Built initially for NASCAR specifications a year earlier, this 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe is a clean example of only 6,052 examples built for that year. It is located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania and has a current bid price of $5,500 with no indicated reserve. There is a VIN listed, a clean title, and a claimed 65,510 miles on the odometer. You can view more information and photos here on eBay.
The listing claims the car has a “HO 350” but that doesn’t quite make sense. If it were a 350, that would have been an Oldsmobile 5.7 liter that was run on diesel, but those were not offered for 1987. Whatever engine is in it, the transmission is going to be a four-speed automatic. The seller does say that the engine and miles it has accumulated are original. It does run and drive with no noted issues.
Inside, the interior is in incredibly good condition. A steering wheel cover dresses the wheel, floor mats protect the carpet, and an aftermarket stereo will provide you some tunes while cruising. While the photos aren’t the best, you can get an idea of how well cared for this car has been. The miles accumulated on this car must have been longer trips because the inside does not have the wear and tear look of a daily driver.
The seller notes that around the time just after manufacturing, GM issues a recall on the paint job of the car. Because of this, the car was repainted at the dealership and that owner picked a different color. Although, the listing says the owner choose silver. The car looks silver to me unless it is gray. There are some questionable aspects of this car and if you are interested in it, you should do some deep research on it.
Flood car?
Some kind of liquid sat for a while in the rear footwells. For an “upfront” seller, better photos of that or an explanation is sorely lacking.
These came with a single engine, a 180 net HP 305 CI Chevy small block; no 350’s.
I have a great friend of my brother’s that I have known since high school, he ordered his 88′ with a 350 from the factory. It was an option when ordering the car. My mom declined to choose it when she ordered her 88′ SS . I remember my brother and his friend racing the two cars against each other often
Although the 350 was carbureted, not a throttle Body like the 305’s was.
I test drive a new 87 Aerocoupe at a Chevy dealership on Fla in 1987 $17,000. On the window sticker. (Option 350 H.O.) knew another person who had one.. Factory 5.7 and much faster than 5.0
eBay ad states the engine is original. But, also states it is the HO 350! Must be a typo as all of the Monte Carlo SS cars (1983 -1988) regardless of Aerocoupe or not came with the HO 305. I have had several… The “HO” is certainly an embellishment on GM Marketing’s part! However, the 3.73:1 differential gear ratio helped the anemic 305 greatly. I had a new ‘bone stock’ ’85 Monte SS with only open Hookers and short Goodyear drag slicks that ran 1/4 mile in the high 14 seconds…really not too bad!
16.4 to high 14s with headers and slicks remarkable.
That’s about right, i had an 84 SS Edelbrock intake, & Edelbrock header’s but mine was a TH350 trans and 3.42 posi best pass was 14.76 @ i think 91or 92 mph, it was my very 1st brand new car had it for 31 yrs until a garage fire destroyed it
NOPE, the 350 was an option. My mom declined to choose it when she ordered her 88′ SS . I
probably meant 305 HO, the L69.
never drove one in a Monte but they scooted in the Z’s and T/A’s i enjoyed in the mid-80’s.
pretty cool choice on this one imho but paint and body are rough enough it oughta go back to original color code.
looks like a nice opportunity to get into a cool collector car that’s unique, practical, fun to drive and affordable.
They may have scooted in a Camaro, but they didn’t in a Monte ! I bought one in 88 and had a ball, but it was no muscle car. They’re great crusers though, handle great for such a big car, and they’re semi fun.
Chevy should have put a 350 and a 4-gear (Mexican versions could be had with a 4-5 speed) it would have been a heck of a lot more fun !
i spose it could be a 350 HO crate motor if not original 305.
probably add about 100hp or more….think they’re rated at like 325 gross at flywheel
Chevrolet called the HO High-Output. The 87’s came stock with a 305 good for around 180 HP. The GM Performance Parts 350 CID engines come in several configurations, the base is a 290 HP 350. Adding headers, a good intake manifold and carb, they are right at 325 HP. This is the same engine I have in my mid-engine Corvair… they also come with some really lousy small valve heads. The Monte Carlo SS had a 3:73 rear gear, and along with the 200 R4 transmission that had a 2:74 first gear, these cars accelerated pretty hard for a wheezing 305 engine. With the overdrive transmission, the upgraded suspension and the great 12:7 power steering box, they made a nice driving car.
Small valve heads are good on the street and daily driving. “Small” is relative to cylinder bore diameter. Large intake valves, such as were found on the 340 Mopars, flowed a ton of air and, when combined with a properly engineered rotating assembly, resulted in a very strong motor.
Post a photo of the CorV8 sometime, ok John?
The Monte SS needed those 3.73 to get going! I had my share of Monte SS’s, even owned a few Aerocoupes. One car I added a set of ZQ8 S10 wheels and it handled 100% better.
If there is no rust underneath, the price currently is not bad.
Colour looks light green to me. Never offered from the factory on the Monte Carlo SS.
Right; if you read the ad, the car had a color-change respray when the original paint flaked off.
I never thought the aerocoupe looked very good. I prefer the standard SS rear window.
NASCAR is the reason for the aerocoupe rear glass. bill elliot s tbird was kickin gm s butt around this time
Does this car look green to anybody else?
Sort of a frost-green, yes.
Bought one of the Areocoups new, fully equipped with T Tops. They only came with a 305. Purchased.mne.in 89. They were still on new car dealers lots at the time. Didn’t want what everyone else was buying, the Trans Am’s, Mustangs, or Z/28’s. The one I owned was a standout. Grey with red badging. I installed a hyper chip, headers, and walker mufflers. Made the car my own. Was a dream to drive long distances too. Ended up having to sell it because of a divorce. I miss that car so much.
more than your ex?
Anyone who has fond memories of anything in the 80s never drove a real muscle car, your just accepting what you had to work with, muscle cars were cars w 350 hp and better,no stripes or wheel pkg can make up for sheer hp,actually, a Camry would blow the stripes off that anemic Monte Carlo, now go ask someone for a ride in a 71 454 Monte Carlo, and get back to me about what you did in your pants, hopefully Knight rider is on and they have a soundtrack of a car whooshing by
One good thing from the 80’s was some of the music. The cars not so much. At the end of the decade things began looking up. The olds quad 4 had more ponies than most of the V8’s from the early 80’s.
The seller added a correction to the listing saying the motor was indeed the HO 305. No big deal. An ex-wife had a 81 Monte Carlo with a 267 V8 that ran pretty good, not fast by any means but accelerated reasonably.
Woke mine up in 1989 with grand national drivetrain a few mods later I am in the tens with air and cruise
I am baffled why people say it was never available with a 350cid Engine.
I have known several people that purchased them new with one. And I remember my mom being persuaded to fill out the paperwork for that option for her 88′ Monty SS, but we declined. My friend still has his 87′ with the 350cid that he purchased new.
Maybe they were all COPO’s that dealers helped with. We did live near a GM factory when it was in existence here back then. . . . I dono.
Also mom still has her 88′ SS in the driveway right now, that she is thinking she might sell . She has not driven it in over 10 years. She had a 305 TPI from a low lilage 93′ Iroc that was rear ended, put into it when the 305 TBI started burning oil and blowing blue smoke. It Looks stock in there.
I respectfully disagree. the 305 was the ONLY engine factory installed or available in every 4th generation Monte Carlo SS. That does not mean that a dealer could not install a 350 if the customer was willing to pay for it, but they would be very few and far between.
Regarding my response/post on the 350 engine, without any extensive, repeat extensive documentation as to a 350 in a Monte SS, it didn’t happen. Memory/friends/recollection doesn’t count in this hobby, documentation does.
I haven’t found any site that says a 350 was factory installed in the aero coupe SS
I was with him when he ordered the car, and when he took delivery of the car. It was an exciting time in my young life.
I just called him earlier after I last posted about this, because he still has the car. He confirmed that it was ordered with the 350, it has that and his name on the build sheet; but he told me that I should just drop it because hes has gone through this in the past and he doesn’t care if anyone believes its real or not. He still loves and enjoys his car. Drives it ever summer time and takes it to local shows.
I will say no more on the subject.
Can you get a picture of the order codes that should be inside the trunk?
The engine code will be interesting.
I worked at a Chevy dealer in 1987 and 1988 and I don’t remember a 350 in any of the cars, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t available for a special order.
I will not preclude that dealer possibility, but If it was a dealer install, than it was a real Bargan. It was only eight hundred dollars more. Also a sneaky thing for them to eddit it onto the build sheet/window sticker, to make it look legit.
I would be more inclined to believe it was a COPO. Just like my great aunts 72 SS Nova that My great uncle ordered with the straight six. We always thought they were swindled out of the original v8 somehow, and uncle John lied about it coming that way to save face . Until after she died 3 years ago and we were going through her paperwork, we found the build sheet saying “GM Special purchase order” with her name on it, and it clearly saying inline 6cyl. Uncle John also worked at the nearby GM factory at the time.
We were so upset when we found out that someone at her church convinced her to sell it to the woman’s nephew. She was 103 years old at the time, and when I went to visit her she couldn’t wait to tell me the news. on how she made a great deal and sold it for almost exactly what she paid for it, not loosing any money. Uggg… It had 37,000 miles on it and the rear seat had never had the factory plastic covering removed. Garaged all its life and never driven out of the town she lived in, after the day it was driven home.. seen the car a year after that, but that is another heartbreaking story.
GM special purchase order is not a COPO. 2 entirely different things. There were no 72 COPO Novas that I know of, at least I have never heard of one. I would think there were thousands of 72 Novas with 6 cylinders. Someone correct me if I am wrong on any of this.
Dan Mar. Your friend has the build sheet to prove his statement, but he says drop it? Anyone who can prove they are right, would do it and then tell everyone to sit on it. With no disrespect to you, your friend is a bologna salesman.
Again, there were no FACTORY equipped 4th generation Monte Carlo SS with a 350 engine. There are a lot of them out there with 350’s in them, but NOT from the factory.
OK, If you say so.
I had the 87 Aero coup in 1996, Gray with maroon inter, T-top, Bucket seats,
AM/FM cassette, tilt wheel, A/C, 305 HO, Auto Trans. It was a good running car.