Weekend Warrior? 1969 Chevrolet Corvair Monza

The Chevy Corvair went out not with a bang, but a whimper, in 1969. Demand had been falling since Ralph Nader took the car to task in the middle of the decade in his book, Unsafe at Any Speed. By the last year of the 1960s, Chevrolet produced exactly 6,000 copies before retiring the product with minimal fanfare. The seller has a sharp ’69 Monza Sport Coupe, which is in great shape sans a little bubbling in the paint. Located in Middleburg, Florida, this blue beauty is available here on craigslist for $9,500. Our gratitude goes to Tony Primo for another awesome tip!

Just 10 years earlier, the Corvair was launched as Chevy’s first compact car. But the vehicle traveled a less common route for Detroit, using a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine that was in the same vein as the Volkswagen Beetle. That vehicle, and some Japanese imports, had incentivized U.S. automakers to start building smaller automobiles. American Motors and Studebaker led the way in the late 1950s, followed quickly by the “Big 3”.

We’re told this Monza was one of the last 1,000 Corvairs to roll off the assembly line in the early months of 1969. It has its original flat-six engine with an automatic transmission, but some newer touches have been added before reaching 75,000 miles. They include electronic ignition, an upgraded alternator, a fuel pump, brakes, and a rebuilt carburetor. Aftermarket air conditioning was installed to help the passengers cope with the hot summer temps in Florida.

The seller says this car is a “true survivor,” which in part would imply that the blue paint is from the factory. But there are some bubbles in the paint that should be corrected before they turn into rust holes. The interior looks good, but it looks as though the bucket seat bottoms have been recovered, as the material doesn’t quite match the seat backs. With add-on “mag” wheels, this car should do well at Cars & Coffee!