As if from a scene from some thirty-odd years ago when I was a young kid, this ’80 Monte Carlo materialized on North Clark Street in the summer, night air. The area near Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, is a popular North Side destination on weekends, even when there’s no home game being played. If this car were mine and my friends were reasonably respectful of it, I (too) might enjoy taking it out as the designated driver for the night. Just don’t eat, drink or smoke in it – and whatever you do, don’t puke on your ride home.
“Jump in my ride… It’s Friday night…♪♫”
Wrigleyville, Chicago, Illinois.
July 2011.
Joseph- always love your Chicago posts. Considering how much salt is used here, it’s amazing what you find from time to time.
Well, just wash away the salt and voila! No rust!
But not always that easy, 😉
Thanks, CJC! I’m guessing from its condition that this one probably stays (or had stayed) in the garage from November through May.
Your posts should be titled “Award Winning Photography.”
Thanks, Dave!
I’ve always liked this generation of Monte Carlos, from the day they were new to today. They have the curves of the Colonnade version but in a neater, more conveniently-sized package!
Yes a “fun sized” package, just like the woman I…ahem…dated at my last job…
This one even seems to still have it’s plasti-chrome bumper inserts, which is a miracle. That and the Granada/Monarch fuel filler door are 2 of the rarest 70-80’s automotive sightings.
A woman I worked with had been a Monte Carlo fan since the model debuted. When the chrome inserts melted off her maroon 1979 model, she was done.Andthe fuel-fillerdoor was only an issue on the upscale Ghia models; lesser models just had a gas cap.
Yep it still has its original bumper strips as evidenced by the indentation in the upper one. The replacements available do not have this. Also somewhat amazing also is the fact that it still wears it’s original star pattern 14″ Rally Wheels. These cars just look better with 15″ wheels as those 14’s look too small and too narrow. I switched mine over to the older style 15×7’s, of which I like the design of better. I’ve owned mine since 1995, my sister owned a 78 back when they were new, and my Dad also owned an 80. These are still nice daily drivers, with good handling, visibility you won’t find in most current cars, and they are comfortable. Of course, I’m biased toward A/G bodies as in addition to my Monte, I also own a 79 Malibu Classic Landau and an 86 El Camino, that I bought brand new.
Nice to see a Monte enjoying life in
Australia! 🙂
Jimmy, now that you (and Stephen) mention it, it is /was pretty incredible this Monte had its original bumper strips – that didn’t look delaminated. (It was dark.). Your red one looks great, BTW, and thanks for the pointer on how to identify the original bumper strips!
Thanks! If you look closely at the front strip on mine, you’ll notice it does not have the indentation. I have replaced the front upper and lower strips and the rear lowers but, the upper rear is still the original. The corner is starting to pull away so it’s probably on borrowed time. The replacements also are not as wide as the originals, so they do not tuck into the bumper. We had to replace the strips on my sister’s 78 within the first three years she owned it. The rest of the car held up well though. I also have added a dual outlet muffler from a Grand National, so I could have dual tailpipes.
This generation Monte tends not to get a lot of love, usually preferring the 81 and up but personally I find these most appealing right behind the original 70-72s. All the swoopiness of the Collonade cars without the bulk, and they admirably bucked many trappings of the sheer look that dulled most of GMs by 1980, which the 81 got diluted right into IMO. I don’t find them the most attractive cars in the world mind you, but for someone who dislikes the hugeness and neoclassical drappings of the Collonade versions and the relative anonymousness of the 81-88 Gs, these provide a happy medium. They look kind of like an enlarged Mustang II coupe though from some angles.
Agreed! The 78-80’s were a really great style, and it’s a shame that they didn’t get carried on for longer (I feel the same way about 78-80 Cutlasses as well). The only problem with those cars was that the build quality was EXCEPTIONALLY poor. It’s as bad as you could get without getting sued under a lemon law. We owned a relatively new 80 Monte in the early 80’s, and the plastichrome bumpers were peeling on the inside (once water got into them, they were not long for this world, plus the sun had did a number on the translucent plastic), the interior “chrome” plastic covering the door piping came off easily, we had soft cams (needed periodic replacement), frequent transmission problems, the rear floor pans rusted completely out in a few years, dashboard clock didn’t work fairly early into its lifespan, door hinges were problematic, etc. As I remember, the doors, when you’d close them, just never ever seemed to have that convincing “click” that you expect to have in a car……they always felt mushy and indistinct, like they weren’t properly lining up, or that the latch quality was poor. The lower doors were especially rusty, and even after replacing them and getting the car repainted, it was only a couple of years before the rust was terminal again.
It’s a shame, because the styling was great on those cars, but they were such a money pit that it just wasn’t worth it to keep it on the road. By 1991, with some sort of major engine problem yet again (was burning oil…..probably the rings), it was toast–we sold it as a parts car, pretty much. Plus, even as a V8, a lawnmower had more balls than our car. The styling alone just wasn’t a redeeming enough feature to endure all the other crap.
Ryan, I also love the 1978 – ’80 Cutlass Supreme & Calais. Those are probably my favorite A-bodies of that era. A real shame about the build quality of these cars.
Any photo that can make a 1978-80 Chevrolet Monte Carlo look good is a testament to the skill of the photographer, in my opinion! These were my least favorite rear-wheel-drive Monte Carlos. The styling cues from the Colonnade generation looked really overwrought on the smaller, narrower body.
I can only imagine how many copies of that record were blown up at Comiskey Park…..
More than a few, I’m sure. That fire was massive. I’m sure many modern DJs, audiophiles, and fans of dance music wept when learning about this. Thanks for posting this footage, by the way – I’ve never seen that before.
I was ten when it happened and I can remember national network TV being interrupted for a bulletin about a riot in Chicago over, of all things, disco records. If you dig around on Youtube there are several clips of the original coverage from various Chicago media outlets.
I wouldn’t mind an EDM demolition today
Nice photo and I really like the looks of the 78-79 Monte Carlo. Perhaps I will own one someday.
That pic may as well be 1981-82. Though the area is a bit more gentrified (safe) now.
I like the lines of the Monte from 78-80. It may be the only one of the A/G kids that didn’t look like it was going through an awkward growth phase.
I’m happy someone has fond memories of these. My ’79 had more things go wrong with it than any other car I’ve ever owned, beginning with the paint and the tranny. Hell, even the manual adjuster for the driver’s seat broke. It’s the car that swore me off GM products for good. I’ve never bought another thing from the general since.
I’m glad that someone else can weigh in with their personal thoughts on these after having owned one, too. I forgot to mention in my comment above, that when we had bought our ’80 in ’83 or so, it already was re-painted. I’d owned a couple more GM products (an ’84 Cutlass, which I loved dearly, but suffered from frame rail rot and severe lower door rust issues, plus the anemic 305, which couldn’t even really crack a one wheel peel), and a 2000 Cavalier (which had a litany of issues). Those cars all forced me away from GM…..I’m a Ford guy now, as a result.
Sounds like your Monte was even less reliable than mine. At least you liked the looks of yours. I bought mine used because I thought it was ugly and figured that if I bought the thing it would be one less I had to look at while I was out driving.