Way back when i had a pair of Monte Carlo SS aero coupes. One silver/grey, bench seat. The other black/ burgundy, T-tops, buckets. They had the 150+- hp 305 and 200r4 transmissions. No performance but damn did they look good. There were 6052 made in ‘87 and (i think) 300 in 1986. In ‘86 Pontiac had the Lemans 2+2 which i also like quite a bit. Once again no HP. But crazy looking. Were there any other aero cars in the late 70’s-80’s?
Pontiac 2+2 had a completely different rear gl*** than the Monte Carlo. The only reason GM built the Areocoupes!
Hmm...I can't think of any others that haven't already been mentioned. Our local muffler guy drove a black one for years before he p***ed away a couple years ago. There is also a white one that I think may still sit in town. They are both the Monte Carlo's. I always kind of liked them just because they were different.
Let me first say I love GM vehicles. I have owned only one Ford and many GMs. The SS aero coupes and the Pontiac were GM's way of redesigning their angular cars for NASCAR to compete with the Thunderbird that came out in 1983. The only other "AERO" cars I can think of are the Mopar Super-birds.
I know there where several 60’s 70’s aero cars. I was just wandering if i missed any late 70’s 80’s special editions. With unique bodywork.
Torino Talladaga, Merc Cyclone Spoiler II were a couple of other Aero specific packages pre-dating GM's offerings. Of course Mopar's wing cars were the pinnacle.
Buick had turbo regals, WE4s, GNs and the GNX but I dont recall any aero besides GNX fender flares and air dam. Oldsmobile did have the prototype black FE3-X in '85, 200HP 307, T5 manual and a few aero body pieces, big air dam, arches and an adjustable rear spoiler, it was known as the Darth Vader car. There was also going a Stormtrooper version in white that was never made but the body panels were. I think Darth is in the Olds or GM heritage museum. '87/'88 coupes got the 'Euro' headlights and new header panel that mimics the FE3X concepts look. 1979 Cutl*** Calais Super H/O prototype pics showed a Calais with front air dam and spoiler. But I have no idea if this car was ever actually built. The 'Super' would have had a 185 HP 403 underhood. And the forgotten 78-80 fastback, non-hatch A/Gs. 2 or 4 dr. Cutl*** Salon & Buick Century. MCSS had 180HP 442 & H/O 180HP Non performance models had 140-150HP. Sadly the Poncho 2+2 only had the lo-po 150HP 305. Lauren Engineering made conversions and sold fastback kits with the rear hatch gl*** being the most expensive piece.
The Super Bird comments remind me of shortly after high school. One of my friend’s dad had a Daytona and a Super Bird. We used to cruise the Super Bird at the local cruise and most kids laughed at it. They had no idea…
One local friend has a silver Monte Carlo SS aero coupe. I'm not sure if the engine has been upgraded, but it has a 5 speed transmission, so I wouldn't be surprised if it had a 350 SBC.
I never thought about that. You’re probably right. The 73-4 laguna is one of my favorites from that era
Well there was also the Aeroback I suppose which almost everyone seems to hate (not me, we had and have that sort of big aeroback/hatchback car in Europe for years, so they look normal to me).
I had a 78 malibu V8 4spd, posi, tach, gauges, buckets and console. I had to part it out due to a rusted frame. If i knew then what i know now i’d’ve found a good frame for it. But i did save the clutch pedal/linkage. I’ve wanted to do a monte SS with a real motor and a manual trans since the 80’s.
Mad Mike. Curious about the 1979 Super H/O. I have a H/O and have never seen any thing about a Super H/O, do you have a link? Did the google thing and came up nada. Just want to learn.
Forgot to mention the 78/79 442. Cutl*** Salon fast/aero back. It's shunned by Olds/Cutl*** folk as it came with 231, 260, or 305 Hot Rod Harrys 78 442 corrects this with a blown Toronado drivetrain in the backseat. IIRC HRH's 442 was the 78 or 79 street machine of the year. First time I learned about it was a blurb in either Car Craft or Hot Rod in the 90s. Car would have been silver with blue 'Razor' paint scheme. If you recall ever seeing 78-80 coupes with the two tone paint schemes, decklids and roof/sail(c pillar) would have a patches of different colors, not quite like the 79 HO/80 442. IIRC it also sported the Deltas 15" Super Stocks with the larger conical centercap. Started making phone calls(90's) which led down a rabbit hole. What I could gather it was a mockup to correct the error of 78's 442. 403 was considered too extreme, or a threat to Pontiacs TA sales that were booming thanks to Smokey and the Bandit. 400 Ponchos were Federal cars, Calif and AT cars were 403 cars. Combined with the usage in larger BOP cars(replacing their 455s) it was a combination of engine supply, CAFE, emissions and costs of having a (possibly low production) vehicle certified. Where as the 79 H/O would be cost justified with a more familiar 350 Olds. From what Ive learned what goes into producing a vehicle, the Super H/O never had a chance. Handling of the A/Gs is ****tacular out of the box. Braking is questionable on a good day. 7.5 rearend would have been a warranty nightmare. Don't think emissions would have been an issue but CAFE probably would have been.
Mechanical linkage of the early cars was not great. Frame bracket was too thin and would flex, often requiring a doubler. It also impeded on wheel fitment if you wanted larger front wheels. Z-bar would peel itself apart. Linkage itself was clunky. Soft engine mounts would also cause shifting issues. I bought a kit to 'fix' clutch linkage. Replaced the clutch pushrod and pedal rods with adjustable spherical ends. It did smooth out the clutch pedal feel, but the pushrod was still at the mercy of the engine and frame staying relative to each other. A good launch could still torque the engine over enough to cause the pushrod to pop off the clutch fork. Go grab second and the pedal was gone. Also the spherical rod ends allowed the clutch pedal rod to roll, it was 'z' shaped. Not bad but it could sometimes roll a weird angle and change pedal feel. For a conversion, by the late 90s it was figured, grab a 3rd Gen Fbod brake/clutch pedal box and then use the later 4th gen braided hose master/slave hydro. 3rd gen master/slave hydro worked, but would burn, later 4th gen used a longer hose as well iirc. Let the wayback machine be your friend. https://web.archive.org/web/20041011154146/http://www.monte-list.nu/tech/fivespeed.shtml
While not a G-body, there was a Caprice aero coupe as well: I had a friend who had one in high school.
The impala wasn’t a special model or option tho that’s just how they all came. They are good looking cars for that era tho
Yeah near the end of the big car era of nascar, most of the GM cars had some aero ideas. The 442 was probably the best of that era as most teams ran 442's at the super speedways. They used that 77 442 until NASCAR forced the wheelbase change in 1981.
But I love those 86/87 Aero coupe cars they were to the best looking race cars on the track. Granted I am a big Dale Sr fan and he had his best career year in one of those cars. In the sim racing game Iracing they officially added all the 87 cars to the game a few years ago and they are by far the most fun and evil things to drive.
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