No Reserve: Restored 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS454

Did Chevrolet get the Monte Carlo the “most” right on the first try? By plopping the Monte Carlo’s attractive body atop the A-Body sedan’s 116-inch wheelbase, and then offering it with an optional 360-horsepower 454, Chevrolet set themselves up for great expectations. That greatness typically manifests itself in asking prices, and the first-generation Monte Carlos tend to sell for higher prices than any subsequent generations. However, this restored SS454 is being sold here on eBay with no reserve in Clermont, Florida, and the high bid currently sits at a mere $16,000. While the final bid will certainly exceed that by many thousands, how high will this sharp personal luxury car go?

The sales brochure assumes that the average SS454 buyer will be more mature than the average muscle car owner.

To the inquisitive teenage enthusiast you will say, “Yes son, there is a Monte Carlo SS.” It consists of a special package of heady
performance equipment that you can order. Beneath the longest Chevrolet hood ever, we drop in the largest Chevrolet regular production engine ever.

Although the LS5 454 didn’t have the oomph of the ultimate expression of Chevy factory-rated horsepower, the 450-horsepower LS6, it better represented the Monte Carlo’s luxury image. And it was no slouch—Motor Trend found that it accelerated to sixty in seven-seconds flat and finished the quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds at 92 miles per hour. The seller says that this clean “Tuxedo Black” Monte Carlo underwent a body-off restoration about three-and-a-half years ago, and that the 454 has matching numbers. The engine compartment looks nicely detailed, and I’ll never tire of pointing out the size of the cooling fan shroud. You could mount a drag slick on that thing.

The appropriately luxurious interior is well-equipped with bucket seats, a console, power windows, power door locks, and “ice cold” air conditioning; and most importantly, everything works. The black-on-black-on-black (paint, vinyl roof, interior) theme gives the Monte Carlo the formal look it deserves.

The undercarriage is rust-free, and you can see the SS454’s standard dual exhaust and Turbo Hydra-matic 400 transmission.

I’ve talked to countless people over the years who think that the first-generation Monte Carlo was one of the best-looking cars of the muscle car period, and it’s certainly hard to argue. Is it possible that Chevy got it exactly right out of the gate? Could this be the most desirable Monte Carlo of them all? It’s certainly in the running, and considering this example’s excellent condition, it could make a “mature” muscle car buyer very happy.