General Motors had
a serious sales problem with the subcompact Chevrolet Vega. In an attempt to
shore up its segment of the half-pint market, the Monza was developed. It would
compete against Ford’s Mustang.
The 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza had its engine in the rear. |
Monza is the capital of the Italian Province of Monza and Brianza. It is situated on the River Po, 15 kilometres north of Milan. |
The name was
borrowed from Chevrolet’s Corvair’s sporty Monza and that came from the Italian
city, long the home of the famed Italian Grand Prix.
AMC and GM engineers jointly developed a Wankel engine. A 1975 Pacer is seen here. |
The envelope was
svelte, graced with a fast front slope, permissable because the car was to be
powered by the new Wankel engine--one that would be shared with AMC’s new
Pacer.
Chevrolet Monza’s standard power plant was the 2.3-litre (140 cubic-inch) aluminum, overhead cam, four-cylinder engine. Optional engine, shown here, was the 4.3-litre (262.5-cubic inch) V-8. |
Despite engineers’
best efforts, the power plant failed to meet emissions standards and delivered
sub-par gas mileage. Coupled with nationwide American gasoline shortages in 1973, triggered by
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, GM officials reluctantly nixed
the rotary engine in 1974.
Chevrolet's Vega shared its 2
466-millimetre (97-inch) wheelbase and drivetrain with Monza but the kinship
ended there.
Monza’s face
incorporated dual rectangular halogen headlights deeply tunneled into front
fenders made of pliable urethane. A simple, colour-keyed, eight-slot grille was
low profile. Chevrolet was spelled out on the driver’s side of the front and
the bowtie trademark was centred above the grille in a circle. Bumpers were
hydraulic, overlaid with generous black impact strips to minimize damage in the
event of an accident. Below the bumper,
long turn signals were balanced under the headlights, separated by a pair of
grille slots and finished off with a functional air dam.
From the side,
Monza was sleek and gently rounded, with sight lines that promised many zippy,
slippery rides. Prominent swells burst from the wheel wells fairly shouted about the
speed and power that would rip from steel-belted radial tires.
Side markers were
placed at the leading edge of the front fender at bumper level. The roofline
was rakish and featured a power ventilation system built into the B-pillar.
From the rear, the
slim roof simply melted into the taillights.Taillights were long, narrow affairs that doubled as side makers as they
curved into the rear quarter panel. A vast window dominated the hatch
lid. The
lower lip was graced with a bowtie ensconced in a circular medallion.
Monza could be had
in a myriad of Chev colours including: Dark Green Metallic, Bright Blue
Metallic, Orange Metallic, Light Red, Bright Yellow, Antique White or Cream
Beige. Unique to Monza were Medium Grey Metallic, Silver Blue Metallic and
Burgandy Metallic.
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Under the hood
lurked Chevrolet’s 2.3-litre (140-cubic inch), four-cylinder, aluminum block,
overhead cam, a two-barrel carburetor with an electric fuel pump located in the
70-litre (15.4-Imperial gallon) gas tank. Sales people were primed to pitch the
little engine as giving “a nice measure of performance, balanced by a nice
measure of tightfistedness.”
Optionally, Chev’s
4.3-litre (262-cubic inch) small-block
V8 engine was a sure-fire winner. Advertising bragged that the eight-banger was
‘big enough to move the Monza with effortless ease, yet small enough to let its
two-barrel carburetor sip fuel very sparingly the way a small car engine
should.”
The Chevrolet Monza’s cabin was practical and sassy. |
Interiors were
surprisingly spacious, incorporating thoughtful touches such as map pockets in the
front doors, door locks located in the arm rests and a high-rise centre console
that housed a four-speed manual transmission or GM’s three-speed Turbo
Hydramatic shifter.
Cut-pile carpeting
was the resting place for deep, comfy bucket seats featuring built-in
headrests. The driver’s seat back could be adjustable for a few extra bucks. The rear seat folded flat to increase cargo
capacity.
Cloth and vinyl
colours were Medium Sandstone, Dark Blue, Dark Saddle, Dark Red, Medium
Graystone and Black. Monza cabins could be dressed up in genuine, fine-grain
split cowhide in black, dark red or saddle.
Instrumentation for the 1975 Chevrolet Monza included a tachometer. The four-spoke, colour-keyed steering wheel could be had with a tilt option.. |
The padded instrument
cluster was set in a simulated bird’s-eye maple, rectangular housing in front
of the driver. Heater and air conditioning controls were positioned in the
centre of the instrument panel above the radio. Air conditioning vents were
generous, rectangular affairs with a special one on the lower lip of the panel
for the driver's comfort.
There were almost as many
options for Monza as there are seal pups on a spring beach. Some of the
more popular extra-cost items were the space-saver spare tire, aluminum wheels,
power brakes and variable-ratio power steering, numerous radio packages, a rear
seat speaker, lights for the glove compartment, engine bay and a warning signal
that headlights were on. Tinted glass, Four-Season air conditioning and the
Electro-Clear rear window defogger were offered. Then there were protective body
mouldings, door edge guards and dual sport mirrors.
When introduced,
the price for the 1 233-kilo (2,720-pound)
2+2 was $3,865. The beefier Monza two-door hatchback weighed in at 1 262
kilos (2,783 pounds) and was pricier with a tag of $4,289. Sales in calendar
year 1974 came to 617 units. That figure jumped to 4,090 in calendar year 1975.
The GM Canada plant in Ste-Therese, Quebec opened in 1966. It will close in 2002. |
Monza was built
domestically in Ste-Therese, Quebec, Lordstown, Ohio in the US and the Ramos
Arizpe plant in the Mexican state of Coahuila.
Dealers invited
consumers to visit bowtie showrooms, check out the new Monza and ‘see why more Canadians buy
Chevrolet.’
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