One of the blessings and curses of writing for this site and getting to be an enthusiast in this community is that there’s always something I want to buy. David has me into BMW i3s, Stephen Walter Gossin ignites my inner Mopar, and you lovely readers tug my heart in so many directions. Now, I want a Chevy Corvair again.
Matt wrote a Morning Dump containing a story about how Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier thinks tariffs killed the sub-$30,000 car. Ranwhenparked’s comment will make you want a Chevy Corvair:
There’s going to be far more people disagreeing with me than agreeing, but my Corvair is an absolute delight to drive. Well-balanced handling, easy steering, good brakes, a comfortable ride without being floaty, and cushy seats. I’ve had it for years, have 4 other vehicles in the fleet right now, and have owned others during that time, but it’s the one that makes me smile the most consistently when I get behind the wheel, and often ends up being what I pick for longer road trips over my more modern cars (Challenger) because of that
And it was very cheap new, around $2400, which is maybe $25kish today. I mean, it’s still doing the job over 60 years later, and I could get in it today and head out on an 1800-mile trip if I wanted to, as I have done more than once.
I’ve wanted a Corvair off and on over the years, and every time I read about a happy Corvair owner, I get pushed just a little closer to buying one.
It’s usually pretty easy to recommend a used Toyota to any person looking for a cheap but reliable used car. Mark ran a showdown against a rough 1988 Toyota Supra and a rough 1991 Ford Thunderbird. Butterfingerz:
I would always pick a Toyota…..until I saw this Toyota.
Antti wrote a story about what cars Ford CEO Jim Farley bids on. There was a side story about how the first Chicago-style pontiff, Pope Leo, drove a manual Ford Fusion. Laika:
So the pope’s both a car guy and a Sox fan? Working on being the most relatable pontiff ever.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Topshot image graphic: Chevrolet
Mercedes, trans history demands that you own a Corvair- It was the official trans car of the early 70s! I owned two, Margaret O’Hartigan and I drove hers to Stanford and all over the midwest. Even lived in one for a while- the back seat is plenty wide!
If I ever own another pre-fuel injection classic it’ll be a Corvair.
Wait… they made a manual Ford Fusion? Is that the rarest car in the world?
Estimates suggest that maybe a grand total of 5000 or so were made with manuals over every year that manual was available, so finding one at all, out of over 3 million sold in all the years you could get one, is going to be a very, very small likelihood indeed.
Yeah, and I came very close to buying a used one about 10-12 years ago. The center stack was right where my knee wanted to be, so I passed. Those first gen Fusions (built on the Mazda 6 platform) were really good cars.
Farley was interviewed on a podcast recently, and mentioned that they lost something like $3000 on every manual Fusion they sold.
Lost of base trims lose money so that doesn’t surprise me. There is a reason they don’t have key options that people want.
As I recall, at least when I was looking, it was only offered on the base trim. Move up a level for things like heated seats and it drops off the options list.
A friend had a Mercury version (Milan?) with a 4 cylinder manual.
That might be a more rare car than a Koenigsegg
Yeah, I had a 2006 one for a long time. Great car, it was a Mazda drivetrain that ran perfectly. I bought it used in 2009 or so and drove it for a decade.
Wait, so scuba diving was the number one activity of the car buying public back in the age of the Corvair as well? Some things never change.
I’ve wanted a Corvair for years now already. But a 2nd gen coupe. Monza edition.
Criminally overlooked cars. The whole range of them, from wagons to sedans, from convertibles to pickups and a coupe. Probably the single most unique American car line ever put into mass production.
I want a Lakewood so bad, the packaging is perfect, so much space in such a tiny wagon
I do not understand why Corvairs remain so affordable. They seem like the perfect entry to classic car ownership.
The Unsafe at Any Speed stigma still follows them, which keeps prices down. I agree they are a great entry point into classic cars. There’s a strong community and parts aftermarket for them too.
One of these days I’ll have a second gen coupe. They’re so pretty!
As Shop-Teacher mentioned, Nadar did a number on the image of the car. So that has helped keep the price down.
Also these are not low-volume cars. Over the lifespan of the model line, they sold almost 2 MILLION of these cars. If they were more rare, I am sure prices would be lots higher.
Lastly don’t underestimate the anti-American sentiment amongst many. The Corvair (especially the 2nd gen) has been called the Porsche 911 of America. Original 60s era 911 go for insane money, but the Corvair doesn’t have the same image, so prices never jumped.
I think its closer to say the Corvair is the American VW Bug, rather than Porsche.
Think Karman Ghia. But I enjoyed every minute with mine, top down, room for five, great engine compartment where everything is easy to reach. I had a late model with a Powerglide and it had cruise night comfort in a sporty package. Great support community too.
Carry a fan belt and a fuel pump and a fire extinguisher and drive it anywhere.
I was thinking the overall platform:
Regular Corvair: VW Bug
Monza: Karman Ghia
Briarwood: VW Bus
Wagon: Type 3/4
Pickup: Transporter
It’s not a perfect analogy since four door VWs were rare and VWs only had 4 cylinders but it’s more applicable than the sports car only 911 which was closer only in cylinder count.
I don’t know, the 2nd gen Corvair was more of a match for the early 911 than you realize. Here’s a 2nd gen (race prepped) chasing down and passing a race prepped 911.
https://youtu.be/YUdYO8nex04
The 1st gen is the American Bug, or maybe Karman Ghia. It was simple, roomy for a small car. The handling wasn’t great by today’s standards, even on modern tires, but putting in a stiff front sway bar so the thing jacks a front tire in the turn makes it acceptable and safe (or just get the 64 that has the sway bar stock).
The 2nd gen? Outside of not having the power, it’s more of a 911 than you would think.
This is something where someone took did a ghost video of various cars outcrossing.
https://youtu.be/hVnrVc9FZsA
That 2nd gen is 40+ years older than the other cars. It loses ground significantly under braking, but does well enough everywhere else.
Given that the Corvair is running 4 wheel unassisted drum brakes, it’s not surprising that a modern car with ABS is outbraking it.
That may be true for a turbocharged Monza but I don’t see a Greenbriar or pickup Corvair holding its own against a 911.
There are no 2nd gen wagons, vans or pickups.
Chevy was accidently years too early for the market with the Corvair.
In 1960, they made the decision to make a complete lineup out of Corvairs. Couples, convertibles, sedans, Wagons, Vans, and Pickups! But who wants a 1/2 size wagon, van or pickup with double digit torque? If you need such a vehicle, you find a way to get a real one.
The only Corvairs that sold well were the Monzas which were basically a sports appearance package for the convertibles and Coupes. Chevy blundered into the “Monza Market” for the expanding youth segment that had money to get a new car, but didn’t want something frumpy and boring.
Chevy took the wrong lesson from this. “Aha, the American Youth want inexpensive sports coupes and sports sedans!” Which wasn’t the real lesson of the 61-63 Monza.
Americans wanted an inexpensive Sporty LOOKING car.I could have a suspension from a Model T and still be cool if it could ignite the tires at a stop light. GM should have known this with the rise of the Muscle cars and the hot rodding scene, but they thought the Monza Market was a Sports Coupe. When it was about to be dominated so bad, it got changed to being called Pony Cars.
So, the 1st gen Corvair Monza was a non-optimized Pony Car before the Pony car market existed.
As for the 2nd gen? I can’t think of Americans snatching up inexpensive sport sedans and coupes until the 80s with the GTIs and 3 Series. A bone stock 66 Corvair Corsa on good tires would be very competitive with either of those cars on most roads.
There are no 2nd gen wagons, vans or pickups.
True.
But who wants a 1/2 size wagon, van or pickup with double digit torque? If you need such a vehicle, you find a way to get a real one.
The same folks who were looking at VWs wagons, vans or pickups with even less power. Gardeners especially loved the Corvair pickup. Even today they’re still sought after for that use.
As for the 2nd gen? I can’t think of Americans snatching up inexpensive sport sedans and coupes until the 80s with the GTIs and 3 Series. A bone stock 66 Corvair Corsa on good tires would be very competitive with either of those cars on most roads.
For me as a DD either of the latter would be preferable. I like my heater to blow hot and my A/C to use refrigerant.
BUT if I were looking to scratch my air cooled, flat six itch on a Chevy budget I’d look to a 2nd gen Corvair.
Chevy had AC as a rare option in a Corvair. There was one in my area years ago that was a 63 convertible with the Powerglide and factory AC that was being dailied regularly about 20 years ago.
OF course, Vintage air has kits.
IIRC there were gasoline fired heaters too. Not my ideal solution, there’s plenty of waste heat to be had but its better than nothing.
That was 1960 only. The 61-69 had hoses connected to the engine shrouds so it blew air to the windshield or through vents under the backseats. As long as you didn’t have an exhaust manifold leak, it was toasty warm, since the last place the air went was across those.
Or any oil leaks.
Hot oil might be an aphrodisiac for Autopians but I think the general public prefer their warm air to be odor free.
The Corvair as built had constant leaks, particularly in the O-rings around the tubes surrounding the push rods. Corvairs always had “wet tails” because the cooling air would go over these tubes and blow oil out of a little grill in the back.
However, I doubt there is a Corvair in the world that hasn’t had the engine rebuilt. O-ring materials are much better now and Viton O-rings don’t leak. So, a Corvair today will rarely have oil stank because the only other common leak is the valve covers (like every Chevy of that era) and those are outside of the air flow.
I don’t doubt a Corvair engine of today leaks a LOT less oil than when it was built. But it doesn’t take much in the way of airborne hydrocarbons to be noticeable. People put up with a lot more stink then than they do now.
Its also important to remember that even though the gaskets may have been replaced a Corvair still won’t have modern emissions. No PCV, no cat, no nothing.
As a point of comparison my 1960 Triumph just vented its crankcase directly into the engine bay. That was perfectly legal in the pre emissions days. The stink of oil and unburnt hydrocarbons was quite noticeable even though most of the cork and paper gaskets had been replaced with modern silicone. Ducting that engine bay air into even a poorly sealed cockpit would have been a very bad idea. I dunno how Corvairs handled crankcase ventilation though. Maybe they did it better.
Maybe in that the VW bug (or at least it’s platform) allowed a plethora of body styles and other models just like how the Corvair came in a ton of body styles, but in terms of performance, the top trim Corvair made more power and torque than the 911 and was absolutely aimed at an enthusiast crowd.