This IMSA Bodied Monza Is A Neat Show Car With Barris History And A Slightly Odd Backside


This IMSA Bodied Monza Is A Neat Show Car With Barris History And A Slightly Odd Backside

Everyone has a favorite body style they they like which may be a little off-center. Some guys are madly in love with the 1990s Olds Cutlass as a body for drag race cars. Me? I love Monzas and I love Monzas equipped with IMSA body kits even more than that. The big chin spoiler, the big rear deck spoiler, the flared and angular fenders, etc. They made for boss looking race cars and they couple of them I have ever seen on the street really made me weak in the knees. I’m not the only one that suffers from this addition as BangShifter Rocco B. shipped us the tip on the yellow hunk of awesome that you see on the pages before you. This car was apparently originally built or customized by George Barris before being neglected and falling into disrepair.

The guy selling the car now redid the whole paint and body situation, got the interior fixed up, and repowered the the thing with a small block hot enough to live up to the square shouldered look of the car. I cannot say I really like the roll pan look of the back, especially with the Corvette style tail lights but frankly, I love the rest of the car so I’d not spend a lot of time worried about that. Oh, and the yellow? I’m a fan.

The price tag here is $65,000 and while the guy likely has at least that much in his own personal time invested into the car, we’re not sure anyone will throw down that kind of money for a Monza, IMSA body kit or not, right? It would seem that you would build one for less than that, even in today’s world and while the Barris connection is interesting, it is more a wonder that the thing was not turned into some sort of a clown car under his watch as he seemed to have a propensity for that during the latter decades of his career.

I loves me some IMSA Monza but I don’t think I love it $65,000 worth.

Link: The $65,000 Monza show car is yellow and cool from almost every angle


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11 thoughts on “This IMSA Bodied Monza Is A Neat Show Car With Barris History And A Slightly Odd Backside

  1. Gary Smrtic

    I don’t think so, Jay. I think CHMG can appreciate the work someone put into this. It also has a Chevy in a Chevy. He’s a Chevy guy, we get it. CHMG would probably go off if it was a Chevy in a Ford, or Mopar, or anything else, as would I. You Chevy guys always miss that point. That’s why you’re Chevy guys…

  2. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    I actually think the Monza was one of the best Chevys of that era. As a smaller car than their usual fare it should have been sold in the UK as a RHD Vauxhall-badged car. It would have been their answer to the Ford Capri and with V8 power it would have been the quickest Vauxhall of that time.

    Gary’s right – only the wheels let this car down as the paint, body mods and motor are superb!

  3. Bill Butte

    A favorite body style for sure – they shoulda used a Corvette butt from the same time frame as The Monza

  4. Loren

    See: http://monza.homestead.com/Barris.html

    I saw this when it was new at an ISCA show, it really was a great looking car then and surprisingly the four chrome exhaust pipes on each side (at the time) did a lot for the excess rocker tuck. It would have been fun to find it in thrashed condition for cheap, if it had been re-built more like “original” (although I’m good with the present interior vs. bright velour!) it would be closer to being worth the asked.

    Paint/metal issues? Yeah you never wanted to look too close at the construction of a Barris car.

  5. jerry z

    The only downside to me is the backend. OK its updated with a C5 backside but just too fugly for me. Should have kept the Monza rear.

  6. ratpatrol66

    Cool from the front, side, inside, butt that ass end? That fat ass ruins the car! Just my opinion…

  7. Bill Greenwood

    Always liked an IMSA-look Monza. As has been pointed out, shame about the ass end, but it’s nothing that couldn’t actually be sorted out. Maybe at the time that it’s getting a twin-turbo 454 swapped in. Didn’t some feller named George Follmer wheel something along those lines? Punch the big-block out as far as it can go, put in a fat hydraulic roller, and keep the boost around 6-8 lbs with small turbos so they spool up quick and really fatten up the mid-range torque.

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