Bob Brownell of Crystal Lake, Illinois, pulled into the staging lanes in an awesome '66 Monza coupe, seen below. That this is a mid-engine conversion isn't difficult to figure out. The engine cover behind the bucket seats is a dead giveaway. Of course, there are a few other clues to the car's performance orientation; the front is modified to allow cooling air to flow through a trunk-mounted radiator, there's a multipoint roll bar inside and a set of aggressive spoilers front and back. The car is a Crown conversion as described in the Corv-8 section of this site, and it was a major hit with V-8 enthusiasts. 

Bob's Monza is in perfect step with the large diameter wheel craze sweeping the auto industry. Polished American Racing 200S wheels sport Yokohama tires; 235/40ZR17 90W (front) and 245/40ZR17 98W (rear). The combination of large diameter wheels and low profile tires not only looks hot, it improves cornering by reducing sidewall squirm.

Running the autocross in Specialty class, Bob did not finish his first lap, but quickly came back with two respectable laps; 35.15 and 34.25 seconds.

Picture this. It's Saturday night. You're headed for the track for a little night racing under the lights. You've been invited to run a grudge match against a local favorite—your buddy's high-winding, 13:1 compression MOPAR piece. No pressure. Standing behind the car, you lean down to cup your palms over your dual pipes to check the pulse of your super-tuned mid-engine Corvair. The sweet smell of 100/130 Avgas wafts past your nostrils are you contemplate the race to come—your reaction at the lights, the leave, and the win!