1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Over the past 105 years, Chevrolet has built such a vast empire of lovable offerings that some of them just seem to get overlooked. Possibly the most substantial victim of that unfortunate phenomenon is the storied Monte Carlo. Introduced in 1970, and proudly parked in over half a million driveways during its first three years of production, the brand's 'personal luxury coupe' was decidedly cool. And, not as ostentatious as a Corvette or as boorish as a Camaro, the car spent most of its life as the poster child for evolving automotive tastes.
For consignment a 1971 version of the storied Monte Carlo from the bow tie. This car has undergone a recent paint respray, has some American Racing Torque Thrust style 5 spoke wheels, and has been converted to a floor shifter from a column shifter. A 383ci with a 5-speed automatic is inside, and the original interior is fairly clean.
Exterior
Bathed in a recent respray of dark gray metallic is has been laid on thick. Lower rocker trimmings have several waves in them, and there are a few small areas where underlying rust bubbles have formed on the paint. Bumpers remain shiny, and overall paint is good with a few minor chips that have come through usage. Coke bottle design is seen with the side panels and wheel well trimmings have separated just a bit. Torque Thrust wheels are wrapped in Cooper low profile radials on all 4 corners.
Interior
A swing of the doors and we have some buttoned tufted black vinyl door panels. These are fairly tight and have carpet in black on the lower thirds. Window toggles and door pulls on the driver's door are not straight. Turning our attention to the interior black vinyl seats in bucket form are upfront and a rear bench is behind them. A black center console houses an airplane throttle style shifter, and some wood appliqu. The dash is original and is in fair condition with some fading on the wood burl appliqu and showing some wear. Some separation of the dash has occurred on the driver's door side. A new aftermarket AM/FM/CD player is now installed, and a large round tachometer is on the steering column. Black carpet floods the floors, and black headliner is above.
Drivetrain
A 383ci V8 is under the hood, and a rebuilt stock carb is feeding it. For the transmission, a 3-speed automatic is behind the engine, all in a fairly clean engine bay.
Undercarriage
No rust environment, with consigner stated new discs and pads upfront, and the drums are on the back.
Drive-Ability
This car starts easily and runs smoothly. I did find the transmission to have a bit of a delay in grabbing when taking off or leaving your foot off the throttle for any extended period of time it would take just a bit to kick in upon re-pressing the accelerator. Several controls were inoperable, and consigner stated a rebuilt A/C compressor comes with the car but is not installed. The car stopped straight and handled fine. Interestingly enough the floor shifter still moves the column ring.
A great paint job, some faults, but an original 1971 Monte Carlo that may need some minor TLC to get it up to full snuff. Or drive it as is, just turn the key and go!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.