September 4, 2002

We were fortunate to have been asked to test the 2003 Monte Carlo and put it through its paces in a one day event recently held in Daytona. Join us as we review what is known thus far about General Motors latest attempt at pleasing the ranks in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.

We were able to track down one official press release from GM that is vague to say the least. That type of response from the U.S. auto maker as well as Ford and Chrysler are typical in this business when it comes to design investment.

Right out of the gate lets clear up some confusion about this project.

The 2003 Monte Carlo is not a new car. GM will not be building a new Monte Carlo until 2005 at which time a complete retooling of the factory will take place.

The biggest thing that we noticed about the press release is the fact that GM congratulates itself for completing the project in six months. You would think with the problems that the Monte Carlo displays there would be a team (at least one guy in thick glasses and a slide rule) working everyday in an underground bunker since 2000 to try and correct the noted problems. What GM is saying here is that they did another quickie rush job with smoke and mirrors on the Monte Carlo until which time they can reconfigure the molds for the 2005 model.

We view this self proclaimed good effort from GM as a mere face lift on an already poorly engineered design. Dale Earnhardt was the only man to stand up and say in 2000 that "the car won't hunt" Dale could say those things because he was "The Man." The late Earnhardt suggested that the car wouldn't suck up to the draft and we all know too well that the Monte Carlo currently displays poor aero balance as compared to the Ford Taurus.

Dale Earnhardt Inc., Hendrick Motorsports along with Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs as well as this reporting team worked hand in hand with GM to complete the 2003 Monte Carlo. RCR was noted as building the down force version of the car with DEI working on the superspeedway effort. Gibbs provided data from a 2003 Pontiac test to GM engineers. The staff here built the "Drive-In Movie" version of the Monte Carlo as Hendrick Motorsports eventually assembled the final product that was submitted to NASCAR for approval.

Terry Laise, GM Racing's chassis & aero development manager states that GM had broken ground on a new aero package that allowed the auto maker to develop the new Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. We witnessed no huge sensation of down force in the new aero package on our test vehicle as one of the crew kind of took a torch and cut the top off of the "Drive-In Movie" version to achieve better viewing of our favorite NASCAR movie "Days of Thunder" starring Tom whatever and that skinny gal.

News from the involved teams (everyone but us) is tight-lipped but holds stead fast to the official line from General Motors. NASCAR approved the design in late August and we will see the revised Monte Carlo on the track at Daytona in 2003. We drove our test vehicle like we stole it and found no huge difference between it and my girlfriend's new Toyota.

We believe that the problems with the Monte Carlo (current design) go deeper than what a six month face lift and laser surgery could ever accomplish. Our test model held up great as I acted like Dale Earnhardt Jr. that night at the Drive-In movie. The shock package was superb but, it is noted that we recommend the run flat tars because when Mike Helton chased me out of the show that night for cutting the top off of his wife's car we ran over those spikes in the road which sent our test vehicle into a wild spin of which the likes you could only imagine.

We wish GM the best in their effort to showcase the 2003 Monte Carlo as a new design but this project was nothing more than a Phyllis Diller face lift on an already aging problem. Don't get me wrong here we liked the way the (drive-in movie version) car looked on the street but that doesn't win races at the track on Sunday. It is our feeling that the Monte Carlo won't receive true relief from General Motors until 2005.

You can contact Joe at: Insider Racing News