In 1973, OPEC announced an oil embargo directed at the nations that had supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The effects on the U.S. economy were harsh.
"The average US retail price of a gallon of regular gasoline rose 43% from 38.5¢ in May 1973 to 55.1¢ in June 1974. State governments asked citizens not to put up Christmas lights. Oregon banned Christmas and commercial lighting altogether. Politicians called for a national gasoline rationing program. Nixon asked gasoline retailers to voluntarily not sell gasoline on Saturday nights or Sundays; 90% of gas station owners complied, which produced long lines of motorists wanting to fill up their cars while they still could."The effects on Detroit would trigger the first big round of downsizing and boost sales of compacts, as people suddenly had a reason to avoid "gas guzzlers".
Sales of one model weren't much affected, though.
Despite the embargo and the subsequent gas crisis, Chevrolet sold over 300,000 1974 Monte Carlos, up from the previous record sales year of '73 that saw almost 250,000 cross the curb.
The base engine was a 145bhp 2-bbl Turbo-Fire small block 350, and you could get a Turbo-Fire small block 400 in either 150bhp 2-bbl or 180bhp 4-bbl flavors, or splurge for a 235bhp big block Turbo-Jet 4-bbl 454 V-8.
The Monte Carlo's booming success outsold Ford's Thunderbird by something close to six-to-one and triggered other manufacturers to jump into the "personal luxury coupe" market.
The one in the photos, which has been repainted, was snapped in June of 2022 using a Nikon D7100 and a 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR zoom lens.
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