2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS - The Full Monte

As noted above, though, the look of this Monte is only the beginning. In addition to the sleek silhouette and awesome stopping power, there also is some under hood performance to get excited about. SLP upped the ante of the proven 3800 V-6. While not the same as a power-throbbing big-inch LS1, reliable 60-degree six-banger churns out enough ponies to move this big car through the quarter-mile traps in the 15-second range, while still getting pretty good gas mileage, to boot. Added to the stock package are headers, a free-flowing catalytic converter, cold air intake package and sweet-sounding Borla dual outlet, 2 1/2-inch stainless steel exhaust system. Internal engine upgrades include rocker arms and pushrods from SLP and one of their new upgraded computer systems.

While the look and level of performance are all that some people want (or need) in a cool street ride, there is the creature comforts that some must have. A good sound system is one of those things that today's sophisticated hot rodder looks out for. The Rytek Monte features a stock A/C Delco source unit that is improved by components (speakers and amps) from Focal and Audisson. Rytek even supplied a custom billet aluminum amp rack and all the components are connected via Monster Cable hardware. Needless to say, the tunes round out the car's complete package persona.

As for the seat of the pants reaction, my personal first impression upon climbing behind the wheel was that I was the designated driver in the Dale Earnhardt Jr., Budweiser commercials' Monte Carlo. I'm not sure why though, considering the fact it looks nothing like it. It only took about 200 feet and a right turn to realize this car wasn't playing.

The host of upgraded suspension components from BMR Fabrication (sway bars, front and rear strut braces, lat links and trailing arms) coupled with the Eibach lowering springs made this car seem like it was on rails. With the aforementioned 20 inches of tires and wheels, cornering is precise and controllable. Traction is not a problem either, despite the power going to the wrong end of the car.

What was almost as startling as the handling of this car was its stopping power. With Wilwood six-piston calipers clamping on crossed drilled and slotted rotors up front and four-piston crossed drilled and slotted in the rear, a touch of the pedal is all you need to scrub off speed. The SLP headers and Borla exhaust does make the 3800 Series II V-6 more pleasant to listen to, however, my only complaint with the car is the lack of power. Although the car is relatively quick, I wouldn't go as far as to say its fast. But the handling and stopping are more than enough to make up for the lack of power in terms of excitement to drive. And throw in its stellar good looks and you can bet to see a few of these replicas poking up at the car shows around town.

Another cool aspect I especially appreciated was the attention to detail given this project. Rytek deserves a great deal of applause for making the most of this car and doing it well. If you'll notice the passenger side is equipped with black calipers and the left is equipped with red. Although the main reason is because the car was destined for SEMA, it still gives the car a uniquely cool look. Rytek also only put decals on one side and not the other. The inside of the car, equipped with those high-tech carbon fiber dash inserts and matching silver inserts, gives a sense of upscale European styling coupled with good 'ol American performance. Just enough, in this writer's opinion.

Finally, the car's complete Focal audio system really cranks out the tunes with tons of power. Add the fact that the numbers we pulled from this cruiser at the race track weren't too far off those baseline stats from our '02 Z28 test ride; it's easy to call this Monte one bad late-model. I'm just hoping the car is slated to receive some sort of power enhancement or replacement under the hood soon.