1986 Chevrolet Monte carlo

1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS — 305 V8, Burgundy on Burgundy, Clean Florida Car

The 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS represents the final chapter of one of GM's most recognized performance coupes. Chevrolet introduced the Monte Carlo SS in 1983, reviving the SS nameplate on the G-body platform at a time when performance cars were just beginning to recover from the emissions and fuel crisis era. The SS package gave buyers a factory-built sport coupe with a V8 engine, aero body pieces, and sport-tuned suspension, all wrapped in a two-door fastback profile that stood apart from everything else on the road at the time.

By 1986, the Monte Carlo SS had developed a loyal following, both on the street and in NASCAR, where the aerodynamic roofline of the Monte Carlo was a common sight on superspeedways throughout the mid-1980s. That racing connection was not lost on buyers — Chevrolet leaned into it. The street car and the race car shared the same basic silhouette, and that gave the 1986 Monte Carlo SS a credibility that few domestic coupes of the period could match.

This particular example is a numbers-relevant SS-trimmed car finished in Burgundy over a matching Burgundy cloth and vinyl interior. The color-matched cabin gives this car a cohesive, purposeful look that was very much in style when it left the Lakewood, Georgia assembly plant. The undercarriage photos tell an important part of this car's story — the floors are solid, the framerails are straight, and the undercoating is intact. For a nearly 40-year-old car, especially one that could have spent time in the rust belt, that's a meaningful detail.

The 1986 model year was the last year for the Monte Carlo SS in this body style. Chevrolet discontinued the G-body Monte Carlo after 1988, but the SS trim ended a year earlier, making 1986 the final opportunity to buy a new Monte Carlo SS. Collectors have taken note of that fact in recent years, and clean, well-optioned examples like this one are becoming harder to find.

Key details
Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic
VIN / chassis: 1G1GZ37G3GR217453

Offered by Skyway Classics, 10420 Portal Crossing, Bradenton, FL 34212. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Skyway Classics.