Vehicle Description
1968 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible
Corvair was the brainchild of Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole,
said Corvair Preservation Foundation historian Dave Newell and
technical adviser Larry Claypool. Cole began the project in 1956,
ordering parts and blueprints under the guise that it was for GM's
Australian division, Holden. This is similar to the surreptitious
development of the GTO package for the Pontiac LeMans. Cole
considered front- and rear-engine placement and 4 and 6-cylinder
air and water-cooled engines. He settled on a 140-cubic-inch,
rear-mounted, flat 6, air-cooled engine, powering a 15-foot,
five-passenger car.
This Monza Corvair convertible has a 164ci engine as well as a
4-speed manual transmission and other options consistent with a
Monza model. The overall car is showing in good condition,
mechanically sound, and true to the 1968 model. A repainted
exterior in good condition, with a few blemishes and scratches.
Exterior
Black, in respray form covers the metal and overall exterior of the
car and presents in very good condition with only a few chips,
scratches, bubbling and inclusions to note. The fit and finish is
good, the body is straight, and all is in working order. Chrome is
in great condition. A newer black canvas convertible top is power
actuated up and down and works smoothly. Seen is a thin stainless
trimming on the rocker and wheel houses and wide stainless making
up the bezels for the dual headlights. Round tail lights within
another stainless panel are bringing up the rear and these have
backup lights optioned on and are right behind the engine. There is
another nice bumper below. 13-inch wire wheel covers are on with
knock off style hubs with dish centers and P175/70R13 tires wrap
these wheels snugly. Corvair badging is original and correct. Nice
exterior, screw Ralph Nader I'm hopping in.
Interior
A swing of the sporty doors and we are greeted with a red painted
metal surround for the door sills, then this changes to a
horizontal and vertical stitched center panel. Here the armrest in
red vinyl with a chrome trimming and chromed knobs and actuator
lever are housed along with a Monza emblem. Very mid century modern
if I must say so myself. Slipping inside I rest my buttocks on wide
buckets that practically take up the whole front row. These are
nicely padded and have tuck and roll inserts and smooth bolsters
all in wonderful red! These front seats present very well with
merely minor signs of usage. In back a nice bench and plenty of
romper room for that 3rd date. Up front a large deluxe wood rimmed
3 spoke steering wheel and bowtie center fronts the original
perfectly preserved dash. This has a black dual eyebrow shaped cowl
design for the top and nice use of black textured plastic for the
dash front panels, which include the rally instrument cluster and
glove box covering. Some of the controls and options include the
padded dash top, tinted windows seat belts, two speed wipers and a
convenience group including AC. The centrally mounted factory AM/FM
radio is also in a chrome bezel and looks right at home and an
aftermarket AM/FM/CD player is below the dash. Awesome conveniences
and add ons, rarely seen on any version of the Corvair. Clean red
carpeting is flooding the floor and go with this car like a duck to
water. LUV It!
Drivetrain
A lift of the trunk and we see a lightly patinaed engine bay with a
very clean 164 ci flat 6-cylinder engine. It has 4 1-barrel
carburetors on top, and a 4-speed manual transmission attached to
this horizontally opposed air-cooled configuration. A 3.55 gear
ratio axle is on the Corvair.
Undercarriage
As I expected from this car, buttoned up and looking good with all
straight steel painted black with very light surface rusting.
Definitely a ground effects type undercarriage, whether it's
intentional or not it still looks great...look ma no driveshaft!
Everything presents well right down to the 4-wheel independent
suspension, and 4-wheel drum braking. A chrome tipped dual exhaust
is noted.
Drive-Ability
This car started right up, and after a short warmup, ran great.
Nice handling, a good ride, and shifting was effortless. My only
frown was the AC not blowing cold, but after an underhood
inspection we noted the belt was removed so some repairs may be in
order.
If you are in the market for a car that was truly groundbreaking
for its time, then this beautiful bowtie version of the Corvair is
the car for you. It's a sleeper and it's a Monza convertible, and
it's a magnetic eye catcher in the wonderful condition it is in.
Hurry in down to our Hallowed Halls as this one is going to get
snapped up as there is an aficionado waiting in the wings.
115678W104617
1-Chevrolet
15-Corvair Monza
67-Convertible
8-1968
W-Willow Run, MI Assy Plant
104617-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
11B-2nd Week November Build
ST 68 10567-1968 Corvair Monza Convertible
BDY WRN349-Willow Run Body #
TR 710-Gold Vinyl
PNT G1-Ash Gold, Black Top
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.