The Monte Carlo was launched for 1970 as a personal luxury coupe to compete against Ford's Thunderbird. Riding on a 116" wheelbase shared with the midsize A-body Chevelle sedan's, it slotted in between the Chevelle Sport Coupe and the two-door Caprice, price-wise.
Featuring classic "long hood and short deck" lines, its longer wheelbase and more rearward engine placement brought it to the attention of NASCAR teams and it became the preferred Chevy in that motorsport starting in 1971.
For '71 the base Monte Carlo came with a 245 horsepower (165 net) two-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 V-8, and an optional four-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 made 270 horses (175 net). There was also a Turbo-Jet 400 rated at 300 (260 net), and 1971 was the last year for the Monte Carlo SS with the 365 horsepower (285 net) LS-5 Turbo-Jet 454 V-8.
In a comparison test of 1970 models, Motor Trend's sample Monte Carlo SS ran a 7.0 second zero-to-sixty dash and laid down a 14.9 quarter at 92 mph, showing its heels to the Ford Thunderbird and Pontiac Grand Prix competition.
The Tuxedo Black example in the picture is one of 112,599 Montes sold in 1971, with production having been interrupted for two months due to an auto workers' strike. Only 1,919 of those were SS models.
This one was photographed in September of 2022 with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens.