Let another praise you, and not your own mouth. – Proverbs 27:2
That lesson wasn’t learned by Chevrolet’s 2002 Monte Carlo SS, at least if it was a Dale Earnhardt Signature Edition.
The decklid had a large decal on the right side, immodestly declaring how fearsome it is:
To put the proverb in other words: if you have to tell people how intimidating you are, you probably aren’t very.
So let’s see what’s behind the decal and what is going on with this version of Chevrolet’s Modern Era SS (M.E.SS) program.
GM did a show car in 1997 which previewed the styling of the upcoming 2000 model MC. They called it The Intimidator, and the ghost logo number 3 on the door left no doubt what their reference was.
Dale Earnhardt, a.k.a. The Intimidator, remains one of the most famous NASCAR drivers. The nickname was not because of his glare, which we can see was certainly world-class. It wasn’t even for the mustache, also world-class. No, the name was for his aggressive driving style, with maneuvers like “the pass in the grass“, “rubbing is racing”, and generally being able to push his car to limits many drivers couldn’t. (Tangential commentary: in the 2020’s world of ubiquitous beards, I think the classic mustache is severely underappreciated).
He drove “Chevrolets” most of his career, Monte Carlos specifically, except for the 89-94 Lumina era. It was only natural that Chevy would want to associate their show car with one of the winningest and most popular drivers in American car racing, especially since he was their guy, being sponsored by GM Goodwrench since 1988.
The above photo is from the 2001 Daytona 500, where Earnhardt tragically became even more famous for suffering a fatal crash. The dramatic final-lap accident was the most high-profile in NASCAR history to date.
The racecar does look intimidating. The show car definitely looks intimidating.
The production car? Not so intimidating.
Perhaps it’s just mechanically intimidating and this is one of those cars whose mild looks disguise its wild side?
Definitely not. The Dale Earnhardt edition was strictly a cosmetic package on the regular SS. And what did the SS model offer over a standard LS model? The main thing was a 200hp, 225lb-ft 3800 Series II (3.8L) V6 replacing the base 180hp, 205 lb-ft 3.4L V6. It also got different suspension tuning, 16 inch performance tires (in the same size as the base car’s tires), and dual exhaust outlets (not true dual exhausts).
Even though this is unexceptional, turn-of-the-Millennium, GM front-driver stuff, that’s not to say this is a bad car at all. The 3.8L V6 is well-known as a GM Greatest Hit for its reliability, durability, and drivability. Now, on the 2nd generation W platform, shared with the 1997+ Pontiac Grand Prix, the chassis had modern levels of rigidity and was plenty competent for normal driving. However, no one would confuse this with a true high-performance automobile, certainly not something a stock car racer would be driving on a Sunday.
They could easily have made The Intimidator a bit more aggressive by installing the 240hp/280lb-ft supercharged 3800. We know this was possible because its platform mate, the Grand Prix GTP, had the Series II supercharged engine since 1997 –and Chevrolet actually did put this engine in the Monte Carlo SS in 2004-05.
The Intimidator got a few special interior touches, chiefly gray (they called it pewter) seat and door inserts, embroidered bowties on the headrests, a dash plaque, and a Dale Earnhardt signature on the instrument panel. The mileage on this car is unknown, but the upholstery has held up reasonably well with 20 years of use.
For exterior enhancements, the Dale Earnhardt Intimidator got a lower red tape stripe and the other decals. That’s pretty much it for exclusive content. The package came with the SS High Sport option, which provided the wheels, silver contrast ground effects, power sunroof, and spoiler.
Let’s backtrack to the origins of the MC SS. The Monte Carlo started in 1970 as Chevy’s intro into the burgeoning personal luxury coupe market. Arches on the front and rear fenders would be its trademark look (accentuated to an exaggerated state from 1973-80, then toned down again through 1988). Since 1970 was the apogee of the engine displacement and power wars, the 70-71 Monte Carlo could be had in 360hp SS454 guise, in a pretty understated package as seen above.
After 1971, the package would be discontinued on the MC.
Chevy first brought back the Monte Carlo SS in 1983-88, but it was terminated along with the rear-drive MC for 1989.
After a six year hiatus, the Lumina coupe was replaced by the Monte Carlo for 1995. Badge engineering created a car with a legacy name that looked very much like a coupe version of the new Lumina sedan. The sporty model was called Z34.
In 2002, an Earnhardt Monte Carlo was not a completely original idea, as it had been done at least once before with the 1998 seen above, though I can’t find any evidence that this was an official factory release.
In addition to bringing back an SS model, Chevrolet commendably gave the new 2000 Monte Carlo some unique flair, sharing no body panels with its Impala sedan sister car. We can see two callbacks to 1970s era MCs: the fender arches and the headlights.
Whenever I see those headlights, I think of this guy. The bulge in the middle was meant to suggest the single headlights on the 70-75 MC, but I always thought it looked more like Kermit’s pupils. Intimidating is the last thing any Muppet is.
Chevy went all in on NASCAR versions of the SS, with Pace Car Editions in a different color every year 2000-03 and driver Signature Editions from 2002-05 (Dale, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Tony Stewart, in that order), plus another Intimidator edition in 2004.
I’m fairly sure that this Large Print edition I spotted is not a factory release.
Nor is the Maximum Decal edition, though it seems to me that if you’re going to have a Dale Earnhardt tribute car, this is the way to do it properly.
For the Monte Carlo SS’s final two years in 2006-07, Chevy stopped issuing cosmetic special editions and got somewhat serious, making it more of a performance car. It received an updated chassis and a 303hp/323lb-ft 5.3L all-aluminum LS4 V8, which is at least a little intimidating. No more Kermit eyes, either.
Classic GM move: gradually improve a mediocre car until it gets to the state it should have been originally, and once it’s about right, cancel it as soon as possible. Since 2008, the Monte Carlo SS is dead, along with every other American personal luxury coupe. Meanwhile, Chevy’s program to SS all things was still alive, though it only had a few years left.
It would be easy to be cynical about The Intimidator, a decal package that put a braggadocious name on a car that’s not actually intimidating. That being said, I kind of like it. I’ve gone on record as a sucker for limited editions. The SS model, at least in 2000-2003, may have been very bland salsa, but it was a reasonable choice if a comfortable, mildly sporty personal cruiser was what you were looking for. And if you were also a Dale Earnhardt fan, boy did your Chevrolet dealer have the car for you! Chevy made 3,333 of them.
photographed in Houston, TX 3/21/21
I wrote about this generation Monte Carlo before, but as a reflection on Personal Luxury Coupes without going into the SS model at all:
Curbside Classic: 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS – The Last Of A Very American Species
Other related reading:
Curbside Classic: 2000-06 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – The Last Gasp Of The American Personal Luxury Coupe by William Stopford
Vintage Reviews & Comparison Test: 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – Personal Luxury Gate Crasher by GN
This will be #3 (fittingly) in my slow-rolling M.E.SS series:
Curbside Classic: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged – Dangerous M.E.SS
Curbside Classic: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS – Three Reasons Darth Vader Was A Winner (M.E.SS #2)
While I won’t comment on the SS/Intimidator appearance package, I will say that this generation, pre-facelift, is one I find begrudgingly attractive. I don’t like that I like it, but I have to admit that I kind of do.
Funny timing, because just this week I’ve seen a Monte Carlo SS of this vintage driving around my neighborhood – I’ve never seen it before, so I assume it’s someone’s recent purchase.
I like these Monte Carlos, though much of that is probably because I just like big coupes. I do much prefer the 2006-07 models without the odd headlights (Kermit eyes are the perfect description). I’ll pass on the Intimidator edition though… too much show-off for me. Good to see one, though, in great condition.
One of my daughters has gotten into NASCAR recently, so I’ve begun following the sport, which I’ve never done before. I find it good entertainment, though it’s interesting talking to long-time fans about how the sport has become less interesting over the past 20 years (many people I’ve talked to regard the 1990s/early 2000s as peak NASCAR… so right when the featured Monte Carlo was produced). Folks’ complaints tend to revolve around the new cars, the points/playoffs calculations, as well as drivers who tend to be bland carbon-copies of each other. A number of people say today’s drivers are hard to get excited about in the way that Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, etc., were. None of this was stuff I knew about before this past year. But still, as a newcomer to the sport, I do find it exciting to watch.
I am so glad you mentioned Kermit’s pupils. That’s all I see when I look at these horrendous cars. Paired with the melting gumdrop taillights, BARF!
Pontiac offered a Richard Petty tribute Grand Prix when he retired in 1992. Once again, it was decals only. I believe it was offered in either red or blue, neither coming anywhere close to his race colors. More rare than any of the Monte Carlo tributes though.
I vaguely remember that. I thought those Grand Prix were the best looking of the early GM10s.
A few thoughts…
1. While the 2000 Monte Carlo looked different from the Impala, it did not look much different from the Grand Prix. At the time, I saw it as a worse version of the GP for the awkward headlights and lack of a supercharger as you mentioned.
2. The “Dale Earnhardt” edition cars built before 2002 were built at Dale’s Chevrolet Dealership in Newton, NC.
3. When Earnhardt died and Pontiac sales were struggling, I thought GM should have rebranded Pontiac to Earnhardt which would have made sense when they killed all of their model names for Gx nomenclature. But instead of G, I would have gone with DEx, with DE3 being the best version (of course). Maybe I should have wrote a letter to Wagoner & Lutz? Oh well…
3a. As most readers here probably know, Pontiac started out as Oakland. So, it’s not without precedent especially for that brand to change its entire name to suit the times. Maybe if GM did that, we’d still have real Cadillacs instead of the souped-up Grand Am’s of today GM is trying to pass off with Cadillac badges for $50,000 plus. Oh well (x2)…
Pontiac started out as a companion make to Oakland and survived its parent, which was not the same as changing its name.
1. Yes, it was pretty obvious the GP and MC shared a platform. I don’t believe they had any shared body panels, though. I would personally take the GP, though for reliability and durability it would be hard to beat the natural aspirated 3800. I think the GP only had the Supercharged 3800.
2. Thanks for the info on the earlier DE editions. That makes sense, as I couldn’t find anything from GM on those.
3. That’s an interesting theory about Pontiac. I’m inclined to think a name change wouldn’t have affected their deeper problems much.
I always thought the Kermit eyes absolutely spoiled this and any design. I think Hyundai employed them as well. Looks low rent IMO….
I can see the Kermit Eye similarity. I used to imagine the were the Chevrolet Bowtie that had been grit blasted until all edges eroded away. (or melted away?).
I used to have a lumina. It was blue, think I paid 7 or 800 for it from a friend. Was fine for a cheap car, got me to work n back for a year or so. Sold it for scrap when I got My Xterra.
Lots of good info here, thank you .
I find the red 2007 above to be the best looking of the bunch .
-Nate
Thanks! I agree, 2006-07 is the most appealing.
I may be an outlier but I love these cars. Very comfortable 30 mpg on the highway, one of the most reliable V6’s ever made in the 3800 series. I have driven all variants and the 5.3 07 08 version is pretty darn quick. The 3.8 supercharged is excellent also. There is a nice aftermarket for the 3800 and getting them to over 300 hp with gobs of torque is pretty easy. As a technician into the mid 2000’s we worked on a few of these and they are easy to work on as well. Overall great cars that don’t get much love for some reason.