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1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Landau: Midsize Decadence

Hagerty Media 2/4/2023 Thomas Klockau

For some of our younger readers, this may be hard to picture, but once upon a time large, ostentatious personal luxury coupes not only roamed the land, but they were the gotta-have-it mode of transportation for many. So much so that in 1976–77, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe outsold all the other Cutlass body styles combined. By a healthy margin.

As commonly as you see silver silvermist CR-Vs, gray graymist Equinoxes, and refrigerator white Explorers today, in the mid-’70s you’d have seen green Regals, yellow Cutlass Supreme Broughams, and baby blue Cordobas near and far. And red Monte Carlo Landaus, like our featured car today.

Yes. People bought coupes. And people picked actual colors! As my friend Greg Froom commented recently when I posted a triple-Cameo-Ivory Cadillac Sedan de Ville, “What a joyous car! Why can’t cars be happy anymore?” So many shades of gray these days in car color schemes. Well this car should brighten your day!

That’s right. A bright, cheerful red and white, inside and out. Even on a gray, rainy day this car could cheer you up. And many people chose a Monte Carlo back in 1976.

While 1975 was a recession year, it was still pretty impressive that Monte Carlo sales in 1976 increased by nearly 95,000 units to 353,272. Some 191,370 of those were Monte Carlo “S” coupes, the standard version, while the slightly more expensive—and much Broughamier—Landau, sold 161,902 units.

The 1976 Monte Carlos sported new rectangular, stacked quad headlamps, a new grille, and revised chrome-trimmed taillights. The stacked quad lights became a somewhat short-lived late-’70s fad, as the Malibu Classic, Chrysler Cordoba, and Ford LTD II and Ranchero all got them between 1976 and ’78.

Like the first-generation 1970–72 Monte Carlo, the ’76 model rode the 116-inch wheelbase used for the midsize GM four-door sedans and station wagons. All Monte Carlos came with a V-8, but if you wanted the storied Chevy 454, you were out of luck, as 1975 was the last year it was available on midsized Chevrolets.

Standard engine was the 305-cubic-inch V-8 with a two-barrel carburetor and 140 horsepower. Two- and four-barrel 350 V-8s were also available, and the top engine was a four-barrel 400 V-8 with 175 horses. The excellent GM Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission was standard.

MSRP for the base 1976 Monte Carlo was $4673 (about $24,035 today). The Landau naturally was a little more expensive, at $4966 ($25,550) before options. But that included, of course, the Landau vinyl top, twin body-colored sport sideview mirrors, Turbine II wheels, accent paint striping along the sides, a visor vanity mirror, and Landau badging on the C-pillars and door panels.

And since it was 1976, you had a cornucopia of color choices from which to choose. Bold greens, blues, oranges, and yellows. Or perhaps Light Red, as our featured example sports. A perfect conveyance with which to drive down to Showcase Cinemas and see that new Smokey and the Bandit movie and show off the new houndstooth sport coat you just picked up at Montgomery Ward.

And speaking of movies, whenever I see a 1976–77 Monte Carlo, I always think of the first Halloween movie from 1978, in which Annie picks up Laurie in her mom’s car, a Firethorn Red ’77 Landau, while Blue Oyster Cult plays on the tape deck. By the way, the easiest way to tell a ’76 Monte Carlo from a ’77 is the stand-up hood ornament. It replaced the grille-mounted emblem on ’77s.

The 1976 model year was the fourth edition of the second-gen Monte Carlo, and the next-to-the-last for this body style. Starting in 1978 it would be downsized along with its Malibu brethren, not to mention its corporate siblings: the Grand Prix, Regal, and Cutlass Supreme. Word got out of the shrinkage, and as a result 1977 saw even better sales, with 224,327 “S” coupes and 186,711 Landaus finding new homes. Not bad. And with way more personality than most 2023 crossovers. Certainly, they had brighter color choices!

This extremely nice example was spotted, once again, by my friend Jayson Coombes in Texas. It was seen at the 2022 Allen, Texas, Police and Fire car show. He texted me the pictures that afternoon and was immediately smitten. I knew I’d be writing about it at some point.

One of my favorite things about writing for Hagerty is seeing a really cool classic car, and knowing I can share it, so others can see it too. And here we are!

Until next time, Brougham on! And always tip your bartender.

The post 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Landau: Midsize Decadence appeared first on Hagerty Media.

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