The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was introduced in 1970 at the height of GM muscle car power. Positioned as a personal luxury car, the Monte Carlo competed against the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Riviera for the gentlemen's performance market.

However, right after its introduction, performance fell out of favor in Detroit and its short life as a muscle car ended almost as soon as it began. The 1970 Monte Carlo was introduced on September 18, 1969, but drew only a cool reception from enthusiast magazines who were still caught up in muscle car mania. But the Monte Carlo, which was only available as a four person luxury two door coupe, was a hit with buyers, who snatched up 145,975 examples. Monte Carlos were based on the Chevelle but rode on an 116 inch wheelbase and had the longest hood ever fitted onto a Chevrolet. All Monte Carlos came with at least a 350 cubic inch V8, but any big block Chevelle engine was available. At the top was the Monte Carlo SS454, which 3,823 buyers snatched up, which came with the mighty Chevy 454 block. The SS45 package, option Z20, included the 454 big block engine, a heavy duty suspension, "SS454" badging on the rocker panels and deck lid, a remote control sport mirror, thin black rocker panel stripes, heavy-duty battery, automatic level control suspension, air shocks, dual chrome exhaust extensions, 15x7 inch Rally wheels, and GTO-15B white stripe tires. The vast majority of the SS454 came with the LS-5 454 engine, rated at 350 bhp. But about 10 were snuck out of the factory with the LS-6 454 engine, rated at 450 bhp. A very few four speed Monte Carlo SS454s were made too.

For 1971, a blacked-out rear body panel was added to the SS package, along with a heavy-duty front and rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars and dash control knobs with international symbols. Some, but not all, had a new rubber rear bumper insert. Despite falling horsepower ratings for other GM motors in 1971, the LS-5 454 actually was rated at 365 bhp, an increase of 5 bhp. A handful of Monte Carlos were ordered with the LS-6 454, down rated to "only" 425 bhp.

The Monte Carlo was first outfitted with a base 305 V8 in 1983 which only produced a meager 165 horsepower. Realizing that it needed more, in 1984 Chevy outfitted the car with a Piggins designed 305 which wore the nameplate L69. The new engine, with it's aluminum intake manifold, 795cfm Quadrajet carburetor, Cross-fire Camaro heads and Corvette L-81camshaft, was able to produce 180 horsepower.

Furthermore, the steering box on the SS is a desirable 16/12.7:1 variable ratio recirculating-ball GM unit. The F-41Suspension is from the Camaro Z-28.  The transmission was the TH350c with a rear gearing of 3.42:1. Only subtle changes took place over the life of the Monte Carlo SS. The SS logo on the head rest was only offered in 1983-1984 on the SS's with the bench seat option. In 1984 the car displayed large gaudy graphics on top of a white or blue paint scheme.  Color options were limited to white on blue and dark blue on blue paint schemes.

In the 1985 model year the graphics were toned down and included new multi-color pin striping to set off the paint scheme. The car displayed 15 inch steel rims mated to Goodyear Eagle GT tires. The car was equipped with the TH200-4R 4-speed overdrive transmission, which allowed the car to cruise comfortably at highway speeds with the new 3.73:1 performance gearing. By 1986 the car displayed aluminum rims borrowed from the 1981 Camaro Z/28 as well as bucket seats and a third brake light. In the late 1986 a small amount of Monte Carlo's began to emerge sporting a new rear window. GM had designed a more aerodynamic Monte Carlo SS for the racing scene, and the rare Aerocoupe was born.

By 1987 the car underwent a few changes. A more colors options were added, as well as a new SS decal design which carried over into the 1988 model year. Gone was the 85mph speedometer, replaced by the much deserved 120mph speedo. Also, the rear tail lights and bumper cover changed to a more rounded design which added smoothness to the rear end and improved the overall appearance. The Arlington, TX. plant produced the SS from 1983-1988, while the Pontiac, Mi. plant also built the SS in 1987 and 1988. Canadian SS's were built in the Oshawa, ONT Plant from 1 985-1987.

The Aerocoupes (RPO B5T) were produced in 1986 and 1987 and featured a large rear window designed to improve the car's overall aerodynamics.  There were only 200 aerocoupes built in 1986 and only 6052 were built in 1987 although Chevy had plans to build 20,000 at the time.  The Aerocoupe suffered from meager sales and a general lack of public interest so this may be why Chevy only built 6052 of them in 1987. The glass provided a 2.7 percent reduction in drag coefficient. They figure that's worth about 5 mph on the track.

Supposedly they didn't put the gas strut supports for the trunk on until '87 for the aeros. I don't know what the 86's did. "Chevy's 75th Super Savers Option packages include: Package C4A power door locks, power windows, twin remote sport mirrors, ETR AM-FM stereo radio w/seek/scan, stereo cassette tape and clock, power trunk opener, halogen head lamps. PACKAGE CB4 adds a six- way power driver's seat to the above package - requires 55/45 seat." The 1983 model year brought big news for Monte Carlo buyers: the return of the Super Sport Package. The RPO code Z65 SS package included a "new high output" 305 V-8 rated at 165 horsepower, new front end styling, suspension upgrades, twin exhaust outlets, and a rear spoiler.

"The front end treatment consisted of a new angular, molded plastic nose piece with integral grille." Bucket seats were not available in the Monte Carlo for 1983 and the SS package included a bench seat in blue with white trim only. The white head rests had "SS" embroidered into them, and the steering wheel was a standard Monte Carlo Wheel. Special 15 x 7 Rally Wheels and P215/65-15 GT white letter Goodyear Tires also distinguished a SS above the rest.  The 83 and 84 Super Sports had a plastic woodgrain dash trim while later Super Sports had a black dash trim.  In addition the 83 and 84 Super Sports had the same "Race Blue" cloth interior with vinyl door panels.

The only cosmetic changes between the 83 and 84 Super Sports was the option of ordering blue cloth bucket seats, a center console, and a new "sport" steering wheel. The blue and white bench seat was still available but minus the embroidered lettering. The 305 got a horsepower rating boost to 180 horsepower. The only exterior colors available in 83 and 84 were white with 2 tone blue striping, or dark blue with 2 tone blue striping. The darker tone of the stripes was similar to the blue color of the car so that the impression was given of only one stripe.  The TH200-4R tansmission was listed as a dealer option in 84, but production problems and delays prevented all but three 84 SS's from recieving one.  Additionally the ashtray was moved to the center console ahead of the shifter in 84 SS's with the Bucket seat option.

New in 1985 was the 4-speed automatic transmission (THM 200-4R) in which 4th gear was a 0.67:1 overdrive.  The rear axle was changed to a 7-5/8 inch ring-gear, with a new ratio of 3.73:1 from a 7.5 inch, 3.42:1 gear. A limited-slip option became available with this new rear-end. Gone was the Dark Blue color and new hues available were Silver Metallic, Black, and Dark Maroon Metallic. The color white was still an option. The striping package was changed by the addition of CHEVROLET lettering in a striping break on the front fascia, the outline of a bowtie above the trunk lock cylinder, and an additional stripe along the top-rear of the spoiler. Monte Carlo SS lettering changed size and type font on the doors and trunk lid. The coloring of the stripes and lettering now matched the color of the interior; Charcoal and Black with a Gray interior, Orange and Red with the Maroon interior, and two Golden color shades to accent the Tan interior.  The dash trim changed from the "woodgrain" trim to a black plastic trim with red piping accents.  The cloth seats also changed material to a "velour" type from the earlier cloth style, but still had the earlier vinyl door panels.

1986 brought about a few cosmetic changes to the exterior.  The rear-view mirrors styling changed from an oval shaped "pod" attached to the door by a pedestal, to a "Aero styled" model that flowed from the front of the door to where the window met with it. The mirror itself bore a "D" shape. It was mounted similarly, but the pedestal was short and hidden by the mirror housing. In addition, in 1986 a new aluminum alloy wheel became standard on the Super Sports. This five spoke design borrowed from the 1981 Camaro is what most people think of when you say a Monte Carlo Super Sport rim.  The door panels changed matierial from vinyl to a "velour" similar to the cloth seats.

Also new to the Monte Carlo Family in 1986 was the Aero Coupe. This Aero Coupe included a "drastically sloped rear window, and short trunk lid." Only 200 Aero Coupes were produced for retail consumers in 1986. This was the minimum amount necessary to allow NASCAR racing teams to use the Aerocoupe rear window legally on their race cars. The rounded rear window improved the aerodynamic performance of the car at the high speeds attained on the NASCAR tracks. 1987 brought about a change in rear styling. A "smoothed" rear bumper eliminated the notch that existed below the trunk line, on top of the bumper. This new bumper was complimented with a new taillight housing where the lens extended approximately 1/4 inch around the corners of the car. In addition, the lower profile wing from the Aerocoupe became available some time in mid-87. Tracking VIN production numbers has left me with no clear answers as to when or where the new style began. From 83 to 87 the Super Sports were assembled in Arlington, Texas (as evidenced from a R just before the production number on VIN's). In 1987, and into 88, Super Sports were also assembled in Pontiac, Michigan. Aerocoupes found the end of their production run in 87.

The 87 model year colors did not change, however the Monte Carlo Super Sport logo on the door did. It went from a format of having the MONTE CARLO placed linearly before the slightly-larger SS, to a large SS logo placed above a MONTE CARLO. The striping changed to a tri-color format, once again accenting the interior colors. "The 1988 model year marked the end of an era." After producing the Monte Carlo for approximately 3 months, Chevrolet decided to cancel the Monte Carlo Super Sport model. On Friday, December 11, 1987, at 5:29 pm, the last fourth-generation, Monte Carlo rolled off the production line at the Pontiac, Michigan plant. It is believed that the 88 model year was just an extension of the 87 year to allow production of any Monte Carlos that were ordered late in the 87 year. In so, there were no changes to color or stripe options from 87 to 88.

(On an interesting note 88 was the only year that there were more Super Sport models made than standard models {13,970}) Chevrolet debuted its al-new Monte Carlo in '95, returning the nameplate model to NASCAR Winston Cup competition to replace the aging Lumina. The new car was even better than preseason tests had indicated, and from the beginning of the season, the Monte Carlos went to victory lane regularly. Chevrolet teams simply decimated Ford's hopes by winning the first seven races of the season and 13 of the first 16 events. The new Monte Carlo was so strong -- on every type of race track -- that the Manufacturer's title was never in doubt. The bowtie Brigade clinched the crown at the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington.

In 1996. The Monte Carlo Z34 adopted all-disc braking. In 1998 A 200-horsepower 3.8-liter overhead-valve V6 replaces the dual-cam 3.4-liter V6 on Monte Carlo Z34s. In 2003 Chevrolet redesigned the Monte Carlo.Perhaps the Monte Carlo’s biggest problem in ’03 was that in standard SS form it topped out at 200 horsepower. Channeled through a four-speed automatic transmission, that oomph was anything but NASCAR-like. For 2004, Chevy is offering a spiced-up M.C. that it hopes can build some excitement