car like that to sit around & basically get old. If she had a family mechanic to drive it 20 miles per week & do oil changes it'd be a much better car. But its hers!
A close friend had a 72 Monte. I liked that body stye the best back then. We were probably just out of high school and Tony would turn the air cleaner lid upside down so you coild hear the Quadrajet go "wwhhaaa" when you got on it! We took turns driving that Monte everywhere...his family owned a gas station. I didn't really care for the 73 and newer styling then but now I seem to like them much better. I've found that to be true of many things as I get older!
did the same with my moms 70 chevelle flip the air cleaner lid upside down to hear the 4 bl open up ,my dad put on dual exhaust so it had a nice rumble.
My buddy in the Marines had a 72 w/ a 402 4 bolt main cap motor. I had a Trans Am but I always had a thing for that car. He let me drive it & it had the best blend of sporty luxury ever.
Dick Balch Chevrolet supplied our school disrict drivers ed with 78 - 79 Monte Carlo's I loved driving that car so when I got a job, I bought one with bucket seats with the console and a T-Shifter. The 305 was terrible so later on I put a 350 ZZ1 Performance Parts in it with some additional handling mods!
I had a green on green 73 Monte Carlo with the 350 and I loved that car 😊 It handled great on twisty roads and I even drove it into sand next to a creek and it didn't get stuck like my 66 Chevrolet long bed truck did😮 I had an accident and it was totaled unfortunately 😢... I'm just glad the other person wasn't hurt getting hit by that big car😊
I got to ride in a 73 454 Monte Carlo when I was just starting to drive. My friend and I were tasked with washing his Mom's boss' car, when we got in...whoo hoo! What a nice car! It took us 4 hours to wash...at least that's what we said...
I remember in '72 my father bought a 72 Monte Carlo "custom" Corvette wheel covers, 4 spoke wheel 400 4bbl. Dual exhaust. Loved it. Then word on the '73 came out. Car magazines said it had a Mercedes suspension. My father ordered his.they were on back order they were so popular. Swivel buckets. Landau model. 350 4bbl with dual exhaust. Guage package. Loved the 73
Had a last year 1977 Monte that body style with the 4 rectangler head lights,305ci engine, firethorne red exterior and red interior throughout. Bought new in 77 my first new car, I thought I made a excellent choice then ,I was 18yrs old. I still have Polaroid pictures of that car and look at them every now and then. Always liked that body style, and wish I still had it😊
I used to own The 72Monte Carlo It was a big block car with a turbo 400And also owned77 It Had a 350 in it I really love these carsThey had a wonderful ride.
Great point around 8:50 about the Eldo/Monte Carlo release, vs. the '85/'86 Somerset/Skylark/Riviera debacle. Another good example would be how the Chrysler LeBaron coupe and convertible hit the market before the "TC by Maserati". In general everyone thought the more expensive car was just another LeBaron, but if I remember, it was nearly twice the price!
I had two '72s and a '82. Dad had a Brand New '76 Hard top with the swivel bucket seats and console. Mom had a New '77 Landau. The whole family loved them.
Thanks Adam for putting out yet more great content on your channel; I honestly don't know where you find the time to produce so many of these informative and well-researched videos. Keep up the great work!
A friend of mine's older brother had a 75 Monte Carlo when we were back in high school. He was older and working a "real" job so he had a car where we didn't yet. His just had the 350 and didn't have any fancy options on it but it was still a cool car.
The 1970 - ‘72 Monte Carlo has aged so gracefully. I almost swooned at the first sight of the 1973 Monte Carlo as the body shaping echoed my favorite Silver Ghost! They also drive very well, cornering belies their size. I now drive a 1973 Eldorado by Cadillac, as they used to say it in their print advertising, and yes, you called that comparison correctly.
Dude I used to work with had a '76 Monte, I had a '78 Dodge Monaco, and we were racing home from work one day from Newark airport. Suffice it to say he smoked me lol, that Monte had a rear stabilizer bar and that rear end stayed solid as I watched his taillights get smaller in front of me 🤣
Similarities (aka copying) of the design forms by Chrysler for the Cordoba big time, although the 'doba was two years later. In late winter, 1973, Uncle John came up with his brand new Monte Carlo in green with a white landau top (matching interior) with the 350 4BBL. He let mom take us to school the following day, and it was ice cool arriving in the 'new car'. Great video. Tons of memories.
The Cordoba went for the "luxury" look which was blander than the Chevy (although the front end was kind of cool), but the interiors were much nicer. I remember loving the look of the Monte Carlo as I walked up to one, then being let down by how cheap the interior looked...
@mraudio the interiors were so CHEAP. In one model year, GM bean counters made Fisher Body cut costs dramatically. Chrysler always had lavish interiors with chintzy dashboards.
@@douglasb.1203 I thought the dashboard in the Cordoba was pretty decent, at least it had a full gauge package, unlike most Ford and GM cars at the time. But, yeah, the plastic they used in the dashes in some of their models was pretty terrible. The trucks in particular come to mind...
@@douglasb.1203 Yes they were strange, and usually in a weird location. I had a Cordoba for a few years back in the day, and I never knew you could pull back on the buttons...
My mother had this exact car. She went to work for the first time as a secretary in 1973. At the time she had a 1972 Chrysler Newport that my father had bought her and she hated it. It was baby poop green. So, after she had been at work for about a year, on the way home from work one day she stopped at a Chevrolet dealer and bought this car used with cash she had saved up. She left the 72 Chrysler at the dealership and told my dad when she got home with the new-to-her car that he could go and pick up the old car and do whatever he wanted with it because she was done with it and this Monte Carlo was now her car. I thought my dad was going to have a stroke. But he went and picked up the car and she kept that Monte Carlo for the next five years.
My family had a 77 Malibu Classic station wagon that shared what was essentially the same dasboard and steering wheel. These chevrolets were good looking cars but the bodies just weren’t very good. I remember the sag in the doors most of the montes had. Our Malibu’s hood creased one day when being closed because it had dry hinges. I also remember even as an eleven year old being surprised at the washers used to bolt the front fenders to the cowl.
I had a 73 Monte, Landau, loaded, center console with Velour Captains seats that swiveled 180 degrees so the back seat would turn into a big playground. I loved that car...
Had a 76 Monte Carlo. 350 2bbl. Had the swivel bucket seats, cruise, A/C and rear defog fan behind the rear seat. Loved that car but got married and then kids. Needed a car with rear doors so traded it in for a 4 dr. Chev impala. Loved the steering on the Monte. Had the stabilizer shock on the linkage. Had to replace it a couple of times and sure made a difference. Now in my 60's and wish I had that car. Thanks Adam for posting this!!
To me, the instrument panel with gauges and tachometer looked pretty good! I always loved how these cars drove. They rode smooth, were quiet, and handled very well. In addition to the rear sway bar, these cars had 15X7 wheels, a steering stabilizer, different alignment settings, and probably a few more things that I have forgotten. @20:40 I seem to remember the area under the outside mirror adjuster is a slot for your road maps?
The instrument panel would have looked a lot better if there were gauges instead of idiot lights. The tach and full gauge complement were options, while the standard panel had only a speedometer and big mechanical fuel gauge. If I remember correctly, for the 1973 model year, GM designed the suspensions on the Cutlass/Monte Carlo/Lemans/etc. to compete with the Mercedes Benz sedans of the time. Either Motor Trend of Car & Driver did a full story comparing the handling of the GM intermediates to the Benz and concluded GM came very close to the mark with cars costing thousands less than the German sedan.
Thanks for showing the design proposals, I always wondered what these cars would have looked like without the 5mph impact bumpers , aka "chrome-plated cross ties" that were mandated for '73 and later. Wonderful content on your channel as always 😁
Thank you Adam. This car had themes that they would carry on the Monte Carlo for years with the exception of the 1995-1999 version. They had lost their way but came back in grand style is 2000. The most popular one would have to be 1981-1987. I liked that one the best. I liked 1976-1977 with the stacked headlights too. This car has a strong heritage and history. I had issues with 1978-1979 version. Something was lost. My Aunt had one. At least they updated the front end for 1980. I enjoyed seeing the design sketches/proposals. That was interesting hearing the story as well. As far as the interior it shared its interior with Malibu and El Camino back then and well into the 1980's. Chevrolet was not the only GM brand to do that. They used what they had( economies of scale). I also recall the Turbo Monte Carlos and the SS versions and more. They tried to recapture that past glory at the end by offering a V8. The issue with the very last one was the Impala front end styling. I recall the late 80's Monte Carlo LS too. I know so many people at one time or another who had a Monte Carlo. Thank you Adam.
I bought a 73 for 200 dollars that had very little power. I replace the cam and built that car into a winning stock car that dominated the class in 1997. Really solid car.
When I was stationed in the Philippines in '75-'77 I had a shipmate that had a '73 Monte Carlo. It was tan. That car was so nice. Smooth really describes that car. When I got stationed in San Diego in October 1977 I bought a brand new 1978 Monte Carlo. I liked that car. That was the most reliable American car I ever owned. I remember some people when they first saw it thought it was a two door Seville. Well kinda sort of. Thanks for posting such great informative videos.
Excellent video. I was more of a Grand Prix fan having owned 4 over the years (69-77). The inclusion of the design and factory photos along with your well informed commentary made a great presentation. My brother had a black '75 Monte Carlo. Other colonade cars I owned included a '73 442, '73 Gran Sport, '76 Le Mans Sport coupe
73-77 all nice cars liked the same cars , part of our child hood ,cool when we could ride in the front seat with dad or older brother driving . my fav is the 1973 hurst olds , 73 gto, 73 grand am , 77 can am , 73-77 do like the 1/4 windows choices . Luxury la mans could have fender skirts
I purchased a used 1973 in 1974. The taillight treatment was absolutely beautiful. And it handled and rode beautifully. Mine was medium red metallic, 350 ci and Turbo Hydramatic.
I had a '73 MonteCarlo. For some reason all the 1970's Chevys I owned were the easiest starting cars. Regardless of the weather they always started on the first try and kicked down quickly and easily. They also rode very well. I had a '75 Caprice that rivaled Cadillac in smoothness and quietness.
I had a 73" Monte Carlo, 454, swivel buckets, posi traction, It was beautiful....................... I sold it to pay for my family's Christmas that year (1983)
I've never seen a 1973 Monte Carlo like mine that was totally white on the outside along with a maroon-red interior with a matching half-vinyl roof...thanks for sharing...it brings back great memories!
Must have been a beautiful ride you had. Have you been a first owner from back in the days ? The colour scheme you described sounds similar to my 75 Regal. Havent seen many classic cars with that scheme either.
Frank...WOW!! I saw your 75 Regal and it looks almost the same as my 73 Monte Carlo, but with the entire roof in vinyl. Yes...this was one of the 1st cars out at the time....saw it and fell in love instantly...too bad they went away as nothing else today even comes close IMHO.
Knowing now that the 73 was actually designed to be released in 71, makes me wished that it had been released in 71, without the impact bumpers. That marred the looks of the 73. But I was super excited back in the day when the 73 was released bec😢 the overs design was so compelling that you simply ignored the bumpers
Back in 78, my sister let me drive her Monte to senior prom. It was white on white with a mint green interior. Very luxurious and smooth ride made it a standout performer. Lots of great memories. She also had a 74 Malibu Classic, triple black. it was my favorite.
My Parents had the 1973 and 1977 second generation Chevy Monte Carlos. Learning from this video, it seems that this 2nd gen Monte Carlo played a big role even as far back to 1971 making major designs for the Cadillac Eldorado! 😮😮😮😮😮
The 1973 to 1977 Monte Carlo was my dream car growing up. To me,it’s one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Thanks for this video! I got my drivers license in a 1975 monte. As for Pontiac always among my favorite cars but I always hated the fact that what Chevy got……Pontiac had to get a version of it. The monte was the slap in the face that Pontiac needed as the monte outsold the Grand Prix in some cases 3 to 1. I also liked the smaller 78 and 79 montes. Thanks Adam!
In the early 80s, I remember one of my high school upperclassman friends having a '73 Monte Carlo. Still a nice car even though it was about 7-8 years old.
