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Rare Chevy Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe Gains 24-Inch Wheels, Looks Like a Restomod

Produced from 1980 to 1987, the fourth-generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo was a typical G-body car. It shares a boxy exterior with other GMs, such as the Buick Regal and Oldsmobile Cutlass, and it looked very similar to Ford's Fox-platform vehicles too. However, Chevy rolled out a limited-edition Aerocoupe model that looked a bit different.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe on 24-inch wheels 1 photo
Photo: WhipAddict/YouTube
As the name suggests, it was a more aerodynamic version of the Monte Carlo. Based on the SS, it featured a more deeply sloped rear window, a shorter trunk lid, and a redesigned rear spoiler. Overall, it looked much sleeker than the standard, boxy Monte Carlo.

But the Aerocoupe wasn't born out of Chevy's concern for aerodynamics. This car had a solid link to NASCAR racing. In 1983, Ford introduced a sleeker version of the Thunderbird, called the Aerobird. Homologated for NASCAR, the Aerobird started winning races against the brick-shaped Monte Carlo, so Chevy started working on its own aero coupe.

We're talking about the 1980s when stock car racing wasn't about pure stock cars, but they still had to look like production vehicles available in showrooms.

The Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe debuted for the 1986 model year when Chevy built 200 units, the mininum production number NASCAR officials required for road-going features to be incorporated into race cars. The Aerocoupe was sold for 1987 too, this time around moving 6,052 units, about 15% of the total Monte Carlo SS production.

With a little more than 6,200 examples produced over two years, the Aerocoupe is one of the rarest G-body cars out there. They're slowly but surely becoming collectors' items, but that didn't stop someone from altering a low-mileage, mint-condition Aerocoupe by putting it on much bigger, 24-inch wheels.

Wheel swaps aren't a big deal under normal circumstances, but this Aerocoupe was notched too, having its frame altered so the Amani rims fit under the fenders. Reversing this mod is tricky, to say the least. Everything else is still stock, though, including the interior. Yes, the steering wheel matches the rim design, a specific feature for donks, but the rest of the cabin looks like it did when this Aerocoupe left the factory back in the 1980s. And it's super clean too because this G-body shows only 26,000 miles (41,842 km) on the odometer.

The low production run and the low-mileage status make this Aerocoupe a rare gem, but is it still collectible now that the frame has been altered? I kind of like the way it looks on 24-inch wheels because it boasts that cool restomod look. What do you think? Yay or nay on the wheels? Should cars like these be kept stock so that they retain their value?

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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