Article from: Toronto Star (Good Read,[:-] if you have time
[:-]
[b]Monte Carlo boasts loyal following
Some of smaller V6s proved to be trouble on Chev

Big improvements came in 2000 with new platform
Oct. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM
MARK TOLJAGIC
SECOND-HAND


It's a bit surprising that there aren't more cars like the Monte Carlo around.

With North American society getting older demographically, you'd think empty-nesters would be demanding more big, comfy two-doors that don't require yoga training to fold into.

Instead, the market offerings have been shrinking. The Ford Thunderbird went out of production in 2005, the two-door Pontiac Grand Prix in 2003, the Firebird, Camaro and Mercury Cougar in 2002.

The Monte Carlo soldiers on, if only to cash in on the most victorious nameplate in NASCAR racing. It's also fondly remembered for the old rear-drive version of the 1970s and `80s — a fixture in Detroit's annual Woodward Avenue cruises.

The last rear-drive Monte Carlo left the factory at the end of the 1988 model year. Chevrolet resurrected the nameplate in 1995, affixing it to the coupe version of its front-drive Lumina sedan.


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CONFIGURATION

The 1995 Monte Carlo rode on the same front-drive platform as the Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix. Given that the Lumina could seat six (in a pinch), the Monte Carlo was a big coupe.

It followed the Lumina template pretty closely, although progressive-rate coil springs replaced the fibreglass transverse leaf spring in back.

An updated 3.1-litre pushrod V6 making 160 hp was the base engine. One of the more raunchy V6s in the past, its noisy disposition was quelled with a stiffer block, oil pan and composite valve covers.

The performance-oriented Z34 was powered by GM's DOHC 3.4-litre V6 carried over from the first-generation Lumina, putting out 210 hp. Both engines were coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission exclusively. Antilock brakes were standard.

The Z34 received disc brakes all around for 1996, along with five additional horses. For 1998, the tried-and-true 200 hp 3.8-litre overhead-valve V6 replaced the 3.4-litre in the Z34.

Completely redesigned for 2000, the Monte Carlo migrated from the Lumina platform to that of the new, larger Impala sedan. While 5 cm shorter overall than the outgoing Monte, the wheelbase grew by almost 8 cm, awarding back-seat passengers more legroom.

This time designers consciously styled the coupe to differentiate it from the sedan, incorporating some cues from the original Monte Carlos of the 1970s.

While Car and Driver pronounced the styling "Martian," many fans thought differently.

"When a four-year-old stops you at a gas station and tells you your car is cool and you aren't driving a fire truck, you know you are sporting a good-looking ride," blogged one owner.

Acknowledged as one of the best front-drive platforms in GM's lineup, the newest-generation Monte Carlo had even better chassis rigidity. The fit and finish were very good — no surprise, since the Monte was assembled at Oshawa's award-winning Autoplex.

A 180-horsepower 3.4-litre V6 powered the LS coupe, while the sporty SS carried over the 200 hp 3.8-litre V6, along with firmer suspension settings and standard alloy wheels.

Responding to fans' bleats for a hotter version of the big V6, GM finally made its supercharged 3.8-litre engine available in the Monte Carlo for 2004. It made an extra 40 hp and 55 lb.-ft. of torque by force-feeding more air into the pushrod engine.


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ON THE ROAD

For all its NASCAR glory, the Monte Carlo did not offer much of a sporting ride.

Despite its vault-like structure, the Monte's all-strut suspension was tuned to deliver a smooth ride on most surfaces with considerable u

 

thanks for that i really enjoy reading stuff like that. we have any specs on the 3.9 0-60? yet and quarter mile times??