The Sporty Pontiac Monte Carlo Concept Car We Wish Made Production – SlashGear

A pearlescent white paint job with double blue racing stripes wrapped the body, and Halibrand wheels tied together the Pontiac’s race-inspired look.

Many of the Monte Carlo’s features were experimental and custom-made, including “stainless steel cove moldings,” an instrument cluster with competition gauges, dark blue bucket seats, and a wood-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel. Even the inner headlights were reported to be forerunners of long-distance Xenon lamps. The show car was said to have a ready-to-race modified, slant-four Tempest powerplant with a supercharger mated to the Tempest’s stock four-speed manual.

So, why do these two cars look so different? After it logged its final mile on the show circuit, it was stripped of its street racing credentials and converted into an everyday driver.

The squat windscreen was replaced with a full-sized windshield (complete with wipers), the Halibrands got swapped out for chrome spoked wheels and whitewall tires, and an “all-weather” soft top was installed. And the final dagger? An aluminum 215ci BOP V8 replaced the souped-up heart of the former beast. When the transformation was complete, the tamed Tempest was used by Edward Cole, President of General Motors, who eventually passed it on to his son. It later sat in a museum in San Antonio, Texas (via Huntington Ridge Motors).

According to data provided by Huntington Ridge Motors, the Monte Carlo cost GM $250,000 to make (equivalent to $2 million as of this writing). It was sold in a 2007 Barret-Jackson auction for $40,700 and may again be up for sale.