One look at this black and white beauty from the front, rear, side, (and inside), and it’s no wonder the Chevrolet Monte Carlo was such a sales juggernaut in the 70s. It’s still a great looking two-door “personal luxury coupe.” The seller must be a person of few words. Under the “About this vehicle” heading in the post, all that’s shared is that this clean 1975 Monte Carlo is restored, the owner has had it for 5+ years, and the vehicle runs great and is mainly used for weekend drives. Located in Bluffton, South Carolina, this B&W MC (which comes with the original build sheet) is for sale here on eBay. As of this writing, 38 bids had been placed, but the $12,100 had not met the seller’s reserve.
When the second-generation Monte Carlo received its restyling in 1973, the sculpted sides made the car look like it was moving forward even when standing still. Sixteen “Magic-Mirror” acrylic paints (11 of them new for ’75) were offered on the Monte Carlo, but there’s something about this basic black paint job along with its black Landau vinyl roof (and cool-looking “Rally wheels with special center caps and trim rings”) that looks, well, it just looks cool. Based on the photos, the body looks straight, rust-free, the black paint appears very presentable, and the shiny stuff, glass, and trim also look good. Styling wise, this was the last year of the round headlights, which I think look better than the stacked horizontal ones that graced the ’76-’77 models.
White all-vinyl seats were offered for the first time in 1975 and look so 1970s, don’t they? This Monte Carlo has had what the seller describes as an “updated interior” and looks very presentable. It sports the optional swiveling Strato bucket seats (which can swivel a full 90 degrees according to the sales brochure), plus a console and floor shifter for the Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
The contrasting black dash against that white vinyl looks sharp with no cracks spotted, but based on the original sales brochure and other images found online, that’s not the original steering wheel. A knowlegeable reader left a comment saying it’s actually a four-spoke sports wheel that was available on the ’75 Camaro, Vega, and Laguna. Nonetheless, I think it looks way cooler and has more attitude than the original steering wheel. The black carpet shows wear in a few places, but the seller shares that this Monte Carlo has “all the bells and whistles” and lists power windows, power door locks, power trunk opener, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, cold a/c, and auxiliary lights as creature comforts.
Under that very long, shiny black hood sits the Monte Carlo’s powerplant: the optional 400 cubic-inch V8 with 96,000 miles. All the seller says about it is “Original motor and miles, runs fantastic. Have gone through car front and back.” Other than “new brakes all around,” nothing else is mentioned regarding any upgrades or repairs since the seller bought it five years ago. Based on the photos, this appears to be a solid ’75 Monte Carlo. With many surviving Monte Carlos from the era sporting all shades of the 70s color spectrum, from Silver to Medium Orange Metallic, this “timeless tuxedo” black and white beauty looks both classy and a little bit sassy. What do you think?
Beautiful Tuxedo Monte.
For such a upscale model, the steering wheel just doesn’t look right to me.
Don, thanks for your comment. I had meant to go back and research that steering wheel but plain forgot. I just revised the article since the original sales brochure and the interior images I found online do not show that kind of “sporty” steering wheel. Maybe a reader with far more MC knowledge than me can help us answer this question.
Until 5 years ago I owned a 1975 Monte and I can tell you that is absolutely not the correct steering wheel
That is the Chevy four spoke sport wheel that was on the Camaro, Vega, and Laguna in ’75. It was not offered in the Monte Carlo this year so this is an add on.
Thanks for the info, BB. Even though it’s an add on, it’s a good one and looks way cooler on this particular Monte Carlo than the stock (yawn) factory steering wheel in my opinion…
Chevy must have bought a ship load of those steering wheels. It was on the Vega, but the GTs only beginning 19 74. I bought a fully loaded 76 Corvette in 1976. It also had that wheel. It was a one year only on the vette due to enthusiast uproar.
It was on the cheapest of the cheapo Cavaliers in the mid/late ’80s.
Excellent write up Ron, this one sure has the NASCAR look from side on. Very well preserved, may not have had heaps of power in ’75 but who cares, the body condition is all that matters in my opinion.
Thanks, Dave. When I was 21, I got to drive a brand new ’76 Monte Carlo (my then-girlfriend’s uncle worked at a Chevy dealership and it was provided to him) with this same interior and I’ll never forget that experience. Compared to my ’65 Beetle, it was a dream to drive. I’ll always have a soft spot for the ’70-’77 Monte Carlos…
A nicely presented Monte. There’s not many of these left. Most were used up at the local stock car tracks, back in 80’s.
Beautiful looking car! This was always my favourite year for the Monte Carlo. I hope whoever buys this beauty enjoys it.
Those swivel bucket seats were the best for early / mid 70’s. I think they were ahead of the times. Besides the 77/ 78 Eldorado seats, those swivel buckets were great
These were also a favorite of the Demolition Derby people,I saw lot of decent ones destroyed, for a couple hundred bucks prize money,they did win a lot.
The Monte Carlo.(and corporate cousin Pontiac Grand Prix) were the most stylish cars of the 1970-1977 time frame. My college graduation dream cars wete the GP or Monte Carlo; wound up with a 2 year old Pontiac in great shape. I am not a fan of black cars..hard to keep clean in the blowing dust farm belt area I live in, harder for other drivers to see at night and tends to be hotter but I see the classy attraction. Love the swivel bucket seats and floor mounted automatic but wonder how the nice white seats stay so clean. Featured car does have good equipment like the 6.6 liter V8 and luxury options. A car show judge would ding the non original steering wheel but did see it on Camaros and Vegas and it looks good.
Very nice Monte, do not favor the Camaro steering wheel.
That shiny bowtie in the center of the still gorgeous Camaro steering wheel is probably the highest quality piece of trim adorning this MC. These cars were all the rage when I was a kid and I remember my mom always wanted one, but these early 1970s GM redesigns marked the beginning of the downward spiral of cheapened materials that led to GMs massive fall from grace.
Just looking at all the crappy plastic and comparing the interior to a 1st gen MC or any GM car from the 1960s through ’70-’72 depending on when it was replaced speaks volumes to the conscious choice made by GM management to cheapen the cars. To buyers of that era used to the incomparable quality of previous GM interiors, these must’ve felt like a slap in the face.
Chevy is there entry division of GM. Has been a d always will be. If you wanted a quality interior you moved up to an Olds, then Buick and finally a Caddy. That’s all gone now and all cars now have biodegradable plastic and computers. You won’t be seeing many 40-50 yrs from now.
I owned a 77 and it was a tank with a hood that you could land aircraft on, but my dad’s 76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham was a much nicer car. However this one is especially nice
Made it to 13K but Reserve Not Met.
I think the condition of this one warrants a few more $$.
The Rally wheels are an add-on as well. This is a Landau, and the Landau came standard with the ‘Polycast’ wheels. While the Polycast wheels were available on other Montes, the Rallys were NA on the Landau. I bought a new Landau in 75 so I’m quite familiar w/them.
As a kid when these were common I was always blown away by how much car was ahead of the fan. HUGE fan shroud and then what seemed like several more feet of car in front of that.
I do think the styling has aged pretty well though. Nice to see one closer to stock appearance than what was the common fate for most of these.
When I was 17, my 17 year old first girlfriend’s dad bought her a new one of these in Forest Green with that same white interior. Oh the memories….