You probably didn’t wake up thinking you’d make a play for a 1976 Chevy Monza, but after looking at the ad here on ebay. The car is up for a starting bid of $9999 with no takers as of this moment. The auction has five days to go, ending on Sunday. If you’re interested in a cool looking and off-the-radar collectible, this could be your next car. You’ll have to get to Mount Vernon, Washington, to collect it, but if you’re not too, too far from there, you could likely drive it home. It recently completed a three-day, 550-mile jaunt through the mountains of Washington state with no overheating or other problems. Note that if you drive the car away, you’ll still have the need for a buddy with a pickup or trailer rig to gather up the extra parts that come with the deal.
The Monza was introduced in 1975 and was sold until the 1980 model year. Two versions were available, a 2+2 and the Towne Coupe, which is what this model is. For such a small car, this one’s packing a wallop, with the standard V8 engine, completely gone through, resting between the shock towers. On this one, the plusses include complete mechanical reconditioning of a car that was in good shape to start with. Often here on Barn Finds, we complain of ads that don’t say much. This seller is the opposite, with excellent detail of every bit and piece that he has changed, and a complete report on what the engine was like before he tore into it. This looks like a mega labor of love, and if you buy the car, you’ll be carrying on a legacy for sure. Worth considering, and the more so since this is an attractive little runner.
One regret that you’ll be familiar with for me is that the car is a 1976, thus being subject the the bureaucracy of a smog inspection in California. Were it a 1975, that would not be necessary, though it’s worth noting that the seller indicates that this car has all the pollution-reduction components installed and that they are functional. However, one special thing that this being a 1976 model brings is that it has the bicentennial edition red, white, and blue accents, a bit of an added curiosity if you take it to a show.
So what’s left to do? The body is a ten-footer, says the seller. He doesn’t recommend a partial re-do. Either drive the car as it is, or have it properly stripped and painted. The sunroof also leaks, and yet his answer might be a good one: store the car inside and don’t drive it when it’s raining. Probably easier for you to do than for someone who lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest, but he’s stored the car inside since acquiring it in 2016. The seller says without regret, “This Monza is my last car,” and it seems only right that he, and it, find a good new home. Should it come to live in your garage?
This is a nicely done, unique little runner. I drove one of these in 1977 w/ the 262 V-8 and factory 4 speed, and I suspect that this one is WAY better, even though it’s an auto. The attention to detail in the restoration is amazing. Kudoes to the seller for such an informative ad. I wouldn’t mind having this one at all! GLWTA!! :-)
Looks like he went mild. I admire the restraint given how deep in there he got. You can make these things scary fast. These are light, and skittish when you add power to ’em. Really it’s a Vega by another name. He could have put a 383 stroker with a good cam and a high stall torque converter, and you would have seen God if you stayed in it long enough, which few would have the stones to do. Probably for the best that he didn’t. Looks like a nice build.
OTOH, if you build a 383 for this car, you’d probably need to think about installing a stronger transmission and differential. The way this one is done, the existing driveline is probably stout enough, making it a better “budget” build.
This is a very nice car. I learned to drive stick in one. Had a 3 speed. Either 77 or 78. This is very nice, and I bet it’s mechanically sound no doubt. I have 10,000 I saved for 9 months. This may be it! I’ll let ya know….
My friend had the exact model as this.. Was a 262 v8, and 4 spd. Stick. We put a 350 in it from a 73 caprice wagon with a cam, intake and carb. Package from summit racing. It was very fast and I’d say dangerous because still had the 4 lug rear and stock suspension. It would easily cruise at 135 mph. We were afraid of it so sold it to someone who could build it safe and right. It was fun going straight. Nothing could touch it.
The 305 wasn’t available in the Monza until 1977. If the seller is correct about a numbers matching engine, it’s a 262.
Great eye, young man. Proverbial sharp eyes will also notice the engine is blue. Chevrolet engines did not go to GM Corporate Blue until ’77.
The 1976 model was the introduction of Chevrolet’s new 5.0 liter (305 CID) V8 engine with a two-barrel carburetor generating 140 horsepower (100 kW) at 3,800 rpm, but only for California and high-altitude Monza customers, and replaced the 350 V8.
The 350 offered in 75 for california because the 262 couldn’t pass their emissions standards.
That 1st pic…talk about a handsome looking coupe. Great lines and stance.
I have a hard time deciding between the original Towne Coupe styling or the midcycle facelift from 1978. Black grille inserts and amber rear signals are always a plus in my book, but the original face was so clean.
Either way, these were so much better styled and proportioned than the Mustang II.
I have a 75 coupe with a 5 litre 305
I absolutely love it! I wouldn’t do anything to it right away but enjoy driving it. I certainly would mess with the drive train and try to make it something it’s not. At some point I am sure I would treat it to a good re-paint of the same color. I do like the tires and wheels but at some point I am sure ,I could come up with something that would be a better look. If I could it would be mine, I can’t even remember seeing one like this when they were new.
This is a nice little Chevy.
This is a very nice Monza T/C . I drove one many moons ago and it’s very quick. Until you have to change the spark plugs!😂 Lucky the engine was rebuilt and it has new ones. I would have put modified cam and 4bbl intake and carburetor… Just to give closer to over 200 HP. Then it would be a fun cruising around. To me this model is rare to find in this condition. Good luck to the next owner. And have fun. 🐻🇺🇸
Very nice Monza. I owned a 1974 Vega (350 engine swap) and always wondered why the rear license plate never fit correctly. The Monza seems to suffer from the same design flaw years later.
No regrets? This guy clearly lavished love on a car few of us would cherish. Selling it strongly suggests he’s either dying or unable to drive anymore. I don’t have any kids, but I do have family I can pass my Mustangs to; family that will gratefully accept the cars and give me an occasional ride in them once I can no longer drive. This guy apparently doesn’t have family or friends who are worthy and interested, and I feel for him.
Hi everyone, I am the owner. It really is a 305 factory 76 V8 car. It was orange, I liked blue better to make it red, white n blue. 64 years old, not near death yet lol, no kids. Finally found a 1970 Volvo 144s with 36k original miles to work on. Hoping the Monza goes to an H-Body guy. It is well sorted and can drive anywhere comfortably and reliably. Thanks for all the great comments!!!
And I’ll vouch for George’s huge number of friends. Maybe only a few of them are motorheads (with full garages), but all of them admire this guy’s commitment to the community he lives in, his hospitality, his meticulousness at tasks, and most of, we are all grateful for his friendship.
Wise switch! 144s well built. And good gas mileage getting somewhere reliably. They did steel properly on those old Volvo’s. I curse my Alfa gods for being so sloppy about rust protection and cheap steel. Best alloys ever in engine, trans etc. Dropped into a tin can only painted on the outside! Well, I still love the Italians. But Swiss and Austrians knew what they were doing. Nice Monza Coupe. I’m not a fan of V8 usually, but that is just right. It probably isn’t bad on gas if you resist mashing the pedal. That’s the conundrum.
4 decades ago , i saw a convertible one in the streets of montreal but could not follow it , i never saw another one , did a company chop these ?
I later bought a v8 town coupe like this , the tire frying was a joy
Yes, GM was getting out of the ragtop business, and there were a few companies that would do it.
Nice car never seen this body style, tweak the engine, nice staggered tires, looks kind of mean , looks like a mini Monte or Malibu. Very cool, not many around .
I always liked the Town coupes with the round headlights over the hatchbacks with the huge plastic header panel with the quad square lights , but I must have been in the minority, as the hatchbacks were everywhere , compared to the coupes
Didn’t realize California still had the 75′ or earlier smog exemption still in effect.was born and raised there.I remember my stepdad having friends that were able to give him “cheater”smog checks on all his mopars back in the 80s and 90s.It was one of those “i know a guy” deal.Only way he was able to put his 70′ RoadRunner on the street with a bigger cam and stall converter.probably not as easy to get away with now…the good old days…
Wow, am I in the minority here. I had one of these – had the vinyl roof crap so rear windows were different. With my memories of the car the price would have to include the garage.
I think any model or manufacturer that put out a car with a vinyl top was taking some really terrible advice. The first vinyl roof was to cover rust. Ironically, that very technique is also what guarantees rust!!
Yosarian Roof!!
These were very attractive cars to my eyes. Nice presentation. Do the 5-lug rallyes suggest some better brakes?
All new brakes but not better than factory.
Neat little car. Friend’s dad had a Town Coupe with the V8, manual combination. It was decently spicy for the day.
There was one or two years where the Town Coupe could have the rectangular headlamps like the hatchbacks. Never saw many of them but it was a good look.
Interesting wheel choice. No one had any love for these. Other than being 14”, I liked them. I’d probably go for a squattier tire and find the cop car center caps if it were mine.
On eBay for 4 days and not even a nibble. What’s up with that?
It’s a great little car that could be a sweet daily driver, but perhaps people are so used to Air Conditioning these days.
Depends on where you live.
This car is really cool. Obviously, the seller has a great eye for details. I really like the custom made air cleaner complete with the custom made “Turbo Fire 305” air cleaner decal. Nice Job!
This Monza just oozes out the fun factor. Makes a great little GT cruiser car.
Only thing I might do if I took it on road trips, I would think about adding a Vintage Air a/c kit.
The older I get, and the longer I stare at a rear 3/4 view of the coupe version of the H body, I start to see a lot of influence from the Ferrari 400 series coupes. Same with the hatchbacks kind of copying their style from the same era Ferrari 275 and 365 cars.
Drive and enjoy it.
Read the article again. This is the V8 version, thus not a ‘GT’. ‘Grand Touring’ in any carb V8 is gonna set you back a $1,000+ to give a new meaning to ‘grand’ touring. It’s a nice little understated ‘hot rod’ for buyers in a budget of the era who couldn’t afford a Corvette or Camaro. Failed due to oil embargo simultaneously as Japanese and European cars had already evolved to better economy and responsible drivetrains appealing to the adults in the room. Had this come out in 1965, it probably would have ended the Camaro series. And as it was probably hurt Camaro sales internally. GM bureaucracy still slow to adapt, but since the bailout, a little better. No much. A little. Abandoning GM Volt gave Toyota the Prius, which was because unions squeezing GM, sold the project. GM missed many underhanded slow pitches right over the plate because of Corvette and Cadillac culture internal politics took their eyes off of needs of workers on budgets. Unforced errors. No other countries did it to us. Catering to small demographics since post WW2 is what hurt all 3 big US automakers. Should have settled with unions with better negotiations, but I also understand the Mafia dynamics didn’t want people of color in the unions was major in this blunder. Oil embargo and Civil Rights Act didn’t seem to be noticed by the labor unions nor car makers. And DC bribes allowed delaying regulations that gave Japanese and European imports that underhand slow pitch over the plate pitch to hit home runs for next 25+ years. Same thing with electric cars. Chinese, Japanese and European EV’s already better value than Tesla. Who did Tesla Russian Push Knife Logo disposable cars target? Workers? $50-$100k prices? I remember if you worked 40-50 hours a week anyplace for 5 years, your annual raise could get you a car loan for a new car to get around in reliably. All car makers somewhat guilty, but a new EV company not interested in affordable cars based in America that real workers can’t afford? Lots of reasons not mentioned and legal doom pending on Tesla, but the real crime was only caring about selling to millionaires. Dividing Americans economically, as if more division helped?
Perfect candidate for a Lexus SC swap. Reduce weight, increase Hp and reliability, get good gas mileage. SC400 V8 or donor from sedans using same. Or leave it as is and add CDI ignition and fuel injection, go through brakes and suspension. Going for more displacement means you’ll never get brakes and suspension adequate unless you understand what that entails to begin with. Gasser guys getting very lonely out there now that Rushurrr Rushurrr Rushurrr meddling investigations on evidence ending the orange circus clown show. Sorry to say but saw it coming decades ago. Probably because my first Alfa GTV may not have passed a supercharged Vette, but it got over 32mpg on the highway, and had lots of passing power to get by many V8 land yaghts weighing in at 3900-6000 pounds curb weight. 2 liters, Spica mechanical injection, 2000 pounds and 145hp. Had Alfa tended to rust prevention and a few suspension changes, they would have been ‘Honda’ or ‘Toyota’. A lesson to be had in that one critical shortcut, always a bad choice. Credit to Honda and Toyota copying Alfa and doing those little things better.
Alpha this, Alpha that. It’s still a Fix It Again Tony.
Actually not, since there’s no such thing as an Alpha, AFAIK.
I am loving me this little pocket rocket long time Joe. All I would do is convert it to a stick shift and cane the living bejesus out of it.
Greg in Texas needs a cold towel compress on his forehead.Geezus H.
He needs to get back on his meds.
Must be the heat, and the stress of an imminent powergrid failure……….
I would still love to win this car, and rive and enjoy it.
I remember taking a similar Town Coupe for a test drive at our local Pontiac dealer in the late 1970’s. It was on their used lot. Same color, with a red landau vinyl roof, and interior. I think it was a 4 cylinder / manual if memory serves. Thought it was a decent little car.
Greg in Texas.
Your read the article again comments sound quite close. I tried to click a thumbs up, but it would not register.
I wonder why?
All new brakes but not better than factory.
$10K to open bid? That seems out of the realm.