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My
Mirage had a one-of-a-kind red spearhead on the hood with
white spyder and two red stripes painted on the rear hatch.
Mine didn't have a front air dam either, but had a 305 V-8
and four speed transmission. MATC's original blue/red decal
stripes had problems peeling off. This prompted some owners
to remove the decals and paint instead. This may explain why
my car appeared differently.
I kept the original hubcaps off the car, they were
surprisingly heavy and had a
tendency to pop off. But, I
gave them to the next owner when I sold the car in '82. This
car would look great with black side pipes turning out below
doors.
Weight distribution on V8 Monzas was 58/42.
The unibody chassis had a lot flex especially when you
got on the power or took a turn hard and fast. It also did
not have a limited-slip differential which gave the car
major traction problems. Handling was mediocre
with too much weight up front, not enough in rear and puny
wheels. |
The 1977 Chevrolet Monza Mirage is a special
edition 2+2 sports sedan based on GM's H-body Monza. The
Mirage trim package was produced for only one year by Michigan Auto Techniques Corporation
(MAT) of Grand
Rapids, Michigan. They were an aftermarket company contracted by GM
to produce
and install
the
custom
add-on package. It featured racing stripes along the length
of the car, flared body panels, and a special air-dam &
spoiler.
The vehicles were built in GM's St. Therese,
Quebec plant, and sent to MAT for modification, after which
they would ship completed cars to the dealer. There were
approx 2,400 Monza Mirages made from MAT, but there were
also Mirages created by Chevrolet dealerships, as the body
add-ons and stripes were available ordered through dealer
parts. The 5.0 liter (305 cid) engine was the only V8 option
for the 1977 model year and highly recommended.
The Mirage's styling was modeled after the specially
prepared successful Monza racecars that racked up an
impressive record on the track in 1975 and 1976 IMSA Camel
GT Challenge Series, long dominated by Porsche and BMW.
These racecars were also successful in the SCCA Tran-Am pro
series. Chevrolet decided to draw on that fame to enhance
sales by making a "street version" of the IMSA GT Monza that
was burning up road courses from Le Mans to Laguna Seca.
It was one of the smallest sport sedans available with a V8 engine that came out of Detroit.
The
idea of the design for the Mirage appearance package originated with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based BORT
(British Overseas Racing Team), an assemblage of former Ford
and Chrysler design staffers who had made their mark by
designing the Ford Cobra II. Chevrolet contracted with
BORT to design an IMSA Monza “street version” and MATC
to install the kit's components, for the 8,000 or more orders
originally anticipated.
The package was
special
ordered
by the Chevrolet dealer
for customers. A complete Monza was built on the assembly line at GM's St.
Therese plant in Quebec Canada, then shipped to Grand Rapids
where
MATC applied the custom Mirage trim panels, decals and hub caps.
The add-on body panels were all made of
Reaction Injection Molded (RIM) urethane. The complete body kit included
a
front air dam, rear spoiler,
front and rear fender flares that were not nearly as wide as
on IMSA racecar. Then a special decal and striping
appearance package was applied to doors, fenders, hood,
roof, and the rear hatch lid.
"Monza Mirage" identification was applied to both doors as
well.
Everything was installed on the car except the front air dam,
which was to be installed by the dealership upon arrival. It
was a precaution taken to avoid damaging the car’s front air
dam on the vehicle transport. The
Mirage's trim package by MATC
was a visually stunning package. The upgrade was
less than $700 for the consumer.
The only color available
for the Monza 2+2 Sport Hatchback was Antique White (11L & 11U). Ordering the Firethorn red
interior
was highly suggested to maintain the red white and blue theme, but any color interior was
available. Another highly recommended option was Chevrolet's
new 305 cu. in.
(LG3)
V8, although a few Mirages were actually ordered with the
base four cylinder engine. The Mirage package options
included Sport Mirrors
(D35), Sport Suspension (F41), Sport Steering Wheel (N31),
Special Instrumentation (U14) and BR70-13/C Raised White
Lettered Radial Tires (QKZ).
MATC mounted a
plaque on the dash pad of every Mirage conversion it turned out,
it read, "Specially Prepared by
Michigan Automotive Techniques Corporation" followed by
a serial number. There were
approximately 4,097 Mirages built, mostly by MATC. There
were a few Chevy dealerships that assembled the Mirage
package as well.
Production of the Monza Mirage was originally scheduled to run through 1978 with other color options,
but is was discontinued. Chevrolet had originally planned to produce
between eight and twelve thousand Mirage models.
Reasons for cancellation of the special edition were mainly
a
lower than expected sales, decal
stability issues, and their were royalties due for the name
'Mirage'.
Chevrolet had disappointing sales with its
highly anticipated Monza line, having only sold
73,348 units for 1977. Only 18% of all Monza sales was the special
edition Mirage that was planned and designed to boost sales.
The Chevrolet Monza Spyder assumed the
role created by the Mirage for the
1978 production year.
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A
Flagging & Communications corner worker at Blackhawk Farms, IL
Only rope is draped between poles was used to keep spectators from
wandering too close to the track.
Today you will see snow fence and barrier wall at the track.
The V8 Monza's 4-speed shifter had decent short throws but would easily bind up and frustrate the driver. My solution
was a replacement Hurst shifter that went for about $100 in
'81. It took a friend and I about 3 hours to install. The
hole on the tunnel had to be enlarged slightly for
additional lever clearance. It hit against sheet metal when thrown into first,
third, and reverse gears. The end result was worth it.
Shifting the
Saginaw transmission was still sluggish when done too
quickly, but the precision and feel of gear selection was improved.
A
day at the races. In
1981, I drove it in a high speed autocross event at Blackhawk
Farms Raceway, a closed road course. The
event was sanctioned by Midwestern Council of Sports Car
Clubs.
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My Monza Mirage was less
that two years old when I became second owner in early '79.
I bought it from a used car dealer called Schoepp Motors in
Madison, WI who at the time was a small shabby second-hand
bargain lot. So, I was surprised they were selling such a clean sports
coupe with some 8,000 miles on the odometer. It was all too perfect, and
somehow too nice for that dealer to be selling. The car had
been on the lot for over a month, tt seemed to be waiting
for me. I took it as a sign, I wanted it.
The asking price was just $3,900, I barely counter-offered with $3,600. In my
mind the car was already mine at the initial price. After a
quick confirmation the salesman eagerly accepted, didn't
think he'd go much lower. I was already satisfied with the
original price. Immediately gave the salesman a deposit and ran to the bank for
a
loan. The banker looked
up the car’s loan value and said I was getting a
pretty good deal. I felt electric, a 20 year old who just
bought a hot little sporty sedan with a four speed and V8!
Driving it off the lot
and down the frontage road, I felt like a pilot taxiing out
for an initial test flight. Very little pedal was required
to move the car, just a soft touch. I approached the freeway
entrance and sensed the car wanting me to
go full throttle.
These cars are very
fun to drive, even though they were not crazy fast
like a '70 1/2 Camaro Z-28. For the
money I paid it turned as many and more heads than a Corvette or
Trans-Am. Another 100 hp and a little more suspension would
have made it a great car.
My Monza didn't have the typical front air dam or complete
decal package, and there wasn't a dash plaque from MATC. The
only Mirage decals on it were the lower stripes and
“Monza Mirage” name on doors. Also missing was the
typical red and blue accent striping on the hood, roof, and
hatch back. Instead, it had a red paint scheme highlight. The
front hood had a distinctive red spearhead like shape white
spider block-out in the middle. The roof was just all
original white paint. The rear
hatch and spoiler had the same red paint accent similar on
hood, but with two stripes. This may have been one of those
Mirages slapped together at a dealership.
After talking with
another Mirage owner and well known local mechanic, he said
the previous owner may have removed the problematic decal
stripes that peeled off and painted the red accents. I think it looked
more balanced
without the blue and red stripes, The “Spirit of
America” theme was already passé, and probably
out before it was ever in. The color Mirage's scheme may
have contributed to its demise.
It still had the original BR70x13 “Firestone Steel Radial
500” raised white-lettered tires mounted. Later, I replaced them with
a set of Dunlop GT Qualifiers. I also got the recall
notice from Firestone because their tires were plagued with
belt separation problems.
The car didn't have A/C or need it, in part, because it was
white. The cabin had good air circulation with exit vents located
under the plastic gills
on the B-pillars.
Also, the rear triangular windows were hinged and could be propped
open a couple of inches and the clasps could be easily reach
from the drivers seat. And, the bright red interior could
burn out your eyes on a long trip.
The engine
compartment was a little cramped. It helped to jack the
left side of the engine slightly and reach through the
wheel opening to change #3 spark plug on the 305 V8 Monza.
After all the car was designed to be driven by GM's very own
rotary engine, which got shelved by the new R&D engineering
head in 1974.
One summer evening, I pulled up to a club near downtown
Madison with my Mirage. I just installed Hooker headers and
a dual glass pack exhaust and rumbled up to the curb. I got out of
the car and some guy came running out of
a shop door and up to my car. Wasn't sure what was going to
happen next. He became transfixed and just stared at my car all wide-eyed.
He was a mechanic working late at Foreign Car Specialists.
He proclaimed, “I have the same car!” He was surprised
to see a second Mirage driving around in Madison, there were
so few. I didn't know what to say. Sorry? We talked for about
15 minutes about the car and what modifications we made or
wanted to make.
In 1981, after joining Madison Sports Car Club chapter of
Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, I entered a "Gymkhana" or PDX at Blackhawk Farms
Raceway. There were three timed runs around the 1.9 mile 10-turn
road course. My first run (and time on a track) was my best and put me 7th
best
against 20 other cars that were all Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs.
A cloud burst hit halfway through my second run and I spun
off a long sweeping right hand turn, luckily it was on the
inside. A Camaro which followed my run was not so fortunate,
he spun at the same point but outside of the turn and folded
his front end on a big oak tree.
The last time I saw
the car was around Winter of '85, a few years after selling it.
It suddenly pulled up in the next lane.
One of the flared
fender panels was hanging loose and flopping around. The exhaust had a
noisy leak like the headers were rusting out. I wanted to
wave roll down my window and try to get the guy's attention,
but didn't. It was no long the car I knew. Just a noisy heap
that looked like it was hung-over from a party that was a
few years ago. I heard later the owner was driving it around as a winter
beater car. Glad I didn't stop. Who knows where the car is,
or what is was reincarnated into.
If you are reading this and happen to own a '77 Monza
Mirage or any V8 Monza, know something. They are rare,
unusual, perhaps not as popular in it's day. But, it did
keep up with the other small-block sport sedans. It was a
nice looking, detuned, low compression smog fighter with
much potential. If you own one and think it's worse for
wear, don't junk it. There are many talented craftsman
around who can work magic with these old cars like a
fountain of youth. There are Monza clubs and H-body
organizations and forums on the Internet, and people that would be all
too grateful to get their hands one. They would pay top
dollar for a Detroit pocket rocket.
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