I don’t care if this is everything that is wrong with a street machine wrapped up into one car, I want this thing like few other cars I’ve seen in a while, just on it’s freak-factor alone. The root beer brown paint with the perfectly-matched vinyl top color, the Cragars, the monster tires out back, the stinkbug stance…hate it all you will if you must, but this 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo absolutely nails a look that has been a favorite of mine since childhood. Overall, this Monte has lived a pretty charmed life, with the body looking passable, the interior looking aged but serviceable (including those neat swivel buckets, of course) and the 350 under the hood looks like it’s never been messed with. If you didn’t see the obvious modifications, you’d never know, but you can’t un-see that rake, now can you? You can’t miss the side-exit pipes that look like a 3-inch rip-off of an AAR ‘Cuda’s kit. 
Why does this appeal to me so much? Seriously…what is it about this look that gets me so worked up? Performance-wise, there is nothing about this setup that’s worth mentioning. In fact, compared to what’s out there now, this thing is probably straight-up frightening. So why is it that my gut reaction is to cram a 502 under the hood, cam the holy bejeezus out of it, and to only drive it between the hours of 4 p.m. until dawn? I’m not being philosophical in the least, either…I caught the last couple of years of this trend before the magazines started ripping cars like these to shreds in print in lieu of Pro Street and Pro Touring builds, and I wasn’t around for the heyday.
Bryan – you need your head examined if you think this hideous thing is anywhere near right. The only thing its has going for it is that it is at least painted the right colour as it is one ugly pile of shit!
Well, you spell color, colour. So….you’re the dipshit. This is exactly how we had our xmcars looking in the late 70s, early 80s
Love it. I’d try to get some Cragars with a different offset to get the rear tire under the quarter a little more though,stick out a little too far.
The reason for the deep offset on the reard.Is that there was no roon to the inside. Everyone wanted the widest tirs you could buy. Those would be the N-50 series tires at over a foot of tread.Or the L-60 series. With about 10 inches of tread. The fad of “tubbing” and narrowing the axlse had not come along. So if you wanted wide tires on the rear. You had to have DEEP dish wheels. And most cars rear fender opening would not allow for the tire to fir. So ya bought yourself a pair of “air shocks” to put the ass way up ,so the tires would work. So to try to get us youngsters to not do this kinda thing. THey made laws .One was no more than 2 tire treads ouside the fenders. And bottum of the rear bumper no more that 24″ off the ground.Welcome to the 70’s my friend. This kinda car would have been in my high school parking lot all the time.
I have this same car. My high school car too from way back. A ten inch wheel fits in there.
I love this car! This is a perfect example of what was in high school parking lots across this great nation in the 70\’s and 80\’s. Only way to make it better is a few gray primer spots. Lol i love it! I would drive this everyday. Got to respect the history.
Take my money! That is pure nostalgia bliss for me!
I like it, it looks like a car I’d see in the high school parking lot in the ’80’s, I also agree with Anthony on the rear Cragars.
Gawd these were ugly cars. Only a mother could love one.
My best friend in high school in the mid 80’s had a 77 MC Landau similar to this one: Stink bug rake, 50 series rear tires on 8″ Vette Rally wheels on the back, 60’s on the front. Glass pack mufflers that made a rather anemic 305 sound great, Swivel buckets. Good times!
love it … it even still has the smog pump … missing the A/C compressor but they are not hard to find …
needs a set of Thrush side pipes for the correct look
but I would loose the N50 15 meats out back
Is no one going to comment on what’s sitting next to it in the garage?
Thanks for noticing. Just sold the Monte yesterday.
I seen that also
It’s completely logical that someone would stinkbug stance a wrong year Monte Carlo with the absolutely wrong offset wheels and ALSO own a f#@%ing General Lee clone. Two perfect rides for someone who dates their sister.
Nice catch Greg!
As for the Monte, it is horrible. And that’s coming from someone who owned a stink-bugged ’68 Camoro in the 80’s.
I hated those cars new and still hate them! Day 2 mods make it even worse!
It\’s beautiful! I was in high school during this glorious period of history. My first experience with bolts rusted in a bushing was trying to do shackle jacks on my 72 Comet GT in the high school shop. 100lbs in the Gabriel High Jackers and 295/50\’s on 15x10s, with glasspacks. Scary we did over 100 in that thing, regularly.
These were common as muck back in the “old days”, jacked up rear as we called it. I don’ miss them, especially the retarded handling.
But it’s good to see for the nostalgia value! I can feel my mullet growing like Joe Dirt’s just looking at the pictures!
Forget GM’s 502, for the same amount of money, you could get a 632 for some major Oomph!!
Horrible. Crush it. If you removed the bumpers you\’d improve the e.t. by 2 seconds.
Straight out of 1976. My early college car looked like this except I had American Slotted Mags. This was before magazines went for the IMSA fat fender look and vans.
Horrible. Crush it. If you removed the bumpers you’d improve the e.t. by 2 seconds.
Love that look, as long as I’m not behind the wheel of it. I like corners, too – that car is allergic to acute steering wheel input at anything over parking lot speed. Good nostalgia, though.
While I\’m not sure if I\’d personally want to own it I remember quite well hating this style of car. Now with my big 5-Oh B-Day looming precariously close I find myself actually missing the sight of cars like this running around with Priest blasting out the windows while trying to score some Missouri stinkweed.
Brings back memories , but , I wouldn’t treat my Monte like that! I agree with Brian.
That… is… awesome! Gonna be hilarious when the stink bug look is the next big thing (again), so get ready to order some hardly-any-backspace wheels and swap in some way-too-tall springs. Remember, you can kill all the stink bugs you want, but they’ll always come back. The only thing this is missing is some appropriate 70’s gaudy paint touches, but it’s fine just the way it is.
Love it.
I didn’t know High School Cool.. 70s/80s era – had a name. Day two… after reading about it, I get the name.
By the time I was around driving age, these were often the grandma hand me down cars. Torino, Skylarks, mid 70s coupes.
Air shocks, dials, and fat tires made it a hero.
I’ve got a day 2 76 Torino. Love the conversations it starts.
Sooo cool. Reminds me of the one an older classman had who worked at the local oil station. The jacked up, stinkbug stance, day 2 mod, whatever name you call it- those are the cars that started my gearhead sickness. Will always have a soft spot in my heart for them.
Perfection.
Sold it yesterday for my asking price. Like it, hate it, don’t matter. Same goes with my General Lee. It’s mine, don’t care who likes it or who don’t. Look at the photo of the car close sitting outside the garage. The sign says it all. Have a great day.
You are correct Shane. THat is the way they looked back then. Mine was a 67 Firebird. Set up the same way. And the haters. Who gives a shit about a bunch of not understanding real cool Honda owners. Or some old grouch ass from another country that we saved. Keep the General Lee.Because ,Mopars rule.
The only thing it needs now is an 8-track jammin on Pink Floyd, a Kraco power booster, Marantz house speakers in the trunk and the windshield washer filled with Canadian Windsor piped through the vent in front of the “bar tender” seat parked near the bon fire and next to the keg down by the river! Ahhhh!! The 70’s, ya aint lived life until you lived the 70’s!!
You pretty much jit the nail on the head my friend.
That WAS the trend back then. In high school I had a red 66 Fairlane, air shocks, M50-15 MTs on the rear with chrome baby moons all around and to top it off a set of purple horny mufflers. Dood, I was stylin’ in 1973!
A bunch of you youngsters just don’t get it. This is mid-1970’s high school parking lot perfection! The only thing missing is a football letter jacket and a cheerleader.
I had one in 1975 , It was Black on Black and kept it stock except for turning the top of the Breather over so you can hear the 4 Barrel kick in !!!Had a 8 track in it with a set of Loud and Clear speakers . Those WERE the Days !
I had one! Loved the swivel seats in it. I was 17 and sold my 71 &1/2 camaro and bought this. Both were great but miss my split bumper the most!
as a 62 year old, i’m liking everything about this ride ! it’s exactly what was on the streets when i was young
These are sweet cars I have a 75 all restored and I just love it
Have a 79′ t-top Monte. Have a set of 75′ Monte swivel buckets in it. Nephew is gonna take it. I bought it off his late father 30 years ago. 105,000 miles on it