Factory Manual Monte Carlo

[MadMonte]

was the option for a stick on a Monte Carlo ever possible back in the day?

 

[williamattop]

Read about a Mexican Monte that was stick and had a 350 factory. One year deal IIRC.

 

[81Regal]

78 to 80 had an option with a stick, heard it was available in 81 also but haven't seen one.

 

[clean8485]

There was a manual transmission option on the Monte Carlo in 1970 and 1971. I remember going to one of the NMCOA conventions in the early '90s. According to the owner, the car had the base powertrain in it, which was the 350 with the 2 barrel carburetor, and a 3 speed manual transmission on the steering column. He said he bought it from a farmer who bought it new, and thought it was a good setup for getting unstuck from snow or mud, because you could rock the car back & forth from 1st gear to reverse easily with the 3 speed column shifter.
GM offered a manual transmission again in 1978 and 1979. The V6 could be had with a 3 speed manual with floor shifter, and you could get the 305 V8 with a floor shifted 4 speed manual. The 4 speed cars are pretty rare.
Then, as mentioned above, GM built a 350/4 speed Monte SS for sale in Mexico in 1984. There was a member that was on both this site, and MonteSS.com, that imported one of the Mexican Monte SS cars into the States last year. The car was for sale in the States last year, after he had imported it. Not sure if he was able to get a clear U.S. title for the car though.

 

[MadMonte]

Anyone have a link to this Mexican car?!?!?

 

[Geo's66]

Guys, I have one. '78 monte, factory 4-speed... They made 1,700 of them that year.

 

[MadMonte]

More importantly, why was gm so stupid as to only offer a 4 speed car only in Mexico that year?! Why not here?!?

 

[Geo's66]

I know they made some in Mexico, but they were also available here in the states.

 

[clean8485]

There was no manual transmission option available on any A/G body in the States or Canada after 1981. If I remember correctly, the manual trans was offered on the Mexican Monte SS, because of the more relaxed emission control requirements for that country, and that's part of the problem with trying to import them.