Photo: Craigslist
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and today’s Nice Price or No Dice Custom Cloud flatters Rolls-Royce like nobody’s business. Let’s see if this crazy custom Chevy comes with an equally flattering price.
While it may have been a rare edition of a beloved and commonplace car, yesterday’s 1991 Volkswagen Golf Country didn’t tee off much enthusiasm for its $17,945 asking price. That proved to be a rabbit hole few of you would go down, ending the day with a massive 86 percent No Dice loss.
Britain’s BBC once claimed that the world’s two most recognizable brands are Coca Cola and Rolls-Royce. In the automotive world, Rolls has long engendered so much reverence that when Lee Iacocca tasked his designers with the styling for the Lincoln Mark III, his direction was to “Take a Thunderbird and slap a Rolls-Royce grille on it.” He may have, in fact, been sipping a Coke at the time; records from the era are fuzzy.
Photo: Craigslist
Today’s 1976 Custom Cloud, nee Chevrolet Monte Carlo, is another car that went the Rolls Grille route as a way to kind of “lipstick the pig.” Once the makers took the car in London at the behest of Car and Driver magazine, its creators were successfully sued by Rolls-Royce for copyright infringement. That resulted in changes in the custom car’s design as well as a name change.
Despite those efforts, the planets never really aligned for the Custom Cloud’s maker, and the company ceased operations after just a few hundred kits and complete cars were built. There’s lots more to the background story, but that’ll all have to wait as we presently have to get down to business on this particular car.
Photo: Craigslist
First off, it appears to be in very good shape. The front and rear clips that seek to emulate British aristocracy flow successfully into the Monte Carlo’s baroque body lines, and the adopted ’73 Buick LeSabre front bumper is actually better looking than Chevy’s factory design. And yes, those are real Lucas tail lamps in the back, the same type employed by Rolls at the time.
On the flip side of all that, this car’s Kermit-green paint and American Racing Torque Thrust wheels serve to lighten the mood substantially. Also, while overall seeming to be in good shape, there is one booger in the bodywork that the seller laudably points out. That is the de-lamination of the fiberglass fender from the door jam on the passenger side, which is creating a sizable crack that will only get worse over time.
Photo: Craigslist
When the cars first hit the market, the Parthenon grille carried an interlocking “CC” badge and, above that, a knockoff Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. You’ll note both are missing on this car. That’s likely owed to the lawsuit Rolls brought against the builder, which required the replacement of those elements even on cars that had already been sold. That also required a name change on the last of the cars to “Classic Coach.”
Photo: Craigslist
Inside, there’s nothing about the cabin that would make this car out to be anything other than a Monte Carlo. It is, however, resplendent in its green and white vinyl and plastic. Everything looks to be in excellent shape and wonderfully gaudy as hell.
A 400 CID V8 resides under the hood, sitting behind a comically-long fan shroud. The seller says that the engine’s fluids were changed last year when the car had a minor tune-up. According to the ad, there are only 6,000 miles on the clock, and the car comes with a clean title.
Photo: Craigslist
I am old enough to remember the issue of Car and Driver that featured the Custom Cloud on the cover. Hell, I still have it sitting in my dusty magazine collection in the garage. The car was wonderfully goofy back then and still is today. What might such smile-inducing goofiness rightfully be worth?
Photo: Craigslist
The seller is asking $18,000 for this fantastic bit of minor automotive history, and it’s now time for us to all vote on how successful they have been in gauging its value. What do you all think? Is $18,000 a fair price for this Rolls-aping Monte Carlo? Or is that too much for the automotive equivalent of cubic zirconia?
You decide!
Richmond, Virginia, Craigslist, or go
if the ad disappears.
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Keyword: At $18,000, Is This 1976 Custom Cloud The ‘Full Monte?’