Tony Primo hits us up with another great tip, this one on a 1979 Chevrolet Monza Coupe survivor. I am not encouraging you to buy this car by doing this write-up. I am asking, instead, that you make room in your mental landscape (and, yes, perhaps garage) for something that might otherwise be forgotten—this little coupe that shared mechanical bits with other GM offerings. Never mind Hagerty’s claim: “The Chevy Monza was born at just the wrong time.” Oh really? So should you or should you not stump up the asking price of $5700 and get yourself to Billings, Montana to collect your new car? That depends on a series of pros and cons.
First, some history. The Monza came out in 1975 and lasted until 1980. Other GM offerings were its near-twins, including the Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Starfire, and Pontiac Sunbird. (That right there is probably more history than most of us remember. So many cars, so close to being the same? Why not sell just one version? You had to be there to get it, I guess.) The original idea was for the Monza to run a Wankel rotary engine, but that never happened. Still, nearly three-quarters of a million units were sold over the half-decade the car was available. At one point in the model run, discontinued Vegas lent their wagon and hatchback body styles to add models to the lineup. By 1979, just four models were offered. The standard engine had become by that time a 151-CID four-cylinder, though V6 and V8 options were available. A sporting model of the Monza was the Spyder, available from the second model year onwards. All of this is to say that interesting details exist for you car trivia buffs, and you’re not likely to see a ton of these (or any) showing up at cruise-ins. So should you go on the solo mission of preserving the nameplate?
To the good, this Monza is small and likely easy to drive. It’s a car of a more modern iteration than a lot of the machines we dream about, and collect. The interior is simple but has a touch of sporting luxury with its vinyl door panel inserts and velour seating surfaces. The body proportions look Pony-Car-like, and if you want a different way to contextualize, with the wheels the seller has on the car, you can squint and see one of the big 80s BMW coupes, like a 635i.
So that’s the good. The other side of the pro-con? The car has a four-cylinder engine with 65,000 miles on the clock. The seller suggests a V8 swap to enliven the drive. Some states will allow that, and others will make you pass smog with the standards of the year of the engine or the year of the car, whichever is newer, in place. Could be a fun-killer for sure. So could the work of a prior genius who put in a pop-up sunroof, ugly and quite likely leaky. Are you going to re-weld a roof in, and do whatever fixes need to be handled inside? Maybe not, but if you can say “it is what it is” and just go with this car as preserved, check out the ad here on craigslist and get ready for the “I forgot about those” comments that will flood your way at car-related gatherings.
Thank you Brian. I certainly have mental space available for cars like this. They were products of their time, along with other similarly forgotten cars. Isn’t the fact that each GM division (excluding Cadillac, thankfully) had one a testament to the infamous inter-division fighting? Looks like a nice example of something different, and it’s cheap.
Cadillac waited till the Cimarron. LOL.
And totally unsafe in curves! We had the Pontiac version it lost all control at lower speeds in curves. After it died on me the second time(walking in the rain several blocks to find a phone) we traded that SOB with less than 20,000 miles on it. Wouldn’t wish that POS on anyone
except maybe the dealer that took it in trade.
My girlfriend now wife had a a Sunbird when we were dating. It was downright scary to drive on interstates with grooves. Those belted tires wondered all over the road. And the Iron Duke with a 4-speed was like driving a truck. What a POS. When we got married, I bought her a Rabbit Convertible…white, white top, white interior. Great car with the earlier GTI drivetrain.
I believe Cadillac did have one it was called the Cimeron. And the buick Skyhawk came with a turbo engine option.
And Oldsmobile offered one as a Starfire.
No. The Cimarron was later starting in 82 and based on the FWD J Car platform not this earlier RWD H-Special platform.
That’s funny Brian because when I squint, I see a crappy 70’s badge-engineered GM product with a stupid chrome luggage rack on the trunk that no one has or would ever use. Maybe I need another Martini?
I actually do see the silhouette of what could could be roughly of a BMW 635. I never understood that fad of luggage racks mounted to the trunk but I guess it was like the landau roof to hearken back to the days of horse drawn coaches
These racks were actually useful on 2 seaters like MGBs for luggage that wouldn’t fit in the trunk. “Back in the day” (in Santa Barbara at least), it was “cool” to permanently mount a set of skis to the more vertical examples of luggage racks like those on Porsches. Those were the days of tennis rackets on the package shelf in the back of Volvos and other silly personal statements to look cool.
I love luggage 🧳 racks Euromoto 😲 🇪🇺
De gustibus non est disputandum my dear Stan 😉
Here’s is a music analogy with these types of cars.
Growing up in the 70’s -80’s, I could not stand guitar players Stevie Ray Von Vaughan, Carlos Santana or even Clapton outside of his work on Cream. Why could I be this way? Because the pool was so deep with great musical talent. I liked Tony Iommi, Page, Blackmore, May and a bunch of others.
Move to today, I would love to have a Clapton or SRV or Santana because music sucks.
These cars and I include Mustang II’s, we disliked because all of the cool cars that surrounded them or came before them were still around. But today, I appreciate them because today all you get is a four door sedan in white, black or silver.
You can also get red if pay any GM dealer an extra $495 for what they market as a special red tint. I can’t understand why black has been making a comeback as a common color these days.
When a seller within dreaded Craiglist suggests you get a new engine, can you YELL FIRE, RUN AWAY FAST! The Monza name should had been retired after The Corvair death traps were banned! Bad luck name.. 65k on a 4banger is bad bad news. I sorta like the body style, the Jimmy Carter gas embargo killed the Muscle out of the Muscle car era, this mess included. Mazda was smart not to get trapped in a really dumb idea in the first place.
jv smashpalace
Corvairs were no more “death traps” than any other period compact cars. They were not “banned”, they were discontinued by General Motors. (In typical GM fashion by the time the Corvair was dropped the car was vastly improved, with the initial bugs long since worked out.)
The main things that killed muscle cars were emission standards which in the 1970s could only be met by strangling the engine, and by skyrocketing insurance rates for performance cars especially when in the hands of young drivers.
This Monza is basically a reworked Vega, with the troublesome aluminum engine gone.
JE Vizzusi: Corvair death trap? Banned?
(rolls eyes) Not another uninformed, rumor believing Vair hater. A little research would correct both. The great Stirling Moss drove early model Corvairs and pronounced them safe, and no worse than many other cars (notably Mercedes), using rear “swing-axles”. An investigation by the NHTSA exonerated Corvairs. “banned”?? GM gradually wound down Corvair production because changes in gov’t. crash/safety & emissions standards would have necessitated a complete redesign of the car. There was also the huge popularity of the Mustang/Camaro cars. Something like 1.75 million Corvairs were built in 10 years and they are delightful cars to drive. I have a ’64 convertible and a ’69, 4 carb. coupe that will run off and leave most any modern car on a curvy road.
I see a fun car priced right .consider what 35 k boredom awaits at your local dealer
The penultimate Monza, and a very nice copy at that. I’d de-sticker the dash, put the stock steering wheel back on and drive it as-is.
Monza was in planning stages in 1971 as an upscale H-body offering. The 1974 Vega was supposed to get the GM RC2-206 rotary, but that got shifted to Monza and then canned by Cole and Estes.
Great write-up and equally enjoy the readers’ comments!
Back in the day, I would have totally dismissed these (for sure when new) but now, so many years later, as a collectible, I think they are kind of “cute” looking and for the time period, they were at least not the disgusting mammouths that roamed the roads of this country. Back then, I would have easily chosen a Toyota Celica GT hatchback which was so much better looking, much more reliable but probably equally as gutless. The Monza is at least sporty looking in a 1970’s sort of way. Perhaps, in my old age, not only has my brain and midsection gone soft and flabby but a long with that I’ve become more tolerant.
The iron duke is an Indestructible motor. Yes not the 265 or 305 but with the 4 speed ought to be fun to drive!
And Pontiac had a super duty kit for it .
I had the 75 with the V8 5 speed, would go like a bat. The problem was two fold, GM issued a recall of sort, from the front end, that caused the car to go where it wanted. Then the small V8 was not designed for the body style, so when changing the plugs the motor had to be jacked up, nothing but junk.
I only had two “exposures” to a Monza or one of its siblings back in the day.
The father of my college girlfriend had a white Monza hatchback that I drove once. The stick shifter was so vague I was worried about shifting into reverse and not knowing it – I think the lockout had broken too.
The other was a guy I worked with for a summer job – he had red Sunbird – stick shift. I think he went into the dealership to buy a Firebird – but couldn’t afford it and ended up with a Sunbird. I seem to remember him saying second gear had crapped out on him after a while.
Good times.
My favorite Monza coupe story. In 1980, my buddy from work bought a brand new one. A nice shiny silver with the red interior. He asked a girl in his neighborhood out on a first date. We met him at a local college bar to see a band. After the show, he walks her to the car, opens her door, and it fell of the hinges. Much hilarity ensued, as we tried to reattach the door, without scratching the already messed up paint. He never went out with her again. Good times!
I wonder if a Ecotec from a wrecked from a Pontiac Solstice would fit. That would get the low weight ethos of this car. I agree with some of the previous comments. These were not great at the time being completely outclassed in quality by Japanese Imports . But now, the body lines combined with a proper modern engine would do this car justice.
When I think of these Monzas, I typically need these elements: V8, hatchback, quad headlight setup.
This car has none of those but yet I find this car attractive and wouldn’t change a thing.
These punched above their weight with good body lines and brand association. People were buying fuel efficiency and some style. This car has every day two embellishment, fog lamps, pop up sunroof and cool wheels. Put a V6 in front of that 5-speed for a little more go.
I had a 79 Monza in this body style, minus the “mods”.
Handled very well. The build quality was atrocious, though.
I have a story for you. Back in 1975 I worked at a Chevrolet dealership in the service department. At that time they offered a rental car to people and what it was is a six cylinder automatic Nova. Well it would come back after a weekend with thousands of miles on it and a ” Tourista” sticker in the windshield (being very close to Mexico).
In a flash of genius, the boss decided to replace the Nova’s with these 1975 Monza TC that they had not been able to sell. They were 350 V8 two barrel open rear end with E78/13rear tires.
After that the rental car would return with very few miles on it and one burned out right rear tire.
We used to “test” every trade in, at the back lot, when I worked at a dealership. We were testing if they could do a burnout. The hands down winner of all time was a 305 V-8 Monza. That thing made so much tire smoke that I thought the fire department was going to show up and we would all get fired!
Only have 1 experience in a v8 Monza that a buddies mom had, he borrowed it and we went and roasted that back tire off to the point we had to use the spare to get home. First and last time he drove it. Build quality was typical 70’s American entry level. She had a cosworth vega before this but I only got to ride in it with her driving responsibly
wonder how a turbo 3.8 would fit in there suspension/ s-10? and tranny/rear 5 speed manual and 12 bolt slight tub.
Should fit very well. The Buick and Olds used the 3.8 without the turbo.
I almost bought a Monza GT with the V-8 and a four speed. The dealer decided that he was selling a valuable car so he jacked the price to $1500 over sticker. No sale and the car sat on the lot for months afterwards. That was when the reports of having to unbolt the motor mounts and jack up the engine to replace the rear spark plugs came out.
These cars’ rear ends used to fail when the C clip that held the axle shafts in would pop. The rear wheel would end up a foot outside the wheel wellas the car would also lose its rear brakes with no drum to retain the wheel cylinder. A friend has one still, it has been sitting for 35-40 years but has a race prepped 350 in it. I remember when he ran that car it would pull 12.6’s with a license plate on the back.
I have always liked the looks of these and their GM siblings. However the first thing that strikes me when looking at this one is that the owner ordered anything in the JC Whitney catalog that would fit it and slapped it on… including the cheap sunroof.
Simply put a LS in it & put a smile on your face!
Ther’s always an LS’er lurking.
Lovely car!! 👍🏻🙂
My brother bought a brand new 1980 Monza fastback with a V6 and 4 speed manual transmission. Very peppy, and good-looking in burgundy paint, but the close-ratio 4 speed meant that the engine was near redline at 70 mph. My brother drove it pretty hard, and the build quality (or lack thereof) soon became apparent. When it was finally paid for, he was so sick of it that he left it to finish disintegrating at a friend’s farm.
I purchased a 1979 Sunbird Sport new. Blue metallic with light blue vinyl interior, 4 cylinder 4 speed. Great little car, I used it for going back and forth to work.
Bought a white on white/vinyl top, black interior, V8, 4 speed. Unfortunately had a dealer add on AC. It would work for 7-8 minutes then freeze up the entire 4 years I owned the car. Dealer was never able to fix the problem. Raced a Nova one night for 10 miles dead even at 110 mph. That’s all either one of us had. Traded it for a Toyota that’s all I have ever owned since. Except for my 67 Corvette convertible I’ve owned for almost 50 years and just had it restored. Thanks for the memories both good and bad!
”Nearly Forgotten: 1979 Chevrolet Monza Coupe”. And for good reason.
If I remember correctly, the Monza was offered with a 262 cu. in. V-8, about 110 hp. Pretty weak, but I loved the looks when they came out.
I had a new 305 V-8 Monza. Couldn’t keep the rear end in a straight line (especially on slick surfaces)!
Keep the sunroof, especially if you swap in a V8. If it looks like rain, drive something else.
I had a ’34 Ford pickup no fenders with a tilt wood bed and a keg for fuel tank it was powered by the 265 /4.3 liter V8 it was a 4 barrel Monza motor 1975 ,170 horse it ran like a scalded cat so much fun.i had tri-power Rochester 97s on it .misc that one
One of these was my wife’s car before we were married. Total junk. Every week it was something. Paint was awful, had to repaint it after 30k miles. Then the engine lost all its oil pressure and it started rapping like “Lil Wayne”. Couldn’t give it away
If I was going to drive a ’79 coupe that looked like this, I would prefer it to be the Dodge Challenger (Mitsu Galant Lambda).
This is actually my Grandfather’s car, he owned it for almost 4 decades. As a child I got a thrill riding in it! My grandmother promised me this car when i grew up, my grandpa snipped at her and would say “Anne, that’s my car, don’t you be giving my stuff away! I’ll be buried in that car!”. Sadly, he passed away 6 years ago last month and unfortunately there was a family falling out and this gem, was sold outside the family. There’s only 60k miles because he only drive it from time to time, it was always kept in the garage. The sunroof and luggage rack have been part of this car since he obtained it in the early 80s. By the grace of God my brother stumbled across this listing and this “little blue car”, as my grandpa called it, is now back in the family. 5k might seem steep to some, but this car is priceless to me. Thank you for this Article!
Keni, Glad to hear that your family got reunited with the car! Thanks for sharing the story with us.