| Introduced as part of Chevrolet's A-Series in 1970, | | | | sale. One can point to this decision as the beginning |
| the Monte Carlo would go on a 19-year run through | | | | of the Monte Carlo's decline because the engine |
| four vehicle generations that would cement it not | | | | selection was meager compared to what had been |
| only as an integral aspect of the muscle car era, but | | | | available in the recent past. |
| also as a critical benchmark in automotive history. | | | | The engine lineup consisted of two V6 engines and |
| In 1995, Chevrolet would re-launch the model for two | | | | two V8 engines. The smallest was a 200-cubic-inch |
| more vehicle generations that would span 13 years. | | | | V6 that produced only 94 horsepower. The larger |
| While it was a success by most measures, Chevy | | | | 231-cubic-inch V6 generated 115 horsepower. The |
| was never quite able to capture the essence that | | | | 267-cubic-inch V8 managed 125 horsepower while the |
| had made the Monte Carlo so magical during the | | | | most powerful option, the 305-cubic-inch V8, |
| 1970s and in the early 1980s. | | | | hammered out 160 horsepower. |
| One particularly magical model was the 1979 Monte | | | | Due to regulations in California, California Monte Carlos |
| Carlo, which came on the heels of the dramatic | | | | came with either a 231-cubic-inch V6 or a |
| redesign that Chevy had introduced for the 1978 | | | | 305-cubic-inch V8. While the floor-shifted three-speed |
| model year. How could the it compete with that? To | | | | was the standard transmission made available by |
| exacerbate matters, it was competing alongside | | | | Chevy, California Monte Carlos all got the automatic |
| muscle car stalwarts such as the 1979 Chevy | | | | transmission. |
| Camaro and the 1979 Pontiac Firebird. | | | | The 1979 Monte Carlo for sale known as the Landau |
| Alongside those glory hogs, it was hard, and still is | | | | was a special version that included the canopy-style |
| hard, for it to get all of the attention that it | | | | vinyl roof treatment that would become popular on |
| deserves. So, let's take a moment now to shine a | | | | many cars in the early 1980s. Chevy described it as |
| light on what is a truly fantastic vehicle. As we | | | | "an aristocratic arch of textured padded vinyl", and |
| mentioned earlier, 1978 brought with it a radical | | | | included deluxe wheel covers, sport-styled mirrors, |
| redesign partially due to GM's focus on fuel | | | | black rocker panels, and premium pin striping. A |
| performance. The downsizing made the 1978 model | | | | customer could also order any style 1979 Monte |
| 800 pounds lighter and a foot shorter than the model | | | | Carlo for sale with removable, tinted-glass roof panels |
| sold in 1977. | | | | that one could store in the trunk. This was an |
| The 1979 Monte Carlo for sale was essentially the | | | | extremely popular style at the time affectionately |
| same, but it added a fine-patterned crosshatch grille, | | | | referred to as a T-top. |
| wraparound taillights, and segmented parking lights. | | | | While the stock motor options didn't exactly scream |
| Most of the trim and color choices from the 1978 | | | | muscle car, the framework was there for one. |
| model year remained, and Chevy broadened the | | | | Aftermarket engine upgrades show off what the car |
| selection for the 1979 model considerably. | | | | was truly capable of when pushed to its limits. From |
| The engine selection that Chevrolet offered for the | | | | today's perspective, put a big block into a 1979 |
| 1978 model year was also essentially the same to | | | | Monte Carlo, and you have amazing muscle on the |
| what they offered with the 1979 Monte Carlo for | | | | relative cheap. |