![]() The 1970 Clean Air Act forced many manufacturers to scale down muscle car production, and the SS option was dropped in 1976. "Although 'no va' can be literally translated as 'no go,' a Spanish speaker would refer to a malfunctioning automobile by saying 'no marcha' or 'no funciona' or 'no camina' rather than 'no va.'"Ī redesign came in 1968, along with engine upgrades, including a 425 horsepower, 427 cubic inch V8. But Snopes points out that this is incorrect, and the Nova actually performed well in Mexican and South American markets. In 1966, Chevy began offering a 327 cubic inch V8 that produced 350 horsepower in the Nova, but again, internal competition dinged the model's sales (this time, the culprit was the newly introduced Camaro).Īn urban legend claims that the Nova didn't sell well in Spanish-speaking countries because the name translates to "doesn't go" in Spanish. Throughout its lifespan, the Monte Carlo was a huge success on the NASCAR track, winning championships for Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson. It was dropped the following year but revived in 1994 in two V6-powered trim versions, the LS and the Z34. Monte Carlo's sales declined steadily throughout the 1980s to a low of about 30,000 units in 1988. Chevrolet began to slim down and square off the model the following year, and a turbocharged 231 cubic inch V6 engine became an option in 1980. GM's output climbed throughout the generation, peaking at just over 400,000 units in 1977. The introduction of the second generation in 1973 brought a Motor Trend Car of the Year award win, and Chevy produced nearly a quarter of a million Monte Carlos that year. A 454-powered 1972 Monte Carlo weighed more than 3,800 pounds but could still go from zero to 60 in 6.8 seconds. ![]() 1 has been replaced with a far less patriotic set of numbers.The first generation Monte Carlo shared a platform with the Pontiac Grand Prix and came with one of three V8 engines ranging in size from 350 to 454 cubic inches. The Monza pictured here now competes in vintage races across Europe, but sadly, it's epic bicentennial-era stars-and-stripes No. ![]() Monza's brief period atop IMSA GT was a shining moment for GM, but it didn't do much for sales. Al Holbert won back-to-back titles with the Monza in 1976-1977, using its tube-frame chassis, 350-cubic-inch small-block V8, and generally awesome fender flares to outpace the European machinery. The unheralded grocery-getters were transformed into championship-winning racers thanks to a collaboration between GM and Ohio's DeKon Engineering. Turbo engines glowed and spit flame straight-pipe V8s deafened and inline-sixes spun to ridiculous redlines for the era.Īnd somewhere in the middle of the exotica, the Chevy Monza, a misfit among American muscle cars (remember, this is the Mustang II era), found its home. Tires and rims grew wider, and fenders followed suit. Production shells were strengthened by steel roll cages, and it wasn't long before some of the GT cars looked more like a maze of welded tubing than anything that rolled off the assembly line. ![]() It came to life in the 1970s when BMW, Jaguar, Porsche, and others dialed up the horsepower and intensified the styling on their production-based race cars to create cartoonish versions of what could be found on showroom floors. Turn back the clock to the IMSA GT series, and you'll struggle to find much wrong with the legendary sports-car organization.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |