It’s not everyday where you see or hear about a time capsule, mint condition, all-original G-body Monte Carlo SS still in the wrapper. Much less, two of them. But that’s evidently the case here. In one of Jay Leno’s latest features, Gabriel Iglesias brings his pair of ’88 Monte Carlo Super Sports to Jay’s garage.
What’s interesting about the two of these cars, is that they’re essentially still brand new. Sure, they’re nearly 40-years old, but neither of the cars have breached 1,000 miles. In fact, up until now, one has less that 200 miles on it, and is completely still sealed in the plastic. Not wanting to keep them “as undrivable museum pieces,” Gabriel and Jay rip the plastic off of one of the cars, and take it for a spin.
According to Gabriel who acquired the cars just recently, the two Monte Carlos were originally purchased brand new in Ohio, by a pair of brothers who were on a spending spree. As he tells it, they were into some shady things and needed an outlet to wash some dirty money. Not long after purchasing the cars, they were ultimately caught and sent to jail. The cars were able to stay within the family, however, and they sat in storage until very recently. Initially, Gabriel was really looking for only one Monte Carlo SS to add to his collection, but when he stumbled upon these two by word of mouth, he ended up making a deal on both cars.
Looking closer, and it’s pretty amazing that even though they were in storage in Ohio all of that time, they still look factory fresh. Very little to no moisture reached these cars, and they’re just as solid as they had left the factory at the end of 1987. Both in matching black with very similar options, they’re very sought-after cars today. Interestingly, they’re both hardtops, both column-shift automatics (floor-shifter was more common), and they both still have their window sticker on them.
Under the hood, is the tried-and-true 180hp 305 HO V8, which was somewhere in the middle of what would have been considered “high-performance” for the time. Even in ’88, GM was still cranking out Firebirds and Camaros with 170hp V8s, and the top dog Corvette was only good for 245hp that year. The Monte’s 305 H.O. was paired to a 200-4R transmission and a 7.6-inch rear axle housing 3.73 gears, for ’88.
For the time, it was quick enough to earn its “SS” door decals and stripes, and put a smile on your face. At minimum, it helped you look cool. These days, they might not be able to hang with the biggest and the baddest performance cars on the market, but you’ll have one serious collector car with some visual attitude.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, the parent company to Timeless Muscle Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the magazine’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next round modifications for his own cars.
