In May, 1960, the Monza 900 series made its debut as a club coupe and staked its claim as the new flagship of the Corvair line. In the fall of the same year, Chevrolet added the impressive Monza 900 sedan to the lineup. That was over forty years ago, so you can imagine my delight when I set my eyes on an immaculate original, un-restored 1961 Corvair Monza sedan which had been driven to the convention by its owner, Jim Anderson, from his home in Escanaba, Michigan. Jim appears below staging his Monza for a photo shoot by a photographer for Collectible Automobile. The magazine's interest in the car is a testament to its true-to-stock condition. The 98 hp/Powerglide equipped sedan is amazingly preserved; so much so that gazing upon it is a pure, unadulterated trip into the past.

Many Monza 900 trim touches distinguish it from its 700 and 500 series siblings; the extensive use of bright trim around the greenhouse, Monza badges on the front fenders, rocker panel trim, simulated louvers behind the backlight, a bright metal rear license plate surround, and full wheel covers.

Both the interior and Suntan Copper exterior of Jim's car are correct in every way, right down to its fresh air grill. This grill with its vertical slots is similar in design to the 1960 grill, yet exclusive to the '61 model. The 1960 version had a quarter-round notch in the passenger side corner that worked with a similar notch in the bodywork to provide an exit for the tailpipe. In '61, Chevrolet eliminated the notch and put a bend in the tailpipe, reestablishing its exit point at the rear corner of the car, on the passenger side.

The Senior Division car was entered in the Concours d'Elegance in the Factory Stock, Original, Early Closed class, where it won Gold, earning 95.85 points out of a possible 100. Congratulations, Jim!