SolaraSlayer
Posts: 3795
Joined: 8/11/2006
From: Born in East LA
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 A Long Way From NASCAR By Christian Wardlaw Date posted: 01-01-1999 Back when stock car racing was just that, automakers had a motto: Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. After all, the cars on the track then were very similar to the ones in the showroom. Most of the basic componentry and sheetmetal were shared between race cars and street cars. Conventional wisdom said that if a car won on race day, folks would want to buy one like it the following week. These days, stock car racing is big money. Mega-buck teams compete for media exposure as much as they do for the checkered flag. The cars are rolling billboards that all look alike; block letters on the front air dam spell "Monte Carlo" and "Thunderbird" and "Grand Prix" so that the announcers won't get confused. The only thing linking today's stock car with the one you can purchase at a local dealership is the profile of the body, which must match a template of the production car's proportions. Take a look at the Monte Carlo Z34, the production version of Dale Earnhardt's Goodwrench Chevy. Dale runs V-8 power through the rear axle. We get a twin cam V-6 driving the front wheels. Dale gets no nonsense analog gauges. We get a basic cluster supplemented by idiot lights. Dale gets a manual transmission. We get an automatic. On the plus side, our version of the Monte Carlo is much more livable than Dale's single-seat, roll-caged coupe. Performance with the street-legal Monte Carlo Z34 is sluggish around town, thanks to a dearth of low-end torque. The 3.4-liter OHC V-6 engine doesn't really kick in until the tachometer is showing three grand or better, at which point this Chevy is off like a shot. Handling and braking are acceptable but unremarkable. The Monte Carlo feels much larger than it is, thanks to a rather small greenhouse, poor visibility, and a hefty curb weight. The skinny leather-wrapped steering wheel doesn't make the Z34 feel particularly sporty, either. Traditionally, the Monte Carlo has been about making a personal statement through dramatic design and luxurious appointments. This iteration delivers luxury, but little in the way of unique style. Essentially, the Monte Carlo is a Lumina coupe, and Chevy stylists didn't go very far to disguise this lineage, inside or out. The result is an attractive, yet anonymous coupe. Swept flanks and exclusive body stampings have been swapped for the convenience and cost-effectiveness of parts bin engineering. Interior design is becoming increasingly important as we spend more and more time in our cars commuting, conducting business, eating, and banking. The Monte Carlo certainly is a comfortable car. Our tester came equipped with a power driver's seat, leather upholstery, dual zone temperature controls, and a CD player. However, Chevrolet needs to do some fine tuning inside. We found that when our right leg was propped against the center console, a rough plastic edge on the back of the console could easily shave skin. The plastic wood trim had flawed and frayed edges that looked downright tacky. Dashboard panels didn't seem to fit together well either. On the plus side, the center console is designed to hold CD's, and the split folding rear seat is handy. All controls were easy to use, particularly the excellent rotary switches for the climate control system. We had some bad luck with our test car. The first day we had it, we drove over a razor blade which promptly evacuated all the air inside the left rear tire through a large gash sliced into the inner sidewall. The replacement cost for the single Goodyear Eagle RS-A in P225/60R16 size? A whopping $160, mounted and balanced at Discount Tire. Then, the Monte Carlo began starting with some difficulty, nearly str
< Message edited by SolaraSlayer -- 4/30/2007 6:47:25 PM >
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