(first posted 5/28/2012) My green Monte Carlo. After 13 years, it’s become my mascot. In 1999, it was advertised in a local paper here in the Los Angeles area. We went to go check it out, and found, literally, an old-lady car. Turns out it had belonged to Ida May Moore, who bought it when she was 76 years old in 1976, and never bought another car.
When she saw that lime green “demonstrator” at the local Chevy dealer in Redlands, CA, she just couldn’t resist. You see, green was her favorite color, as told to me by her old friends who ended up handling her estate and selling the car a few years after she passed on.
She even left a green tire gauge in the glove compartment. It didn’t hurt that GM happened to use a matching green for the Monte Carlo owners manuals that year. It was meant to be!
The Monte Carlo was a runaway hit when it was introduced as a popular-priced personal luxury coupe in 1970, sort of a bargain mini-Eldorado or Riviera, one year after Pontiac’s Grand Prix was downsized with great success. Both the GP and Monte Carlo were stretched from GM’s mid-size A-body platform.
Like the 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, which used the Tempest/LeMans sedan’s 118″ wheelbase, the Monte Carlo rode the Chevelle/Malibu sedan’s 116″ wheelbase instead of the coupe’s 112 inch span. All of that extra space was for the hood.
From the beginning, Monte Carlo shared a lot with the Chevelle it was based on, but offered more – more style, more hood, more luxury, but for not a lot more money. For 1973, it was restyled in the latest “neoclassical” retro-1930s look filtered through a ‘70s eye, with huge round single headlamps, aggressively sculptured sides, and narrow opera windows. It was no longer a hardtop but technically now a 2-door sedan, and those opera windows didn’t roll down.
Fast forward to 1976, and the formula was still the same, with the addition of stacked rectangular headlamps, huge 5mph bumpers in back (the 1973 had them only in front) and a few trim changes, including a new grille. As had been the case since 1973, you could get your personal luxury Chevy in plain Monte Carlo and fancier Landau versions. Several different interiors were available, and bucket seats with a console and floor shift were a popular option.
A 305 CID V8 was new, and the standard powerplant. You could also get 2- and 4-barrel 350s and a 4-barrel 400. The 454 CID V8 had been discontinued on Montes after 1975. Regardless of engine, all ’76 Montes had the proven three speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission.
Being a demonstrator, Ida’s Monte was loaded. For starters, it was the Landau model, with standard half vinyl roof, upgraded 50/50 split seating up front, special Turbine II wheels, and upgraded trim all around. It also had cruise control, power windows and locks, tilt, 8-track stereo and a lot of other gadgets that weren’t really all that common on a Chevy in the mid-70s.
Best of all, it was color-coordinated, so its white interior was complimented by green “environment” (that would be the dash and carpets) to coordinate with the lime green exterior. All in all, a nice combination. And with 22,000 miles on it, it drove pretty well. The air conditioner even worked! After checking out the car, I woke up the next morning and all I could see was GREEN. I had to have that car!
She’s not perfect. You’ll see plenty of little dents and flaws on Monte. That’s original paint you see. Original vinyl top. Original interior. Pretty much original everything! You only get that once, and I enjoy preserving it.
When driving the Monte, the first thing that might surprise you is that its 350-cubic-inch V8 actually motivates the car pretty well, and it handles nicely for its 3700-lb. weight. For her size, she’s amazingly agile.
This car has presence, from its mile-long doors (yes, they’re heavy but they aren’t sagging too much yet), to its even-longer hood, to its tiny back seat with “private” opera windows.
The 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission has no trouble at all bringing Monte up to a nice freeway velocity, pretty much devoid of wind noise. And really, although this car is not driven daily, it’s honestly been very reliable over the last 13 years and about 15,000 miles that I’ve driven it. The style may be baroque, but underneath, it’s just a solid Chevy drivetrain and body-on-frame construction that has held together pretty well. Of course, having a first owner who took pretty meticulous care of it and hardly drove it didn’t hurt.
I am a classic car aficionado, to be sure, and I’d owned a couple of classic cars before this one and several afterward, but the only real keeper so far is this Monte. Some like the GM colonnades and some don’t, but for me, the combination of color, condition, originality and ‘70s style made it a must-buy. 13 years later and counting, I can’t imagine letting her go!
Chris, I love the color combo but the colonnade I want most is an all-original, rust-free. red-on-red, 1973 Ponitac Grand Am w/ 4-speed, buckets, SD 455, no vinyl roof, and in the coupe bodystyle. Now watch me drool like a St. Bernard over that car!
P.S: Don’t be surprised if Zackman says he hates this car.
Zackman needs stuffed in the back seat for a couple of weeks .
That was the downfall of the colonnade coupes of all sorts:(
LOL! A little aversion therapy can work wonders.
Somehow the Reply to the post isn’t there, so….
Well anyway, totally awesome car. It’s just a so beautifully and consistently done example of the worst of 1976 Americana it simply transcends itself. Like others have commented, this is sculptured to an inch of its life, even if what they were aiming at is entirely questionable. Along with the metallic green, you just gotta love the thing. The green rings around the instruments (really, instead of chrome on all color interiors?) plus green seat belts on white seats…well, what can you say? And that all green dashboard instead of black or gray….whew.
A loaded old car is clearly the way to go, and the original condition of this one is great. I just don’t get someone putting money and care and love into a base stripper version of some old car. This one is the ultimate example of whatever the hell they were trying to do.
Chevrolets have a history of being in some ways low rent cheapo Cadillacs, picking up various Cadillac design cues. The assembly line worker bloke has to get the cheap people’s car, but he gets a bit of Cadillac aspiration in the deal. Note the three (!) levels of sort of Cadillac pattern grilles.
I once owned a 1970 Renault 16. Green, but dark metallic. Anyway, from a close period but perfectly embodied French/European ideas where this greenmobile embodies GM/American ideas of the period. Like you said, a lot of the length is in the hood – even though there is only a shortish V8 in there. The Renault hood was a bit long, about half the Monte length, but had the engine, transmission, entire drive train, and full size spare tire in there. Instead of a smallish back seat, it had enough room for humans if tighter on kneeroom, a fold down center armrest, and if you took the seat out, a completely flat floor like a Honda Fit. And of course huge windows all around instead of the “opera” window and a hatchback besides.
Right down to the faux wood trim on the radio knobs, yikes! The back seat in a car like this was only ever meant to be a bonus of sorts. The person who chose a Monte over a Malibu wasn’t looking for a people hauler. The abundance of green is a bit much for me but I do appreciate the 70s custom color/color keyed aesthetic vs. the monochromatic cars of today. And yes, “whatever the hell they were trying to do” is exactly what makes this car quirky and awesome. Love it, and it truly does transcend itself. And this from a Mopar guy, lol.
But my favorite colonnade is the 75 Century, had an h.s. friend in the 80s who seized the engine on one, killed me. But the 86 Jetta I was driving at the time was way more fun
I don’t know, it worked out okay for my fmily. My dad bought my mom this car new in ’76, same lime green white Landau 350, I can still taste the ashes from her flicked cigarettes from the window as my brother, sister, and I were riding quite comfortably in the back seat. On vacations my sister would lie on the rear window deck, brother on the seats, and me on the floor. We had this car until 1993, all three kids learned to drive on it, parents weren’t handing us the keys to the SeVille or gullwing Mercedes, especially not my Dad’s baby, the ’68 Coronet Super Bee. Car had 200k on it before I drove it to the junkyard, transmission was shot and I was going of to college and needed something reliable, which turned out to be a low miles LeBaron, what a POS that car was. The Green Booger, 1976-1993, RIP.
Nice call on the “kinda Cadillac” eggcrate within the three horizontal divisions. I’d never noticed until now, but this is almost exactly the same style of grille used on the ’79 Malibu, except that one had four horizontal divisons rather than three, in an argent surround rather than body color. I guess a good idea could live twice in that regard, especially given that they changed the grille design pretty much every year during the 70’s and into the early 80’s.
I had the same car. It was dark green but had
The same white interior . I was 17 when I got it. I loved it. Hang on to it. Roger
I love your car. I am not the biggest Colonade fan out there, but I am a sucker for a really pristine original car. The color combo of Jolly Rancher apple green and white is perfect for this car.
My mother and my step mother each had a 74 Colonade. Mom had a maroon 74 Luxury LeMans with white interior, and step mom had a white 74 Cutlass Supreme with white interior. I loved how GM would give you dash/carpet color choices with white interiors then. Mom’s was maroon, and the Cutlass had blue. Your green one makes probably a complete set.
I think of these Colonade cars (just what the hell is a colonade, anyway?) compared to contemporary mid-sizers like the way Winston Churchill described democracy: the worst form of government, except for all of the others. I never liked the feel of the bodies of these as well as that of the earlier series, but they turned out to be better cars than anything coming out of Ford or Chrysler at the time, both in terms of driving dynamics and durability.
Thanks for writing this up and sharing your car with us!
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/colonnade
col·on·nade (kl-nd)
n. Architecture
1. A series of columns placed at regular intervals.
2. A structure composed of columns placed at regular intervals.
So what does this have to do with these cars? My guess is the greenhouse of the 4-door sedans and base 2-doors.
Each pillar was narrow, both edges of each one remained parallel almost top-to-bottom, and the body color b-post was quite noticeable. This pic shows why that stood out in an era when the style had been no b with a fat tapering c.
It worked pretty well on the two Cutlasses in the pic. It was a little strange on the Buick sedans, like Kojak’s, to have delicate tapered pillars perched atop bulging silicone-injected fenders.
Of course, the upmarket coupes like Chris’s ditched the colonnade effect for the no b/fat c look.
In ’73, Pontiac allowed the owner to choose a contrasting carpet color by itself which is odd. I do not know if they continued this practice in other years though.
In thinking about it, our 74 LeMans was actually a maroon interior with white seats. Just the front and back bench seats were white vinyl. I never saw another car like it. I always wondered if somebody else had wanted maroon seats in their otherwise white interior and had the dealer swap them out. Or else, maybe Pontiac really did offer this to someone really good with the order forms.
Your car most likely came from the factory that way. My ’74 Malibu Classic was ordered in a similar fashion. The interior is black but the seats themselves are white. (Outside is green with white vinyl top). I’ve only seen one other car this way — it was also a ’74 Malibu Classic with black interior/white seats.
I prefer all-white but the white interior plastic crumbled to pieces — finding replacements for my prizes has become impossible.
Little old lady cars forever! Before me, the Imp was only owned by a Mrs. Dutton. The only options I wish she’d ordered were the passenger-side mirror and the 8-track!
The first ’70s bomb owned by my high school crew was car buddy Zach’s ’74 Cutlass coupe. The 350 did seem like plenty of power. This Monte has a much nicer interior.
Thanks for sharing, Chris. 🙂
Another GM hit that stucked just a little life out of Oldsmobile, Buick, and Pontiac… but I still want one.
What a gorgeous car Chris. You should be proud.
For me the Cutlass is my favorite Colonade. My dad bought a new ’76 Olds Vista Cruiser in the Spring of ’76, the Cutlass Station Wagon. Although our Vista Cruiser had a 350 4bbl TH350, it had a tall rear end (2.73?), was heavy, and had a first gen catcon, so it was a dog, especially when loaded with family and bags for a roadtrip. It was quite a let down after riding around in his ’69 442 convertible, but it was what it was for the times. We kept it until the summer of ’86, so it was the family workhorse for a decade.
Barouqe indeed, but also lean and muscular in comparison to the many imitators it inspired. And here in LA, always good to see the blue, or rarer black plates.
I am a sucker for these cars, especially the ’77 Regal. In high school at the time, I thought these cars and the people who drove them were smooth and elegant.
(I also am the recent recipient of a little old lady car for my daily driver, an ’07 Infiniti m35 with 1800 miles!)
1981. A ’69 Cadillac with 23,000 miles for $600. 1985. A ’78 Caprice Classic with 32,000 miles for really cheap (I can’t remember how much).
Little old lady cars both. Lowest cost per pound, obviously. But more important, lowest cost per number of miles left in them. Plus a bit of luxury thrown in.
The Monte Carlo is one of the few cars that I have always liked the look of right up through the last ones in MY1988. Your car looks great! You really have to like green to fully appreciate that bright green dashboard though. 🙂
Well I do.
Just to clarify, I think the green dash is fine except for the green surrounds on the gauges and idiot lights, which Eric VanBuren mentions more in his post below. If they put chrome trim rings around these, it would look pretty sharp against the woodgrain and against the green for the smaller gauges.
+1, also the gas gauge (by itself) as the only equivalently sized gauge next to the speedo? I mean it’s an automatic from the 70s, so I get it not being a tach, but….
Actually the gauge next to the speedometer is a vacuum gauge…something was pretty popular in the 70’s to help you gauge your fuel economy by trying to feather the accelerator. The actual fuel gauge is one of the small gauges to the left of the vacuum gauge and Speedometer. A pretty good idea, engine vacuum at least has some value in an automatic car, but you know these days how that worked out, as almost any car has a tachometer (back in the day, even many manual transmission cars lacked a tachometer, now routinely automatic cars seem to come with them). I guess the tachometer seems more “sporty” (good) not more “nerdy” (bad) like the vacuum gauge.
What a fantastic car. I quite like generation of Monte Carlo and yours might be the nicest example I’ve seen. I LOVE the colour. Great how it continues inside and fits with the white seats. The colour coded seat belts are a nice touch. I have a Mazda 2 in a similar green.
Nicely preserved! And a fine Leprechaun Green, it ’tis, luck of the Irish here?
My aunt bought one of the first redesigned ’73’s, for the life of me, I could never figure out the color combination, metallic dark red maroon exterior, white landau roof, brown dash and mouse fur upholstery. Very strange. I remember it as a ginormous, plasticky conveyance, and those mile-wide doors were nearly uncontrollable. She sold it to her next door neighbor in her retirement complex in 1980, it soldiered on well into the mid-90’s, a testament to the durability of its sheer mass, I guess. Never cared for these Monte’s, the ’70-’72’s were so much more refined. Does anyone remember the advertising tag line when the Monte’s first came out, “Relax, Chevrolet, it’s one of ours.”
I love it!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I revved up my computer this morning before heading out today, to, believe it or not, look for a Monte Carlo of this vintage to shoot for a CC!
I still think if I can locate it I am going to shoot it and share it here.
It gladdens my heart to see that you keep this car original and unmolested.
It’s people like you that one, I could be friends with, and two, continue to give me hope for mankind 🙂
Thanks! Looking forward to see the one you found.
I’m afraid that it didn’t work out. However, I did find it’s close relative today, a Malibu coupe that I will put together for an Outtake soon.
I have a 75 monte I’m selling in Cleveland Ohio. Runs like an Ohio state tight end. Hit me 216 2884749
thats a nice horse bro i have the exact same ranfla a 1976 MC i love this ranfla i need the paint code tho, i want to keep it the original color can u help me that jolly rancher apple green is fuerte thanks
I saw a similar vintage Chevelle/Malibu sedan at Bishop Intl. Airport that was white with a dark green vinyl roof.
Nice rig!
Wow! Now that woke me up this morning! What a time capsule; and that green dash. I’m in love.
This has to be one of the more splendiferous Montes out there. And very nice photography’ love those first two shots.
The designers must have had a hay day with this; all those lines and protrusions. The clay modelers earned their paycheck. Thanks for sharing and making my morning. I never knew I could feel so strongly about a Monte Carlo.
Wow. Agreed on those first two shots; those are both dealer brochure quality.
Vibrant colors look fantastic on the colonnades. Why does it seem like the only ones I ever see are ratted-out beiges, whites, and silvers?
Oh, and for my colonnade money, it’s ’73 GTO (in black) closely followed by ’73 Chevelle in refrigerator white. A big healthy set of meats in the rear really gives these cars a tuff vibe.
Thanks guys. The first shot was taken about 9 years ago from a hotel balcony — the second last week when I just pulled it out of its parking space for some quick shots. As you can see she hasn’t changed much over the years!
Chris, your car can now be seen on google images when someone types the query “1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo”.
I rather like all the Colonnades (sorry Zackman), but what may be my favorite is an odd one: a 1976-77 Olds Cutlass Supreme sedan. The combination of the 1973-75 fender blisters (lost on the coupes starting in ’76) and the rectangular lights just do it for me. I’d like one in Chris’s color, so I guess it would have to be a ’76, since that’s the only year the color was offered.
Thanks for sharing your car with us Chris, it’s beautiful!
Thank you for your great editing! Around the time I found the Monte, I spotted a 1977 Supreme Brougham 4-door in the choice green of that year — a soft metallic silver-green, inside and out with striped loose-pillow seats. It was in mint condition. I tried to track it down (maybe left a note or something) to buy, but never got anywhere with it. It wasn’t for sale. I really like the Colonnade 4-doors and that one was another with (IMO) great color, condition and option level that would have been fun.
Same here on colonnade love Tom.
These were very popular cars in NJ when I was of Prom age. I Remember a Freind and his mother had Matching triple white ones, and the charming story to go with it…
I Would Have rather had just about any other Car in the Personal Luxury wannabe club…
What a great car. Dig the white seats, they aren’t by chance leather are they? Wondering if Chevy even offered that as an option. I like their style/pattern, because most A-car seats it he 70s had a much more plain look than those and (like my 79 GP) were vinyl.
They are not leather. Two trim levels were offered with vinyl seats — the base was a bench with a ribbed upholstery sew pattern, and very plain jane. The Landau got this “Special Custom” (that’s the official name) 50/50 vinyl seat interior and (I think) more woodgrain on the dash, etc. The Special Custom interior was also offered in a very smart looking checked fabric upholstery. And then of, course, the swivel buckets with operating console were an option, and would look great with this green/white scheme — but that’s not what Ida found on the lot that day. I’m happy with the split bench and column shift.
I want to correct my own error. The upgrade interior I have was not part of the Landau option — it was a separate option. So my car is a Landau (which comes with the badging, Landau roof, Turbibe wheels and a few other small items) and also has the Special Custom Interior option, which gives it the upgraded 50/50 vinyl seat and different door panel design.
Hi Chris,
I get it. I took delivery on the same car/color in Dec of 1975 that I had custom ordered. I saw a demonstrator like it in the parking lot when I pulled up and quickly changed my mind from the silver that I was going to get. It had 96,000 miles on it but was still in pristine condition when it was stolen in Nov 1981. It was recovered the following March but I had settled with ins company and bought another car. I have never had a car before or since that I liked as much as that one. Drove like a dream. Mine had the bench seat but was fully loaded. I was teased a lot about the color. Folks referred to it as my slime lime but I did not care. I loved it enough for all. I hope you still have it. What a classic. I’ll have to send you a photo of the one I had. Happy Driving.
Is present-day “leather” upholstery in cars really leather? I won’t embarrass the carmaker but have seen a driver’s seat that was supposed to have standard equipment “leather” that cracked and exposed white woven fabric underneath. It looked a lot like the backing for regular vinyl upholstery. Somehow I got the feeling that it never saw a cow in its life; that it was born of petroleum, not a female cow; and in a factory, not a barn. There were enough split places in it that the lame excuse, “It’s only ‘leather-trimmed'” (and the catalog description did not say that) would not apply unless the “trim” was only in narrow 1 inch strips.
Yes, a great deal of actual cowhide leather is still used for upholstering cars. There’s beginning to be a movement away from it, toward other leatherlike materials.
That is a beautiful old Chevy! I love the white seats and green dash, priceless!
These cars represent the peak of what GM did; the THM350 and 350 4bbl was the best drive trail Chevy ever had. Smooth, syrupy torque, no lock-up anything. Reliable are and electrics on these cars, too.
My car was also a Little Old Lady Car. She had it for eleven years and 66,000 km, which is just under 40,000 miles. Hardly a nick or ding on it. It drives and looks like new.
I love the audacity of a brougham-era car painted that bright shade of green. Somehow it all comes together without looking tacky. And a low-mileage grandma’s car too boot… Thanks for showing us the car behind the avatar.
Not a car I particularly care for, but yours is certainly a nice example. I like the fact that it has its original plates from new; that option is unavailable in far too many states including my home state of Washington.
Those long, heavy doors are hell on door hinge bushings. Back in the day when GM doors were all like that it was a cinch to get the bushings replaced at a dealer…don’t know if that’s the case now. That was something I paid particular attention to when I was looking for my 2nd-generation Firebird, because a door that’s let sag for too long will ruin the striker plate and latch.
The 3rd generation Firebird/Camaros were even worse because the door hinges were WELDED to the doors themselves. Wear out a hinge on one of those & you got muchos problemos.
Really Nice Monte. Back in 1976, I used to work with a guy who bought an Olds Toronado in the identical color scheme. He had gotten a payment for losing a finger in an industrial accident. He said the car cost him $ 11,000, (probably most of the payment for his finger.)
While showing it to me, he said it had everything but a portable ____. (Use your imagination.)
Anyhow, the steel industry collapsed, and he drove the car well into the mid 80’s. I last saw the guy and his car in about 1985. The car looked pretty bad.
I think the ’76 Olds brochure shows the Toronado in that color. I’ve seen it on all kinds of ’76 GM cars (from Monzas to Electras) and almost the same color was offered on 1974 Cadillacs and named “Persian Lime”.
Good memory! Here it is:
I just saw a ’76 Delta 88 four door hardtop in this color, complete with white vinyl roof, last week. I was riding with a friend in his vintage car (full writeup coming soon, don’t worry) when we saw it. If I’d been in my own car, I would have followed him to get some pics!
Love it! That color scheme is so strong that every time I see another car with it, I feel like it’s a “relative” of mine. For that reason I was very tempted to buy a rather nice green/white ’76 Buick Skyhawk on Ebay last year, but I passed.
But that pic is a Toronado, not a Delta 88, no?
Yes, the car in the pic above is a Toronado, but Delta 88s were offered in that color, too. I guess nearly every ’76 Olds was! Even the 98 and the Custom Cruiser, although that would seem a little crazy. But the color is actually more tasteful in person than you might think from pictures. It’s vivid but not neon bright, and sophisticated in a ’70s way.
Like it….no love it. Thank goodness for the old folks that took great care of their cars, leaving them well preserved for us to enjoy.
Chris you beat me to it, but hey that’s what happens when I procrastinate. Lovely car and I have to agree with you on how much of a nice driver these rides are. I owned a few cars but I always get a kick seeing all those “lines and protrusions” the designers didn’t go half way.
The Response that this car gets 50 plus crowd is always an event. I listened to people who had one or two of these things. When I brought it in to get certified the mechanic first words were “Your breaking my heart a 76 Monte was the first car I bought in Canada” he was grinning ear to ear driving it into the shop. When I went to get the car appraised I said “Some love it some don’t. Maybe it’s the 70’s vibe and maybe the association with disco”. The appraiser shot back “this was the disco car!” he too was a bit smitten by it. Nice write up and beautiful Monte.
Thanks! So you have a 1976 Monte Carlo? Can you share some pictures with us? Would love to see it.
Sigh… I still pine for my parents’ Monte, a 1974 Landau, white with a navy blue top and interior. It also had the F41 suspension package and polycast wheels like Chris’ car.
My folks were planning to pass it down to me, but a carb fire changed all that. This was around 1989 or so. It had been in the family since 1978.
I’m still a tad bitter about it.
That’s a beautiful survivor you have there, don’t ever let it go.
Love the white interior my 1973 Buick Century Luxus had the Buick version of that white interior though it had the buckets and floor shifter. While I like the gauges in the Monte, the wood-grain should extend around all the gauges so I prefer the look of the Buick’s dash as it had some wood-grain on the passenger side too. I have some mixed feelings about the fact that a little of the underlying green can be seen around the gauges and indicators which makes in look like the tacked on addition that it is but also does add an interesting contrast.
I LOVE The Dash in Green Gorgeous. Very Gran Prix Like I Might Ad. See my Mom Had One and I Was Inclined to like what she had. Conveniently her next car was the 73 TBird… which I’m sure I guided her to the Bargain Mark 4… Black on Black with White Leather Was All Hers… Id Have picked a Moonglow color.
What a great time capsule a very mint condition car just keep it like it is, personally I dont like the colour I can cope with dark green my( Citroen is emerald green) but that Chevy is too green for me.
I’m surprised that nobody has commented about how the left gauge pod above the steering column, where an optional tach was probably intended, is taken up with a huge “Fuel Economy” (vacuum) gauge. I guess that was another sign of the times when this car was made.
A tach was probably still available, though the “fuel economy” gauge is a sign of the times for sure.
‘Twas available but very rare after the ’74 model year when the Econominder cluster was first offered.
Vacuum gauge economy lights or some other form of notification have been around since the 20’s. I used to have a late 40’s-early 50’s add on light. If the light was red your gas economy was suffering. I wish I knew what I did with it.
Lovely car, and unique colours. I have my “original” ’75 Monte for 24 years, and have nudged it up to 275k miles on the original drivetrain. The book-end twin has 73k, and both have the 350/350THM combo, but are fairly sparsely optioned Canadian cars. The original has full catalytic converter, whereas the other has none, with no unleaded markings, etc., making me think that we could order cat-free Monte’s in Canada in 1975. As with all cars of this type, it would be much more preferable to get one in the best original condition that you could find, because any amount of restoration is not cost effective, and parts are very hard to find
The twin
Great color. How amazing that you found a bookend for it! The 275K example looks just as fresh as the 73K one.
Both, very nice!!!
Nice cars! You might find the build sheet in them still — they are hidden in various locations depending upon which plant the cars were built at. They tell you everything there is to know about how your car was ordered/equipped. I found four build sheets in one ’77 MonteCarlo once.
It’s very much a treasure hunt.
The ’70s blue and gold Cali plates look great on most cars – not this one
I also wanted to comment on all the comments about preferring other colonnade models. Hey, I’m with you! At the time I found this Monte, I had a ’77 Grand Prix that was amazing. I think the dash on the Grand Prix is a lot more interesting, plus mine had leather buckets, console and factory T-tops. But the Grand Prix was white with a black interior. When it came time to sell one or the other, the choice was not exactly easy, but obvious. I love the Cutlasses, Century, Regal and LeMans and Malibu too, and I also owned a ’76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham for a short time several years ago. I wasn’t even specifically looking for a Monte Carlo when this car turned up. But the color combo really clinched it for me, and that’s what made me a Monte Carlo owner for keeps!
Beautiful car!
That is quite a color, that’s all I’ll say.
I discovered last night that someone in my neighborhood has a well-preserved example of the subsequent generation of this car. I don’t know the year, but I’d guess a ’78-’80 Monte. I’d like to get some photos of that one.
love love LOVE it! I always has a soft spot the stacked headlight Montes…took driver’s ed in one the looked just like Dean Edwards twins except it was a ’76 model! Later in life I was able to buy my own “old-lady” car in the same color combo and it became my fave car-I-wish-I-would-have-kept! 1976 Olds Delta 88, same color combo inside and out down to the seatbelts! And it was Hurst modified car! (have to find a pic of the door tag to show). Unfortunately a dash fire took her out and the insurance company sent her to the junkyard in ’89
That Delta 88 is one rare bird. Shame about the fire.
That roof package,It had a name, Crown Royale coupe or something like that.
Ooh! That Delta is AMAZING! I was going to say Crown package — it’s something like that. What a beauty. Thanks for sharing the photo.
FYI:It had the Landau roof package.
I really like it. That shade of green looks great with the white interior and vinyl roof. I had a 76 in silver/grey two-tone with burgundy interior. Also had a gold 70. It’s funny how long that hood really is. I remember opening the hood on my 70 and people had a good laugh at the “clothes dryer” between the radiator and the fan!
For those of you that don’t know, our good friend Sajeev Mehta over at TTAC started a group on Facebook called the “Brown Car Appreciation Society” (Yes, I joined it). I’m thinking we need to start a “Green Car Appreciation Society”!!!
It would be a small and exclusive group at that….Would Kermit be available as the “spokesman”?
I’ll be the first to be in on that group!
Upon further Facebook research, I have hound out that there already a “Green Car Appreciation Society” called the “Matte Green Car Appreciation Society”. Does anybody want to join it? I already have.
Did the stupendous soundtrack come with the car? Huge +1!
hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm HHHHHHHHHHRMMM HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!! DUN dun! *DUN dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN dun DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnn
No, but it’s one of the rarer tapes I’ve collected, and sometimes that white interior does seem a little like the inside of one of the space pods on that movie!
Nice Monte.Here is My 76
Just now seeing these posts. Nice car, looks like a twin? More details?
Hello Chris-
I was pleased to be with you when you first laid eyes on the Monte- and all of the coaching to keep you from screaming was worth it. It was obvious from first glance that it was destined to be your car and I am very happy that you still have it.
Chevrolet had high hopes for Medium Lime Metallic in 1976- every model from Chevette to Corvette was offered in the color and every model except wagons offered a white vinyl interior with lime “environment”- ie, dash and carpets.
Happy Motoring, Jeff
I almost forgot that Joe Pesci drove one of these, in 70’s brown, in Casino, it even had the same cast wheels.
What a fantastic color scheme! How come so many cars today are black or dark grey? Gee, we have become so serious.
Love the car Chris! My dad had a ’76 Catalina Coupe that same green- also it was a demonstrator too! Same white seats with the green carpets and dash! Check out my ’75 Grand Am! It’s white but the same kinda thinkg inside- white seats and red carpet and dash! It’s a “fastback” Colonnade on the shorter “A-Body” chassis.
I also love that you are keeping this original! As long as there is no rust or major dents, people spend way to much money “restoring a 22,000 mile cars”. You shouldn’t have to do more than change the oil, tires and few other things to a 22,000 mile “original car”. I wanna kick idiots that bark “I did a frame off on this 22,000 mile car”. Really? That just means you’re a boorish moron that wants to show everyone how stupid you are with your money! Cars like this should be owned by someone like you Chris who become it’s “steward”…”caretaker”…fix stuff when it breaks, keep it up and drive it carefully! That’s what it’s all about! Not about $10,000 paint jobs!
wow, when you wrote ida may moore, i assumed it was ida moore, the hollywood character actress, who played kooky old ladies but she passed away in ’64. too bad, the car would have been perfect for her!
http://www.nndb.com/people/477/000135072/
Wow, I never heard of her! She looks like a great character. Now I’m wondering if they were related somehow. Or maybe that was just a really popular name around the turn of the 1900s!
That Lime color was available on nearly all GM vehicles in ’76, from Vega to DeVille. And even Chevy vans, Suburbans and pickups too. As the trucks aged, I’d see some with spare lime green beds, doors, gates, and hoods being recycled. “They got the part from a ’76!”
If you’d just described it, I’d hate it…but seeing it….it’s awesome.
Thank you for flaring up my Monte Carlo jones! What a beauty.
Chris your car is stunning! “Lime” is my absolute favorite mid-70’s GM color & white interior has always been my favorite color. It’s in absolutely incredible condition. The 1/4 window moldings are amazing in at they even exist — the plastic things crumble to bits & command hundreds of bucks on E-bay if they are ever even found.
Wow, your car is so rare with its color & long list of options, the 350, the gage package, 8-track, blower rear defogger, tilt, cruise, power windows, locks, deluxe seat belts. Delay wipers were seldom seen but I think your car has that and the power seat too… Is the radio the AM-8-track or AM/FM 8-track? If your car has the remote RH mirror that’s rare too… the knob is mounted to the right of the radio. Is a power trunk button in the glove box? Man, I’d love to see the build sheet on that baby.
The Landau upgrade is so nice — I think it included the awesome polycast wheels, sport mirrors & 50/50 front seat. I stripped a base ’76 M/C of its white interior a few months ago at the local scrapyard & its seats are nowhere near as attractive as the Landau units in yours.
This is my favorite car so far on this website. I still can’t believe the shape of those 1/4 window moldings… they were made of stainless steel only in 1973 and not all A-body cars had them even then.
Things Monte Carlo brings me back to my high school days in San Rafael, 1973-77. Many of these Montes plied the streets of Marin and the whole Bay Area. Naturally, engine choices were limited to the 350 LM-1 4bbl (although the 454 was an option in Cal in ’73 and ’74). Before the proliferation of Bimmers, Benzes, Lexus cars to such an extent 15-30 years later, most upper crust (usually wives) seemed to be driving these cars all around the “smart” areas of Marin – We lived a block from the Marin Tennis Club and Ballet Center . . . these cars were relatively affordable and by today’s standards, horrible wasterful interior space – bulky on the outside – leisurely acceleration – in the day they were something else. If you ordered the F41 suspension (70 series radials and thicker sway bars), pretty good handlers. Nice car!
The economy gauge was on the white ’75 Buick Century wagon our group in Driver’s Education had . . . . the white top over green is very pretty. Buddy of mine in high school his Mom had a similar colored ’75 Coupe de Ville. Of course, the Caddy seats were pleated leather . . . and had the California big-cat equipped 500 cuber . . . . . 8 track player! “Click” !!
Most of the Montes of this vintage I remember seeing new were usually maroon, brown, beige, blue or white. Second to this Monte, I remember Buick Regal coupes and Lincoln Mark IV’s the ‘favorites’ of the then Bay Area upperwardly mobile. Today, it would be an E class Benz or Lexus ES350, or Bimmer 5 series. Or a GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition . . .
I have to say that I have never seen a Monte of this vintage in this nice of shape. It truly is a time capsule and kudos to you for preserving it. I rarely see these cars, even at cruise nights or car shows, which is surprising considering how popular they were. I think it is probably one of the sharpest color combos I have seen on a Monte Carlo.
I’ll have my T-bird for ten years this October. I can understand when you say there is just something about a certain car that draws you in. I’ve had several cars over the last ten years but the only one that I’ve kept around is the T-bird.
“Like the 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, which used the Tempest/LeMans sedan’s 118″ wheelbase, the Monte Carlo rode the Chevelle/Malibu sedan’s 116″ wheelbase instead of the coupe’s 112 inch span.”
I don’t think this is correct, at least the part about the Grand Prix and Tempest/LeMans sedan sharing a 118″ wheelbase. IINM, all 1968-77 A-body four-doors use the 116″ wheelbase, and all conventional 1968-77 A-body coupes and convertibles (i.e., other than the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo) use the 112″ wheelbase. The 1969-72 Grand Prix uses an A-body sedan wheelbase stretched two inches to 118″, which is unique to the Grand Prix from that period. The Monte Carlo by contrast always used the regular 116″ sedan wheelbase from the time it was introduced in 1970. When the A-bodies were restyled in 1973, GM decided to abandon the longer wheelbase for the Grand Prix, and it moved to the regular 116″ sedan wheelbase, same as the Monte Carlo.
Absolutely beautiful car, Chris. Congratulations! I love the color, but what really makes the car for me is the white upholstery. Here in Virginia, white seats are so comfortable in the summer. Why is it that all we can get now are black, grey and tan? Anyway, I wasn’t a Colonnade fan when these cars were new, but I see them in a completely different light now. Never, ever sell this car!