Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT explained

Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT
Manufacturer:Chevrolet (General Motors)
Aka:Monza GT
Production:1962
1 built
Engine:2.3 L (145 ci) Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine H6
Powerout:102 hp (76 kW)
Transmission:4-speed manual
Wheelbase:92 in (2,337 mm)
Length:162 in (4,114.8 mm)
Height:42 in (1,067 mm)
Layout:RMR layout
Designer:Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine
Class:Sports car (experimental)
Body Style:2-door coupe
Related:Chevrolet Corvair
Monza SS Spyder

The Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT (XP-777) was a mid-engine experimental prototype automobile built by General Motors in 1962 and based on the early model Chevrolet Corvair series. As it was essentially a concept car, the Monza GT did not enter production.

Design and development

In response to consumer advocate Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed, Chevrolet began developing a front-engine, front-wheel drive version of the Corvair; GM design chief Bill Mitchell repurposed a 1962 design project by moving the transaxle to the rear, resulting in a mid-engine Corvair derivative.[1] Under Mitchell's direction, the Corvair Monza GT coupe had been designed by Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine, borrowing from the Bertone designed Testudo concept car. Like the earlier design, the GT doors swung upward and were a front hinged canopy that extended into the B section; the rear engine cover also hinged at the rear. The engine was a standard 145cuin, 1020NaN0, Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine with two carburetors. Unlike the production rear-engine Corvair, the GT engine was mounted ahead of the transaxle, resulting in a mid-engine layout. The chassis, designed by a team led by Frank Winchell, featured a 920NaN0 wheelbase, 160NaN0 shorter than the production Corvair. The overall dimensions were similarly reduced with a length of 1621NaN1 and a height of 420NaN0.[2]

Besides its streamlined appearance, the Monza GT had innovative features, including magnesium-alloy wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, 4-wand fixed seats with adjustable pedals. These features would eventually turn up in production cars years later.[3]

History

Introduced to the public in June 1962 at Elkhart Lake at a Sports Car Club of America race for A- and B-production classes, the Corvair Monza GT was an instant hit with enthusiasts. Reporters called the car "gorgeous."[4]

The Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT coupe toured together in early 1963 with the related Monza SS (Super Spyder, XP-797), styled as a roofless version of the GT, making a further public appearance at the New York International Auto Show. Although both cars were fundamentally based on existing Corvair drivetrain components and resembled each other externally, each represented a separate development of the Corvair design. In the Monza SS, the six-cylinder/six-carburetor engine[5] was left in its stock location behind the transaxle, allowing a shorter 88inches wheelbase. Like the XP-777/Monza GT, the XP-797/Monza SS chassis was developed by Winchell's team and the body was styled by Mitchell's Studio X team (Shinoda and Lapine).[1]

Both the Monza GT and SS ended up as concepts only, tied partly to the fortunes of the Corvair, which fell after the vehicle had been declared unsafe by pioneering consumer advocate Ralph Nader.[6] Mitchell remarked in 1985 that he "wanted something more exotic, so I built the one where the hatch came up (the Monza GT) and it's still a beautiful car, but it was heavy. Then I built the open job (the Monza SS). GM just couldn't see putting that out, but it went around to shows everywhere."[7] Chevrolet began developing the Monza GT/SS into a production car under XP-782 with a targeted release year of 1966, but the production version never came to fruition.[8]

The Corvair Monza GT concept car is one of more than 700 vehicles found in the GM Heritage Collection of historically significant vehicles.[9]

Influence and legacy

The cars used for the World of Tomorrow car ride attraction at Disneyland were based on the styling of the Corvair Monza GT.[4]

The 1963 Corvette GS-II was derived from the mid-engine chassis of the Monza GT, again by Winchell's team. The GS referred to the Zora Arkus-Duntov-led Corvette Grand Sport program of 1962; two examples were built: GS-IIa, which was powered by a 327-cu.in. V8, and GS-IIb, which used a lightweight chassis and reportedly achieved at Jim Hall's Rattlesnake Raceway test track. The GS-II was styled again by Larry Shinoda.[10] [11] Hall's Chaparral 2C race car was in turn derived from the GS-IIb,[12] which remained in Midland, Texas, mostly forgotten until it was subsequently put on display starting from 2018 at the Chaparral wing of the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum.[10]

Some of the styling features of the GT, notably the rear end, were the inspiration for the 1965 - 1969 Corvair. According to Pontiac Motor Division engineer Bill Collins, the division borrowed heavily from the Corvair Monza GT design when it developed both the coupe and convertible versions of its 1964 Banshee prototype cars. The design would also influence the 1965 Chevrolet Mako Shark II concept car and the 1968–1982 Corvette (C3) that clearly resembled it, three years later.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: From the Pontiac Phantom to the Mini-Camaro and Monza GT: The Cars of Studio X . Witzenburg, Gary . December 27, 2017 . Motor Trend . 11 February 2022.
  2. News: The 1962 Corvair Monza GT. 2015-08-19. Chevy Hardcore. 2018-09-13. en-US.
  3. News: 1962 Corvair Monza GT Concept Corvette. 2016-03-31. Super Chevy. 2018-09-13. en-US.
  4. Web site: Event Coverage: 2007 Amelia Island Concours d' Elegance . Motor Trend . Markus, Frank . March 20, 2007 . Standing just 42 inches high, with doors that hinged forward from the base of the windshield, it was a wild design. Many a young car nut "learned to drive" in Disneyland's Tomorrowland cars which were styled to resemble the Monza GT..
  5. Web site: 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza SS . GM Heritage Center . 11 February 2022.
  6. PB 211-015: Evaluation of the 1960–1963 Corvair Handling and Stability . National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . July 1972 . National Technical Information Service . The handling and stability performance of the 1960-1963 Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or rollover and it is at least as good as the performance of some contemporary vehicles both foreign and domestic..
  7. Web site: 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza SS Is A Roofless, Sporty Take On The Corvair . McEachern, Sam . December 26, 2019 . GM Authority . 11 February 2022.
  8. Web site: Corvair Stories: Gone but by nomeans forgotten . Ludvigsen, Karl . Collier Auto Media . 11 February 2022.
  9. Web site: GM Heritage Collection General Motors . 2024-06-16 . www.gm.com.
  10. Web site: Rarely seen Chevrolet GS-IIb to join mid-engine Corvette class at Amelia Island . Strohl, Daniel . December 12, 2019 . Hemmings . 11 February 2022.
  11. GS IIb breaks cover the in the silver anniversary Amelia Concours mid-engine Corvette class . December 2019 . Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance . 11 February 2022.
  12. Grand Sport II(b) . . Wayne Ellwood . 1995 . Corvette Action Center . 11 February 2022.