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1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo, a sporty and personal luxury vehicle, was based on the same platform as the re-designed 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix. It was bigger than the Chevelle with a long hood and a short deck. In the front was a grid-textured grille with large, single headlamps mounted in square-shaped housings.

The name 'Monte Carlo' was derived from the namesake Monegasque City, introduced for the 1970 model year, and marketed as Chevy's first personal luxury car. Production would continue through six generations through the 2007 model year, albeit with a hiatus from 1989 through 1994. The 'first generation' was built from 1970 through 1972 and rested on the 'A-Special' platform before switching to the A-body intermediate chassis for the 'second generation' (1973 to 1977).

The 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo was well appointed with many luxurious amenities with standard equipment including all the features found on Malibus, plus an electric clock, elm-burl dash panel inlays, and G78-15B bias-belted black sidewall tires. Most Monte Carlos came with fender skirts, but these were optional equipment. The dashboard layout was nearly identical to the Chevelle with the exception being the simulated wood veneer trim. The upholstery was from higher grade nylon (or vinyl) and there was deep-twist carpeting.

The standard engine was a 350 cubic-inch Chevrolet 'Turbo-Fire' small-block V8 fitted with a two-barrel carburetor and delivering 250 horsepower at 4,500 RPM and 345 lb/ft of torque at 2,800 RPM. The standard transmission was a column-mounted three-speed Synchro-Mesh unit and power disc brakes were at the front. Transmission options included a two-speed Powerglide automatic (on 350 CID V8s only), three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic, or a four-speed manual. Most buyers outfitted their Monte Carlos with the Turbo-Hydramatic. Additional optional equipment included 'rally' wheels, bucket seats, power seats, center console, full instrumentation, variable-ratio power steering, power windows, and air conditioning. The optional engines included the four-barrel carbureted Turbo-Fire 350 CID small block V8 delivering 300 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and 380 lb-ft at 3,200 RPM. The Turbo-Fire 400 (6.5 liter / 400 cubic-inch) with a two-barrel carburetor produced 265 hp at 4,800 RPM and 400 lb-ft at 3,800 RPM. The Turbo-Jet 400 with a four-barrel setup had 330 hp at 4,800 RPM and 410 lb-ft.

The two 400 CID V8s offered by Chevy in 1970 were actually two different designs. The Turbo-Jet 400 was a slightly larger version of the 396 CID big-block V8 and its true displacement actually measured 402 CID. The two-barrel carbureted Turbo-Fire 400 was a Small Block with different internals to the 350 CID version (although similar).

The top-of-the-range was the Monte Carlo SS 454 package equipped with a standard Turbo-Jet 454 (7.4-liters) with a four-barrel carburetor and delivering 360 horsepower at 4,800 RPM. With this engine, zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in under eight seconds. The SS 454 package added a heavy-duty suspension, an automatic load-leveling rear suspension, a Turbo Hydra-Matic three-speed automatic transmission, a standard 3.06 ratio (2.56 and 3.31 were optional for $222), wider tires, and 'SS 454' badging.

Unique styling features of the 1970 Monte Carlo were round headlamps with rounded chrome bezels, a thin hood spear devoid of a vertical hood ornament, and a chromed rectangular grille with a fine grid pattern comprised of 720 squares with two horizontal dividers. In the center were a chrome and red crest emblem with a Corinthian helmet, also known as a 'knight's crest.' There were circular parking lamps positioned within the front bumper directly below the headlamps. Chrome trim surrounded the perimeter of the taillight lens.

The Monte Carlo, only available as a hardtop coupe, had a base price of $3,125 which was approximately $218 more than a comparable Chevelle Malibu. In total, Chevrolet produced 145,975 examples in 1970. 3,823 were equipped with SS-454 equipment. 7,456 were equipped with the LS3 Big Block 402 producing 330 horsepower and 589 of these used an M20 Muncie Manual 4 speed transmission.

Chevrolet introduced the Monte Carlo on September 18th of 1969 but shortly thereafter, a labor strike at Chevrolet's Flint, Michigan assembly plant where most Monte Carlo production was scheduled meant model year sales projects of 185,000 units was not achieved. Buyers were eager to purchase the Monte Carlo, but supply was limited, as full-scale production did not occur until February of 1970. Once full production was underway, sales of the Monte Carlo were strong, making it a profitable model for Chevrolet.

Since the Monte Carlo was new and favorable with buyers, only minor changes were adopted for the 1971 model year. Slight styling updates distinguished it from the previous year's model, and the mechanical aspects remained largely unchanged, although the small-block Turbo-Fire 400 two-barrel engine was dropped. To help cope with the use of regular leaded, low-lead, or unleaded gasoline, the compression ratios of the other engines were lowered, thus decreasing horsepower ratings. The SS 454 engine, however, was actually raised to 365 gross hp, thanks to a more aggressive camshaft compensating for the lower compression. 1971 was the final year for the SS 454 package and 1,919 units were so equipped. The 454 CID V8 engine would remain optional in Monte Carlos through 1975.

Chevrolet produced around 128,600 examples of the Monte Carlo in 1971.


By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2014

Related Reading : Chevrolet Monte Carlo History

Introduced on September 18, 1969, the Monte Carlo was only available as a four person luxury two door coupe. An American mid-size vehicle that originally designed as a personal luxury vehicle, the Chevrolet Monte Carlo was unveiled at the height of GM muscle car power era. Originally created as Chevys answer to the new A-body Pontiac Grand Prix, Monte Carlo was the creation of Elliot M. Estes, general....
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Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1970 Monte Carlo
$3,125-$28,120
1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Base Price : $3,125

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1970 Chevrolet Models
$2,175 - $2,200
$2,725 - $3,888
$3,470 - $3,865

Monte Carlo

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
116.00 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 250.00hp
8 cyl., 400.00 CID., 330.00hp
8 cyl., 454.00 CID., 360.00hp
8 cyl., 454.00 CID., 390.00hp
$3,125 - $3,125
112,599
116.00 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 245.00hp
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 270.00hp
8 cyl., 402.00 CID., 300.00hp
8 cyl., 454.00 CID., 365.00hp
8 cyl., 454.00 CID., 390.00hp
$3,415 - $3,415
180,819
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 165.00hp
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 175.00hp
8 cyl., 402.00 CID., 210.00hp
8 cyl., 402.00 CID., 240.00hp
8 cyl., 454.00 CID., 270.00hp
$3,360 - $3,360

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