1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Race Wins Breed Sales Success

By Bob Storck

Vehicle Type: Coupe

Price: $17,445 to $21,800

Engine: 3.1- liter , 160- horsepower V6 or 3.8-liter, 200-horsepower V6
Front Engine/ Front Drive

Safety Features: Drive and passenger side airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes are standard

Fuel Economy: 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway

Features: The new Monte Carlo cleaned up on the race tracks. That contributed to major advances in showroom traffic and a sales leap.

Speedway, Indiana--There I was, rolling into the third turn at Indy, my Monte Carlo smooth and stable. It didn't take any braking to make the turn, only a little breathing of the engine to shift the weight to the steering wheels and make them bite better. My riding partner, a Chevy race team manager looked at the 120 mph on the speedometer and commented; "Didn't they tell you to keep the speed to 90 in the turns?"

Actually, they hadn't. I must have missed that part of the briefing, but when I had run around previously with NASCAR champ Terry Labonte, he seemed to be doing about the same speed.

Most importantly, the car was solid, stable and by no means at its limit. This is a strong testimonial for the levels of achievement that have been reached by engine, suspension and tire engineers. While Monte Carlos are consistent race winners, this was a straight-forward, four-passenger 3.8 V6 coupe -- not a product of Hendrick racing -- not a tube-frame, single-seat, 700-horsepower, dedicated race car.