Impala to replace Monte Carlo in NASCAR Nextel Cup

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

Originally Posted by kool_zx3

Monte carlo sales will be in the toilet now...

Especially when it goes on hiatus, to be replaced with the Zeta RWD "heritage" ('66) Impala.

[Yarddawg1987]

Originally Posted by kool_zx3

Monte carlo sales will be in the toilet now...

This should let u know that there will be no more MONTE...

[Black04GTO]

Originally Posted by bjl84

I think they are switching to the impala because toyota and the camry. isnt the impala direct competition for the camry. and it will look good for the impala beating the camry on the track

Yep, that, too...

[triadecho]

Since NASCAR's "Car of Tommorrow" bears little resemblance to anything in the showroom or on the highway, you can probably get away with badging these cars as almost anything. With a few well placed stickers, Jeff Gordon could be racing a Coupe de Ville or an Impala in a matter of minutes.

[poncho1982]

Originally Posted by macphisto

This likely means that there will be no new Monte Carlo. So either the large coupe will be gone from Chevy or they'll go with the Chevelle design they've worked on.

From what I've put together, Chevelle may make a return as a nameplate.

[zaxxis]

Originally Posted by Black04GTO

That's OK...as time goes by the Impala will be known as the most successsful car in Nextel Cup racing history.[/color][/b]

Remember, this is NASCAR marketing, it'll be the most successful car in history before it runs it's first race.

Nothing grinds my teeth more when they refer to Earnhart as "7 time Nextel Cup champion". Nextel didn't even exist back then!!!

-Z

[redfox]

I hope the chevelle does come back it's my second favorite car camaro's first. Nascar body's are all the same anyway except for stickers but a certain person on this site will call you dumb and uneducated for saying so.

[macphisto]

Originally Posted by nadepalma

Agreed. The rumor was that the Monte Carlo was supposed to get the axe and that there might be a large mid-sized coupe ala Chevelle to make a come back and compliment the Camaro.

But who knows --- perhaps Chevy has something else up their sleeve. I can remember Lutz and others saying that GM should eliminate overlap between divisions and a new Chevelle to replace the Monte Carlo might be considered a kind of overlap with the expected GTO for Pontiac.

GM has been kind of vague about all of this anyway, so we'll have to see....

I've seen designs for both a Monte Carlo and Chevelle. Last I knew, GM was deciding which one they wanted to produce if they wanted to produce any large coupe for Chevy.

I've felt for a while that the Chevelle would be it. It looks better. It's a popular nameplate for classic car enthusiasts. The name is not tarnished like the Monte Carlo is by years of neglect.

I don't see much of an issue when it comes to overlap unless they decide to put a V6 in the GTO. The GTO is likely to share the Corvette engine while a Chevelle could have a base V6 model and a smaller displacement V8 on the top end (like the next gen of the current 5.3L LS4 that will output over 350hp). The Chevy would have a more family friendly price and a more family friendly drive with more luxury thrown in. The GTO would essentially be a large family sports car.

[CBECK]

Originally Posted by kool_zx3

Monte carlo sales will be in the toilet now...

They already are.

[sa_seahawker]

Why do they call it 'stock car' racing when none of these cars look stock? Like the Charger. I don't think there is one line on that racecar that is shared with the stock version! NASCAR is a farce! LOL They just design a fiberglass body that has the lowest coefficient of drag with the most downforce and slap a Fusion, Charger, or Impala sticker of the front. That's not true stock car racing, imo. Impress me by putting a gutted Impala out there and whoop up on the gutted Camry. Secondly, how can a fusion or avenger even qualify against an Impala? They are two different sized cars!

Maybe this is why I never really got into NASCAR, except to see the cool crashes.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[stevews602]

Though it is lame that any racecar is based on a 4 door, there is no relevance to streetcars to begin with. The fiction of tying these cars to a production car is silly anyways..

Just think how much better street cars would be if NASCAR made them use real street cars with only safety, suspension, tire and limited engine mod's...

[Sporer65]

The Impala replacing the Monte Carlo makes since. New racecar, better selling, more of a direct competitor. But Dodge replacing the Charger with the Avenger makes no since. The racecar that is most similar to street car, V8 and RWD, is being replaced by a small V6 FWD car. That sucks.

[Sporer65]

Originally Posted by stevews602

Though it is lame that any racecar is based on a 4 door, there is no relevance to streetcars to begin with. The fiction of tying these cars to a production car is silly anyways..

Just think how much better street cars would be if NASCAR made them use real street cars with only safety, suspension, tire and limited engine mod's...

That is basically the AMLS race series. NASCAR is meant to be about drivers and is similar to IROC. The manufacturers are just applying the name to make it similar to the old days when NASCAR were factory cars with rollcages and to have free advertising for those cars during the race.

[samy1691]

I, for one, can only hope NASCAR's "car of tomorrow" will make NASCAR the circuit of "yesterday". I feel all of this "vanilla" packaging of companies stifles initiative and competition. The resulting blandness or racing WILL follow!!!!!

[tama z71]

Wouldn't it make more sense to offer a coupe version of the Impala? Kinda like Toyota does with the Solara - its super cheesy, but it is more sales to add to the camry's bottom line.