Chevrolet Monza Overview
The Chevrolet Monza, introduced for 1975, was basically a Chevrolet Vega dressed for a night at the disco. This article lays out the Monza’s brief but entertaining history.
The Monza
used the conservative rear-wheel-drive Vega chassis. But as the pictures in the
following pages make clear, the Monza had swoopier bodywork than the Vega. This
was especially true of the Monza hatchback with its Ferrari-inspired tail.
 The 1975 Chevrolet Monza offered OK performance for emissions-strangled 1975. See more pictures of classic cars. |
The styling of the Chevrolet Monza was intended to complement the use of an innovative rotary engine. But Chevy shelved that idea amid concerns about the rotary’s relatively high fuel consumption and potential inability to satisfy ever-more-stringent exhaust-emission standards.
So the Chevrolet Monza instead used as its base engine the Vega’s rather anemic four-cylinder but surprised consumers by being one of the few small cars in its class to also offer a V-8 alternative.
Solid but unspectacular described both Monza’s performance and its early sales, which split about evenly between the hatchback and a conventional-roof coupe. By model year 1977, when the former Vega station wagon joined the line rechristened a Monza, sales of the car had begun to shrink. Continuation of V-8 power and several trendy trim themes couldn’t do much to boost overall demand.
Monza’s last model year was 1981, and its demise marked the end of Chevy’s efforts to produce a fun-to-drive rear-wheel-drive subcompact. Just around the corner was the Chevrolet Cavalier, which had front-wheel drive but little of Monza’s sporty spirit.
 The Monza 2+2 had an attractive hatchback body style. This is a 1979 model. |
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1975 Chevrolet Monza
 The 1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 hatchback topped the Monza line in price and style. |
The 1975 Chevrolet Monza debuted as a slope-roof hatchback in S and 2+2 trim. Chevrolet described the Monza in the sales brochure as "our new small
car." The 1975 Monzas wore rectangular headlights and a slot-style grille
in a slanted nose made of resilient urethane.
Not only were they intended to be
fun to drive, Monzas were designed for easy loading and economical operation. It added up to a winning formula, at least to Motor Trend, which named the Monza 2+2 its Car of the Year for 1975.
The Chevrolet Monza's base
engine was a 140-cubic inch (2.3-liter) four-cylinder borrowed from the Vega and
yielding 78 or -- in the 2+2 coupe -- 87 horsepower. Not strong enough? No
problem, as Monzas could have a new 110-horsepower 262-cubic inche (4.3-liter) V-8
instead, or even a 125-horsepower 350-cubic inche V-8.
Monzas had radial tires and standard four-speed manual
shift. Louvers that graced the B-pillars weren't merely decorative, but assisted
in ventilating the interior via a low-speed blower.
Midyear brought a notchback Towne Coupe, which featured single round headlights instead of the 2+2's trend-setting
rectangular quad units.
| Model |
Weight range
(lbs.) |
Price range
(new) |
Number
built |
| Monza |
2,675-2,753 |
$3,570-$3,953 |
136,203 |
 The 1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 ran with a 125-horsepower 350-cubic-inch V-8. |
For more picture-packed
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- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
1976 Chevrolet Monza
 The 1976 Chevrolet Monza was available with a five-speed manual transmission. |
The "Dura-Built" 140-cubic inch four-cylinder, as used in the Chevrolet Vega, got some refinements, including hydraulic lifters that ran quieter and eliminated any need for valve adjustments. The basic four developed 70 horsepower, but two-barrel carburetion upped the rating to 84.
The 19746 Chevrolet Monza was available in two models: the dressy Towne Coupe and the 2+2 hatchback coupe. Total 1976 Monza output came to a modest 80,905 cars.
The coupe outsold the 2+2, and a new formal version of the Monza Towne Coupe debuted for 1975. It had "cabriolet" equipment that included a special vinyl roof and opera-type quarter windows for what Chevrolet called a "very sophisticated, classic look."
A new Spyder package was available for either body. This featured sport equipment that included the 84-horsepower engine, console, larger stabilizer bars, special shocks, and steel-belted radials. A new "stitched" instrument panel pad in 2+2 hatchbacks had woodgrain ornamentation, and the hump between bucket seats was reduced in height. A three-speed gearbox was standard, four-speed optional.
1976 Chevrolet Monza Facts| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Monza | 2,625-2,668 | $3,359-$3,727 | 80,905 |
 The Monza Town Coupe outsold the 2+2 hatchback for 1976, 46,735 to 34,170. |
For more picture-packed articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
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- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
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- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
1977 Chevrolet Monza
 The 1977 Monza Spyder package was a sporty addition to the 1977 Monza series. |
The 1977 Chevrolet Monza was highlighted by the addition of a two new options packages, both named Spyder, but one aimed at appearance, the other
at performance.
The 1977 Chevrolet Monza Spyder package was actually two distinct entities: one, a $274
performance package; the other a separate $199 deal that was available on hatchbacks
only and brought appearance add-ons.
The 1977 Chevrolet Monza also got a special-edition Mirage package, which arrived midyear but lasted only that half-season. The Mirage option mandated white paint and added bolt-on "aero" fiberglass panels, special sport striping, and a sport suspension. The Mirage package was inspired by a modified Monza that competed successfully on the SCCA racing circuit using a high-performance small-block V-8.
The 1977 Chevrolet Monza Towne Coupe now offered a dual-headlamp front end or a Sport variant that copied the 2+2's quad-lamp nose. Towne Coupe rear ends adopted tri-color taillights.
Monza dashboards contained round gauges in a brushed-aluminum instrument panel. An 84-horsepower four-cylinder engine was standard, but many Monzas were ordered with a 145-horsepower 305-cubic-inch V-8 instead. The Cabriolet Equipment group was deleted, but a Cabriolet vinyl roof and opera windows could still be installed.
Production of the 2+2 hatchback beat the Towne Coupe
by a modest margin: 39,215 to 34,133. The sales brochure touted Towne
Coupes as "smart and sassy," the 2+2 as "precise, agile and confident."
1977 Chevrolet Monza Fact
| Model |
Weight range
(lbs.) |
Price range
(new) |
Number
built |
| Monza |
2,580-2,671 |
$3,560-$3,840 |
73,348 |
 The 1977 Monza Spyder package included a rear spoiler,as seen on this 2+2. |
For more picture-packed
articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
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- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
- Consumer Guide Automotive: Here's your source for news, reviews, prices, fuel-economy and safety information on today's cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickups.
- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
1978 Chevrolet Monza
 The 1978 Chevrolet Monza offered new front-end styling and an expanded lineup. |
The 1978 Chevrolet Monza also gained a new base coupe and 2+2 hatchback with round headlights in an upright front end with a crossbar grille. The final addition was a Sport series with a sloping nose and rectangular headlights.
"Take the wheel, have some fun," the Monza sales brochure advised. The new Spyder 2+2 hatchback in particular promised to fulfill Chevy's claim that it was "a car to quicken your pulse."
There was action underhood, as well, as Chevrolet's sporty subcompacts were available for the first time with V-6 engines. Buyers could choose V-6s of 196 cubic inches (3.2 liters) or a Buick-built unit of 231 cubic inches (3.8 liters). Horsepower was 90 and 105, respectively. The 145-horsepower 305-cubic-inch V-8 remained optional in all but the Vega-based models.
Gone at last was the troublesome
aluminum Vega four-cylinder engine. It was replaced by an 85-horsepower
Pontiac "Iron Duke" 151-cubic-inch four. This was standard in
all models.
Production of the seven Monza models totaled 138,832 cars. The basic coupe and the Sport 2+2 ranked as the most popular body styles, with Estate Wagons being the least popular.
1978 Chevrolet Monza Facts
| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Monza | 2,643-2,777 | $3,622-$4,247 | 138,832 |
 Production for the 1978 Monza 2+2 coupe was around 65,072. |
For more picture-packed articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
- Classic Cars: Learn about more than 400 of the world's finest classic and collectible automobiles.
- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
- Consumer Guide Automotive: Here's your source for news, reviews, prices, fuel-economy and safety information on today's cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickups.
- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
1979 Chevrolet Monza
 At $4,624, the unique 1979 Monza 2+2 Sport was the priciest Monza for this year. |
The 1979 Chevrolet Monza continued to appeal to first-time car buyers in particular, thanks to prices starting at a reasonable $3,850. Added standard equipment for 1979 helped, too.
"More car," said the sales brochure, and "more kicks." Extra standard features for 1979 included an AM radio, tinted glass, bodyside moldings, and sport steering wheel.
The "S" hatchback was deleted, as were the Estate Wagon and the Sport notchback coupe. Only one Monza kept the sloped Euro-look front end: the 2+2 Sport hatchback. Others had an upright front end with a freshened grille. The Spyder performance package cost $164, the Spyder appearance package added $231.
Powerplants got a little more pep. A more-potent standard 151-cubic-inch (2.5-liter) four-cylinder with a redesigned cross-flow cylinder head and two-barrel carburetor developed 90-horsepower -- five more than in 1978.
Monza buyers could choose from three optional engines: 105-horsepower 196-cubic-inch V-6, 115-horsepower 231 V-6, or 130-horsepower 305 V-8.
All Monzas
had a color-keyed instrument panel, and all except the base coupe
had a center console. Corrosion protection was improved, too, but the
Monza's days were numbered.
1979 Chevrolet Monza Facts
| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Monza | 2,577-2,676 | $3,850-$4,624 | 163,833 |
Of the 163,833 Chevrolet Monzas built for 1979, 67,398 were hatchbacks like this. |
For more picture-packed articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
- Classic Cars: Learn about more than 400 of the world's finest classic and collectible automobiles.
- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
- Consumer Guide Automotive: Here's your source for news, reviews, prices, fuel-economy and safety information on today's cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickups.
- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
1980 Chevrolet Monza
 Production of the Chevrolet Monza came to a close with the 1980 Monza line. |
The 1980 Chevrolet Monza lost its Vega-based wagon variant, reverting to two-door hatchback and notchback coupe body styles. It also lost its V-8 option. That left just the standard 86-horsepower 2.5-liter (151-cubic-inch) "Iron Duke" four-cylinder engine and Buick's 110-horsepower 3.8-liter (231-cubic-inch) V-6 to haul around more than 2,800 pounds of Monza.
As often happened during the mid-1970s and into the 1980s, "paint-on performance" substituted for horsepower, and the Monza hatchback embraced this philosophy though the Spyder package.
Front and rear spoilers and gaudy hood and flank decals certainly made the Spyder look fast. But even with a four-speed manual transmission backing up the 3.8-liter V-6, a Spyder could barely break 16 seconds in the 0-60-mph dash. In fairness, that wasn't terribly slow by 1980 standards. But today, with 0-60 times of under nine seconds not uncommon for even economy cars, it might be branded downright dangerous.
Nevertheless, production of the Chevrolet Monza actually increased slightly in 1980, reaching nearly 170,000 units, up from 163,833. That was not a bad showing for a cramped car with lackluster performance and relatively poor fuel economy.
It was not good enough to save the Monza, however. Chevrolet decided to shelve the antiquated design and let the Chevrolet Camaro and new Chevrolet Citation X-11 absorb whatever was left of the sporty-coupe market.
1980 Chevrolet Monza Facts
| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Monza | 2,617-2,729 | $4,433-$5,186 | 169,418 |
 The Chevy Monza coupe could be ordered with this dreadful "Cabriolet" roof cover. |
- Classic Cars: Learn about more than 400 of the world's finest classic and collectible automobiles.
- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
- Consumer Guide Automotive: Here's your source for news, reviews, prices, fuel-economy and safety information on today's cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickups.
- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
