Why The Rear-Engine 1960-1969 Chevrolet Corvair Failed
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2019
- When Chevrolet released the rear-engine Corvair for the 1960 model year, it was Chevrolet's response to the Volkswagen Beetle. The Corvair was an instant hit with younger car buyers. Unfortunately this would not last, by the late-1960s sales had fallen to almost nothing. What caused such a popular car to wane so quickly in sales numbers? Watch this video to find out the true story.
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A production run of nine years and 1.5 million units is not a failure.
Failure is not the right word. More like outsold by the Mustang.
That was going to be my point, you beat me to it...
I agree... Its didn't fail, was simply out sold by Ford's Mustang. The decision with the rear suspension didn't help.. It certainly was not a failure.
@dreamsnoir So every vehicle that was successful in its time, but is now no longer produced, has failed?
@dreamsnoir OK
My dad had a Corvair and loved it! He never forgave Nader.
Corvair: the very first Yenko. The Corvair's suspension was/is just like the VW/Porsche. Sadly, it was Chevrolet that killed the Corvair, as they were designing the Chevy II by late '62/early '63, on top of Nader's book. My mother owned a '64 that she both drag raced and rallye raced and she won or placed in every race/event she entered - I know 'cause I got to be her navigator and extra set of eyes. RIP Mom - I've got a '65 convertible just because you said you liked that model so much.
sweet tribute to your extraordinary mom
I have a lot of memories with my mom but we never raced cars together unfortunately thank you for sharing this awesome story bud!
What a cool mom!
My dad bought a new 1960 Corvair 4 dr... it took us across the country (in the middle of winter), and later served as my first car through college years later. It was a reliable, unique car. I think my dad (being a aeronautical engineer) liked the rear engine design, reminiscent of a air-cooled helicopter drive system.
Ralph Nader certainly did not help with his “unsafe at any speed”. The Corvair was ahead of it’s time .
That was 1966, by then the car wasn't selling very well because of it's poor acceleration and unreliable reputation.
why ahead of its time? it's very much a product of its time, just not in the main stream US market of the time. With the advent of the Chevy 2 only a couple of years after corvairs launch, the compact market was covered so the corvair could slot into its own niche market, which at worst was a very sporting pony car, with an aire of exotica
@@muir8009 because it was much more european and it was air cooled.
@@Gnofg remember of course the European influence had impacted a lot of design elements (admittedly in a very fifties US idiom) with the stylists. Exner being a prime example, with ghia. The huge swing of beetle buyers from '57 onward certainly having an influence on what in the late fifties was becoming the advent of the compact. Exner freely admitted the European influence on the valiant, even to its first year only all aluminium six. The corvair merely bringing another compact concept to the table. For all of course it was the Falcon that showed the way
@@muir8009 falcon and the mustang are actually the same car.
I don't think it failed. They made 1.4 million of them.
The failure was they sold 1.4 million of them and not 10.4 million
I just want to know how many of you know about over steer and under steer.
1.8 Million!
Yeah but even if a million people say a stupid thing,it's Still a stupid thing-(peter principle corollary) perfect example : 2008
GM considered the Corvair somewhat of a failure because overall sales were nowhere near what they expected. Engineering was unique and the average transaction price was relatively low so GM likely lost money on them, especially for the second generation.
5:05
The problem was that the handling was compromised if the FRONT tires were over inflated, not the rear, and that too many owners didn't read their owners' manual.
The introduction of more powerful - and heavier, engines in the rear created an automobile with very little weight at the front.
The instructions noted that the front tires needed less air pressure than those at the rear, with the models having heavier engines needing the least front tire pressure (I believe the Spyder model specified 16 PSI in the front tires).
However, most people always assumed (perhaps still assume) that tire pressure should be equal in all four tires. Many people look to the sidewall of their tires and inflate to the maximum air pressure stamped on the sidewall.
If one had their front tires at 35 PSI, on a performance model Corvair, the had VERY LITTLE tread on the road surface.
Under these circumstances, an attempt at a high speed turn could result in a skid.
Everybody lambasted GM for having swing axles on the Corvair, but few people mentioned that they were also on the original Volkswagen and Renault Dauphine (though I'm sure no-one drove at 160km/h in a Dauphine).
Hey thanx for this posting OCM, very informative. I agree with you that the demise of the Corvair was indirectly due to the unstoppable popularity of its competitor the Ford Mustang and directly due to Chevrolet's introduction of their response, the Camaro. However like some others have responded, I do have to disagree with you that it was a failed model. It was merely one which had an embattled existence and whose time had sadly come and gone. Like our friend Jay Leno remarked once, " Hey if I'd introduced a car that sold over a million and a half units over a 9 year period most companies wouldn't call that a failure. They'd make me the president of the company!".
A lot of factors involved with the Corvair, including Ford's falcon in the same market segment, GM business decisions on cutting back on improving innovation and engineering, and that the Corvair was a different car then the market was used to. The actual death of the model was tightening SMOG laws though, as the air cooled engine ran higher combustion temperatures, a factor in NoX emissions which meant lowering compression and softening engine tune. Chevy also introduced the Chevy II aimed at the successful Falcon just before the Mustang was introduced as well. The deck was stacked against the 'Vair pretty quickly unfortunately early on in the market, but still have to say after driving one I was very impressed how nice a driver they are.
I've had four of them, three were earlies and I only had one instance of a tail-happy swingaround under hard braking, and that was coming in at an angle. They were easy to service and just by watching out for possible fan belt slip, you could go anywhere with little worry. With no water, water pump or hoses, your worries were few in comparison. Everyone looks at them and gives a thumbs-up!
It had a 10 year run, I wouldn’t call that a failure.
It failed to stay competitive within the market segment. Failure does not have to take place right away. Lol
My mom had a black / red 64 two door 3 speed when I was a kid. I loved that car!
We had the same car.., hehe
Have you told your mom that you're gay yet?
@@rustybrowneye fuzzy wuzzy??? Ha
@@kenh9097 Does anyone remember the actual "fuzzy wuzzies"?
@@kenh9097 fuzzy wuzzy was a bear
These still have a following despite the bad rap..
Wow, finally an accurate history of the Corvair. Good job!
The styling of the convertible still looks good today, and I love air cooled engines. Win-win.
My first car was a 2 dr. 1962 Corvair, and I loved that car. It as especially good in New England during the snowy winters. With snow tires on it and all that weight over the rear drive wheels, it went through snow with no issues, while all my friends were getting stuck. Such a fun car to drive!
I was in the back seat of a Corvair going about 40 mph with a friend driving when a young kid rode his bike right in front of us. To avoid hitting him my friend did a maneuver that might be hard to do in a Vette. We did not flip over, we did not roll even though we went completely sideways 40 mph then straightened right out on asphalt street. You had to work hard at it to flip one of these over.
Did it have a font sway bar fitted?
I own a 1966 Corvair Monza 4 door with 110 HP and it is a dream to drive. The steering is very responsive, engine is easy to maintain and my personal opinion is that the 65 to 70 Corvair's body style is much more appealing than the ford falcon with a different exterior, oops I mean the 65 mustang. I'd also like to add a correction related to tire inflation. Steering issues with 1960 to 1964 models is more related to the fact that to balance out the issues with weight distribution the front tires are only supposed to be inflated to 20 PSI while the rears are inflated to 32 PSI. When properly inflated current road tests show that the handling for the Corvair was in fact superior to the handling of many other cars released at the time. As far as the Corvair being the poor man's Porsche, the Corvair may have cost less but with the Corvair's 4 carburetor and turbo setup and it's great handling, I am confident that the Porsche buyers of that period wasted their money on an inferior automobile.
You also needed to make sure the u-joints were in good shape on the axles of the early models. I had a 1962 4 door and it was awesome. Took curves around Parksville lake like dream. That thing got compliments everywhere I drove it back in the late '90s. I put dual port heads and bigger jugs on it, and it flew. Wish I still had it.
I also own a 66 Monza 4 door hardtop with the 110 engine Powerglide and factory air conditioning and it is a delightful car to drive on the highway!! I added a quick steering box and KYB shocks all around...and my car handles as well as a modern car
Former owner of several Corvairs both early and late versions ('61 Monza, '64 700 sedan, '66 Monza, '66 Monza sedan 4spd). Fun to drive and easy to maintain with great reliability. As a mechanic back in the 1990's working at an independent garage specializing in European makes, I had the opportunity to service and drive some amazing cars. We had several customers with early Porsche models 356, 911 and 912. The first Porsche I drove was a 1963 356 Super 90. It was built like a bank vault and was much faster than I expected-an amazing car built to the highest standards. I'm still a Corvair fan but after driving and maintaining these Porsches, the Corvair just doesn't compare in engineering, build quality and driving dynamics. The two makes are just in different automotive worlds. Any time I see a Corvair I still stop and appreciate how neat those cars are!
@@MBSLC I don't know much about Porsches, but in general German engineering was tip notch back in the 1960s. However when you consider the American automobile industry, you realize that often it's the engineers, the stylists and the bean counters at each other's throats. It's truly a miracle that anything new made it to market without exploding or falling apart. Certainly the radical Corvair was an amazing accomplishment...
How can a 9 year run and over a million in sales be considered a failure??
Fantastic vehicles in the hand of those that knew how to appreciate and maintain them
I've been a Corvair fan since I was a kid. There's just something about that styling.
Especially the '65-'69 models, still looks great!
Cool looking car😃
Love Corvairs, had two of them, but dude you sounded like a depressed funeral director in this video.
hahhaahahaha
Not only is this extreamly boring, he's often wrong too.
No doubt, what's his angle?
He sounds just like the depressed radio DJ on the Tarantino film sound track " super sound of the seventies " I think out of the movie "Jackie Brown " !
@@planpitz4190 thats Reservoir Dogs your thinking, back when his films wern't banned in my house.
The introduction of the 1962 Chevy II Nova also cut into Corvair sales.
Love this vid! My grandmother had a 1965 Corvair, bought new.
I still have the bill of sale and a pic of me, as a child, standing beside it.
Sadly, the car is long gone.
I've had four of them in my life and wish I still had them. I always had good money because of my trade and was quite the car buff. I knew some people that worked in GM's experimental building and was privy to info that other people were not. I'm glad you brought up this segment and enjoy your videos. I wish you could have seen and driven the doom buggy I made out of a Corvair Spider because there wasn't any other buggy out there that could hold a candle to my conservative 210 HP, 15 inch wide tires on the back and self-made headers with a VW front end and came in at a little under 900 lb cromoly tubing frame that was uniquely tided together for strength. I was very proud of my creation. Look forward to your next video.
Steve Silvas 64 was the last year for the Spyder.
Sounds to me like the evolution of the Pony Car and Muscle Car did as much damage to Corvair sales as Nader's book...
The Corvair wasn't any worse than other cars in its era
I see them produce millions of new SUVs that roll over at the drop of a hat and they don’t ban them.
They were all death traps by today's standard
@@jamescooke3763 The Corvair is somewhat safer than it's contemporaries in frontal impacts, thanks to the front trunk acting like a crumple zone and there being no potential engine intrusion.
This isn't to say it's safe by modern standards, mind you!
@@kw9849 I accept that, but it wasn't designed to be a crumple zone, and you would either be impaled by the solid steering column or you would be thrown through the windscreen.
My brother had one. He said they couldn't stop the oil leaks.
That was a good car I worked on them as a GM tech work on the spider and the turbo that car had good steering Ralph Nader was a jackass
Ralph put a red flag on that car when travel straps were all it needed. He is an american hero for sueing to get us seat belts, safety glass and airbags later. Long list of things he fought for we take 4 granted
Ed, please do your homework.
Nader woke up the calcified auto industry, leading to padded dashes, collapsing steering columns, seatbelts, front crumple zones and numerous other safety features. A columnist in a major auto magazine just a few years ago wrote words to this effect, “Ralph, we have beaten you up way too long and without your spirit and dedication, the golden era of automobiles we now enjoy would likely have been delayed by many years.”
Ralph Nader May have been a bit harsh on the early Corvair, but as this fine video points out, the early car had serious rear suspension issues which were largely financial motivated and indeed later corrected, and low tire pressure, combined with overdriving of those models, caused too many crashes.
Post-Nader, industry decision makers woke up and began listening to their engineers, most of whom knew exact what needed to be done...and they began doing it.
@Lord Colin So called 'Libtards' are the ones trying to stop corporations from selling flawed dangerous products.
Steve Waclo I’ll agree with the Nader part. A lot of good came out of what he did. People give him too much credit for killing the Corvair. Firstly the Corvair was exonerated in 1972 by the NHTSA as being no more dangerous as any other car of its era. It didn’t have any inherent suspension issues. It just drove differently from other cars and drivers didn’t know how to handle it. Corvair was doomed from the start because of production costs and price point. Chevy II built its coffin and Mustang drove the final nail in. Corvair sales dripped after 62 and Nader’s book didn’t hit shelves until 65. The bad press actually forced GM to continue Corvair production for a few years just to save face.
Spyder!
Corvair (both gens) was one of the best designs from Chevrolet. From Nader to Lee Iacocca, many people found Corvair to be unsafe. However, there were Corvair options for better handling as was stated in the video. Whether yesterday, today or in the future, people will always demand more nanny devices and lay blame on others. It is just the way of the world.
both men worked/payed 💰by ford/drearbon-independent propaganda wings of Henry ford,edcel-ford,ford-the-3d and the Jewish publisher... sorry forgetting Henry's friends names but easy to learn/look-up
faced with how well corvair sold ( 100k+ aka full line producing as ever 90k is a full line for that era so 1-4-line's running year round and or needing retooling at the end of the tax-year from being wore-out-fully ) ford-3d/grandson probably was scared that he was loosing younger/sub-30yo buyers and didn't have something/products/R&D that could competition-fairly so next planning was to taint/tank GMC/Chevy's reputation's ( also hopeful for foreign makes would get banned in the USA 🇺🇸 markets from successful P-R campaign against them, but being vw and toyota is made/sold in the USA 🇺🇸 that politically motivated/movement failed hard and in the 70's-90's kinda backfired on ford/big-3/UAW, mixed feelings about that as i like home grown production/products and local workers ect but the clean air act and safety/consumers protection standards was needed by 1930's ) and somewhat dodge's-ect, dodge by the mid60's had mid to higher end products and sales and a buyer's crowd of 17-45 year olds ( even worked on me a millennial/90-kid generation that got a convertible/2-gen-charger manual+426hemi... so Chrysler corporate office strategy was to move at midlevel/same-old or going up marketing/$$$ with older/wealthy buyers and therefor didn't see the bug/corvair as a worthwhile challenger/threats yet ) mostly aimed to convertibles or faster/proformnice ie 440-max-wedge or hemi-v8 on drag strips or nascar, leaving ford with mid-priced/optioned SBF-v8-automatics satiation-wagons or high/super-end Lincolns ( yes they had a good ROI but as a % didn't sell very many )( ps ford-truck's didn't sell well in 1950-80~ that was a Chevy's timeline and 2d placement was fargo/FCA/international/other's ) being the better selling models
btw i don't care for lee as CEO of dodge townson was a better experience, later on nader turncoated on ford corporation and ford-3/grandson
added to the fact that few people recognized the handling characteristics of a rear engine car. Popular among school teachers and the like.....
My local Chevy dealer still has one of these on display in the showroom, along with a 1970's era Caprice convertible.
My local Chevy dealer that I work for has a '66 Corvair spyder convertible with the turbo engine. It's unrestored but in pretty fair shape.
There is a Dealer in VA still has a brand new Plymouth Super Bird on the showroom floor..
@@mikeskidmore6754 why can't I hit a large amount lottery and purchase that vehicle.
My local Chevy dealer still has a Squarebody in display. No restoration was necessary.
At 8:50 in this video, it is said, "If Chevrolet had given the Corvair the fully independent rear suspension for 1960, instead of waiting for 1965, the Corvair would never have received this bad rap." I respectfully disagree. Opportunists have little regard for truth, and that, IMHO, applies to trial lawyers in general, and Mr. Nader in particular. I have a saying, "A trial lawyer's main job is to make the untrue sound plausible." The Corvair was celebrated by innovative thinkers, but the industry was rather hidebound in those days, and there were many who disliked unconventional designs- including some at Chevrolet.
All that would have happened is that the book would have featured a different car.
my 62 corners just as good as any fwd car,,,radials an tire psi is the trick...you can crash anything,,,
They always HAD "fully independent suspension"...
Just a different type. Early ones had swing axles- still, one operates completely independent of the other, but is not attached to the other, hence the term. The camber issues are another story.
An example of a semi-independent or "not fully independent" would be the popular twist-beam axle. One wheel moves independently of the other but is still tied to the other by the twist-beam; making it NOT fully independent.
Didn't know about GM's decision to not spend the money to put a front sway bar on the 60-63 Corvair. That's inexcusable.
The Covair engineers intended for the car to have a sway bar from Day-1. It was the beancounters who decided to omit it. Look close at the gas tank of any 1960-63 Corvair, The bottom is notched to clear a factory sway bar. Spyders got a sway bar from '62-up, and of course all Corvairs got a sway bar after the '63 model year. I have 2 1960 Corvairs, one of which has a '64 front suspension and yes its original gas tank has the notch to clear the sway bar. It wasn't engineering, it was beancounters.
Tony Underwood the lack of a sway bar was common. Just like on the early Chevy II. GM offered them as an option. And honestly the front sway bar on a Corvair doesn’t make a huge difference in daily driving. Keep the tires at the right pressures and they drive just fine.
@@tonyunderwood9678 spot on. well informed comment. to be honest I love the corvair, I've always felt to a certain extent that GM were genuinely unsure about what the corvairs market was. Yes, I appreciate the new compact market, but in commentary at the time, the main designers were struggling to understand the success of the beetle. as exner succinctly put it: "ever seen a poor person in a VW?", exner and walker put it down to the "beret wearers", which I'm guessing meant arty individual types, so maybe GM were coming to similar conclusions and designed and styled corvair to be sold as more exotic with euro engineering? (the valiant of course had pseudo euro styling with conventional engineering but exners star was starting to wane). I've been reading contemporary design studio interviews and they really were struggling with the success of the beetle. curiously none of the responses from the engineers or the stylists at the time touched remotely on the sheer reliability and longevity of the beetle, which is possibly saying something?
Daniel S Sorry, not going to sway my opinion. Failure to properly maintain your vehicle doesn’t equate to a fault in the design. The NHTSA study in 72 proved that the 60-63 Corvair wasn’t any more prone to loss of control than its competitors. And having used Corvairs as my daily drivers for a few years now unless I am really pushing one through a rough corner I notice very little difference between my 62 without a sway bar and my 63 that has one.
It wasn’t just a cost issue. Chevy omitted the anti-sway bar to make servicing the undercarriage easier. They eventually engineered around that issue.
Has anyone noticed how the original Corvair styling was aped by BMW and NSU??? Imitation the sincerest form of flattery. We had two Corvairs. Served the family well.
I had a 65 Corsa convertible with the 180 hp turbo 4 sped. One of the most fun to drive cars I ever owned...it would destroy a 289 Mustang.
Great times in the auto industry back then....lots of innovation and nice styling. Like the VW, the Corvair's heater wasn't all that great.
What do you mean, nothing like the cabin filling with the smell of an oily hot engine to warm you up! VW's idea of exhaust heat exchangers worked a bit better and without the smell for the most part.
Well I can destroy any Mustang of the same era in the low end with my 1980 231 3.8L V6 LeSabre Ltd. Boogity-boogity racecar! 😂😂
If you didn't purchase the optional (and expensive) propane heater for your VW Bus, anyone in the back would freeze to death in northern states! Little power, and no heat - I hated those things!
@@Loulovesspeed Why would anyone drive a VW Bus in the winter? lol
@Space Ghost - You would have to ask my Brother-In-Law, it was his! Overall, it is probably my most disliked passenger vehicle (just the Bus). The Beetle was fun to drive, but its lack of real heat in the Winter was tough on passengers and not tough enough on windshield ice. The Bus though was a different story. IMHO, it had a frighteningly narrow track coupled with a fairly high center of gravity - especially when loaded up, and tires way too narrow and small overall for this vehicle. It was pathetic in anything resembling a cross wind. You want to really fight a steering wheel like you never did before? I never felt safe in one and made a point of staying out of one when possible.
The early Corvairs had some problems. I had a 61and it never let me down but the heater sucked and the handling was iffy. Great in snow though. The later models had many improvements and were really very nice cars, but by then the Corvair's reputation had been destroyed by Ralph Nader's book about the shortcomings of the early models. If GM had continued to build and improve them who knows what we might have seen? I remember going to SCCA races and watching Yenko Stingers blow the doors off much higher priced cars.
Used to see them around a lot .
My dad bought a new 1966 Ford Fairlain with a 289. He decided to take on a Corvair Spyder . Spyder left him in the dust .
I could beat the Chevy 283, and 327 with mine. It was not as fast as a GTO, or 396 Chevelle.
@@bobdc234 I think the Fairlane new was $2400 . 2 door sedan 3 speed 2 barrel . Back then those small V8's were quite peppy even with a 2 barrel .
@@bobdc234 A classmate of mine's older brother had a Turbo Spyder that would stomp any Corvette stoplight to stoplight.
I had a 68 Spyder with the handling pkg.
In NJ time trials/track days it was in the same class as Mustangs & Camaros and they couldn't understand how they were getting beat by a Corvair :)
Fantastic video. My first car was a 1965 light blue Corvair Monza. I really loved that car and wish I still had it.
It didn't fail. It was sabotaged.
salmonline : Agreed. How could a car that was in production for 10 years be called a "failure"?
The Edsel was made for just 3 years.the Chevy Vega was made from 1970-1977.
So the Corvair outlasted both those cars.
That and the fact that nobody knew how to drive it,
Dennis LePorte That’s true, and keep the tires properly inflated. (Just like Ralph Nader’s ego.)
Ralph Nader was bought by Folkswagen ,, pardon me Volkswagen
@Rich Santoro But "why did X fail" makes a catchy title.
I believe you are right on about the Mustang and Camaro, also the tire pressures. I owned a 64 convertible for many years and loved it. Now I love my Vette.
Great Video.. Ive owned many Corvair cars and Rampside and they were AWESOME..
Look at what the aftermarket and Corvair folks have done for the Corvair since Chevy gave up on it! Disc brakes,fuel injection,electronic ignition,cooling improvements,handling improvements only touch the surface! The proven Corvair could have been Chevy's saving grace during to fuel crisis of the 70s,had they looked past their nose and continued to improve the car!
Add some suspension upgrades that are readily available and you can turn a Corvair into a true GT touring car! I did that with my 66 Monza and what a wonderful car it is to drive!!!
Air cooling was a dead end due to emissions regulations....even Porsche gave up.
@@jamesanderton344 But they didn't give up until the 90's
The 1st gen Corvair is the ONLY chevy I'd ever consider owning, it's a good lookin, unique ride....I'd especially like to own the 1964 turbocharged version....
Unlike the Beetle, the Corvair had the power and torque of a Porsche.
Actually, TWICE the torque of a contemporary Porsche.
@@markmailander6441 You could make that case, but dependent on the year and models compared.
My Dad bought the 1960 Corvair when it came out. Automatic, it was one of the first cars to have A/C, which was and is, sorely needed in Florida. The only problem was that when Dad wanted to pass someone, he had to turn off the A/C to get that extra power!
The second gen 2 door Corvair is one of the best looking American cars ever made. It's a shame so many are rotting away because of peoples fear of them
I always liked the Corvair, especially the Monza Coupé and Spider
I had 3 of them, 4door, 2door Monza, an truck, loved them!
I still have 2 1965.... a convertible 140 4 sp and a hardtop 1965 110 power glide. Love 'em.
I've loved the styling of this car from the day I first saw one as a little kid in the 60s. Especially the later models, just beautiful!
Over the years my family and I had seven of them. To me the biggest drawback wasn't the handling, it was the rubber seals in the engine that would crack over time and leak like a sieve. Also the 2-spd. Powerglide was a dog, the 3 or 4-spd. manual was the only way to go.
My mom had a 1964 Corvair sedan and I remember many times when my sister and I rode in it by standing up on the rear seat. I also remember that after a couple of years, it started "throwing oil" as my dad would say.
Excellent presentation. All consistent with what I remember. Too bad Chevrolet didn’t create a Corvair racing program. Things might have turned out differently.
Dad bought the station wagon in 1961 and it was a great vehicle. With the engine weight over the drive wheels, it was excellent in snow.
A very educational and informative presentation indeed. I had no idea that the Chevrolet Corvair was so versitile and ground breaking. Thank You! P.S I'm not an American so I greatful for your excellent channel :-)
Chevy was renowned for oil leaks back then... this was a masterpiece of driveway destruction.
Get up, go out and see your driveway oily in the morning. Cheers!
@Poof wear a gas mask when using the heater. Problem solved. Cheers!
Agreed. Strange this wasn't mentioned. Coviar was a smoky oily mess!
Yes, the Corvair was killed by the accountants because GM would save a whopping $0.50/car by using buna (neoprene) o-rings on the [much hotter running, air-cooled engine] push-rod tubes instead of the Viton o-ring specified by the engineers. Bottom line: DO NOT ALLOW ACCOUNTANTS TO SECOND-GUESS ENGINEERING DECISIONS.
Porsche 356s would offload oil, too. You didn’t worry til you didn’t see any oil puddles because it meant you were out of oil. SCCA didn’t know anything about turbocharging at this time, and a racer I know was getting 400 HP and running in D production against MGBs and TR4s.
Thanks for the video. Lots of memories.
I remember its rear end sliding on dirt roads. Fun.
First Camaro I tried to climb into was so small,
I never tried to get in one again.
A Corvair owner and lover here, and I gotta say that your presentation is the most truthful, unbiased and realistic one I have heard. Not filled with BS, hype, folklore or misrepresentation!! I truly is a great car that is simply misunderstood and storied with false or untruthful hearsay. Get your Corvair now while you can, they are going up in value pretty fast considering where they were 10 years ago. Too much longer and you will be paying real money to get a nice one.
I remember most of all, the unique engine sound of the Corvair.
That's exactly the same thing my father said. I wish I can hear one. I've never seen one in my life.
They built ~200k cars a year on average. Far from a failure.
Great video.. thanks for the Post.. Cheers from Southern California.. Daily driver 68 Dodge Dart.. I live 60s era cars.. and always had fondness for the Corvair..
With all due respect for the Corvair, the biggest loss from its elimination was the end of the Fitch Phoenix, a very cool vehicle based on a Corvair chassis that was significantly improved, along with a bump in horsepower to 170. John Fitch, the creator, had plans for 500, but sadly, only one was completed when GM dropped the Corvair. It sold at the Greenwich Auction in Connecticut for around $240,000 a short time after John's passing in 2012. If you've never seen it, look it up as it's a wonderful looking vehicle! The front end was the inspiration for the 1968 Corvette.
Great stuff, keep it coming, thanks!
Here on the Oregon coast, a lot of people like using the pancake engine in their sandrails. Poor man's Porsche.
Lol ok nowww 😅
Finished Finnish but not the last... that is what really matters.
Same in the California desert. Corvair powered sand rails sound really cool.
@Finished Finnish Porsche didn't come out with a turbo until what 1974 or 75?
Here in the Willamette Valley we have a decent amount of Corvairs that gather at meets, and too many old VWs to count
Bill Mitchel who championed the design was clearly a visionary. Having owned two a 61 wagon and a 68 coupe I think the real reason corvair was only successful in the early years was due to design issues beyond the obvious. The wagon rusted the entire floor out because it used rubber mats with jute backing which held in moisture. I cut a floor out of. A sedan and replaced it gas petal back to rear seat. Worked perfectly. The tail heavy wagon never jacked the swing axle in a corner because I paid attention to the rear tire pressures and installed C sized tires. Unstoppable in the blizzard of 78. Used the front wheels like rudders in 18 inches do snow. Drove the 68 until 79 80k. Handled really well even with bad rear alignment. Radials were a huge improvement. Nobody knew that. Underside of dash and windshield Pilar’s and door jambs rusted out way too fast. All the 2 carb engines were super reliable. But cheap external systems like the cooling door bellows caused the engine to run too cool during warm up. The the biggest problem were the rubber the seals in the oil cooler and tubes between the crankcase and the heads and proximity to the exhaust manifolds. Heat cooked the seals causing the engine to leak oil. The heater relied on hot engine air which now contained oil fumes. So the heater and defrost became unusable. Who wants a car like that. With the space program a new seal material called viton was developed which can handle the heat and retrofitted corvair engines are oil tight. So many aspects of the corvair design were brilliant but a few cost cutting mistakes bring down any inspired design. VW improved the beetle for 50 years. Air cooling would not have survived emission controls. But the Vega was a stupid backpedal which also had serious design flaws. GM management has been stupid since Mitchel. Blame them and the idiot accountants. Engineers make great companies. Not business school idiots.
I believe they're one of the only cars that have a synchronized reverse gear on the standard transmission and let you go into reverse when you were going forward at almost any speed. Which made for a very fun ride
Maybe that is how James Garner (Rockford, from Rockford Files TV show), started practicing his "Rockford" driving manouver, and perfected it in his firebird!
I had one (1969 / 2 door monza) I LOVED IT. It was and still is to this day one of my favorite cars I ever owned. It was like driving a big gocart with a body. I regretted trading it for a 65 el Camino. The 67 camaro took its design from the 66 camaro. If I was to ever come into money I would by another one and have it completely off body restored
I learned how to drive a Stright gear in one of these, thanks Pop
I have a 66 Monza convertible and love it handles great and looks so much better than any new cars out there today
Back 1964 my Dad bought a used Carvair (2 speed automatic with the shifter on the dashboard) for his 'work' car. I just got my driver's license. You always remember the first car you get to drive. A few years later my younger brother bought a sportier Corvair and drove it a couple of years. Never believed anything Ralph Nader said after he bashed to the car.
That was very interesting and informative. Thanks for making this video.
My dad taught me how to drive in a 4 speed corvair. Telephone books on the seat so I could reach the pedals.
Those Corvairs were really great in the snow cause of the rear engine. My roommate in Park City, UT had one and never got stuck.
I liked the Corvair the ride was fun,snappy and I loved the 60’s smell of the interior I owned a 69 Cameron it was a huge blast to drive
I always liked the Corvair. The Spyder was the model I wanted to get my hands on back then. Finally ended up getting a '67 Mustang GT 390.
Another huge factor in the demise of the Corvair, was the coming smog laws. Engineers would have to keep leaning out the fuel mixture, among other things, leading to poorer performance. Quite a sad story, Corvairs are really fun, handle very well.
Despite some inaccuracies, this is a great report.
I bought a 64 Corvair Monza about 6 months ago, I've been working on it for the time that I've had it and I have to say that I really love the car. It just looks, sounds, and handles well, I've never really had any major malfunction with it (when driving it, not when working on it lol) other than the occasional fan belt slip, which is an easy fix.
Nice examples of Corvairs can be bought for low dollars.
Jay Leno featured a nice Yenko version.
Yes I saw it super cute car.
Marco Moreno ...When I was a kid there were several Covairs in my neighborhood. They were pretty beat.
A ten year model run is not a failure. The Porsche 914 is not a failure and it only lasted five years
Owned two in the seventies: automatic and stick. The stick was a lot of fun. That car was great in the snow. I learned quickly to ALWAYS keep a spare fan belt onboard. Spent a day in east New Jersey driving slowly looking for a belt to buy. Replaced it with a Jeep CJ5. Thanks for stirring up good memories.
Peace
To people who are not satisfied by this video or channel. Or have negative feedback. Just go elsewhere... Simple solution. Would u rather have some hand-me-down comedian narrating that focuses more on jokes than information. I respect this channel and all it's videos. Please continue to upload. Happy new year's to all an have a great year you guys.... Anyway back to my nostalgic fix.... 😏🤙😎
This was informative and well presented . Thank you.
Me too compadre, n I like ur name my fav olds is the 1970 98 sedan with a 400 engine overdrive hydromatic 400, n larger rear end that car could run 30 years my friend a land yacht. 😎
Excellent but should have mentioned that the introduction of the Chevy II for yhe 62 model year was also a factor in its demise.
I want a rampside in 2019! What a great idea
Not worth millions in design changes for just a handfull. They'll never recoup what they spend on R&D and tooling.
Robert Hayes relax old man
Yeah, I'm seeing a need for a side ramp.
@@roberthayes6329 if you work in the city a side ramp is often advantageous
@@flashgordon3715 they already got that, sprinter vans with side ramp installed. Or if you got a little more, the Mercedes version. Most people just use the tailgate on a pickup.
In 1969 my friend sold me his 1966 corvair corsa. It was an awesome car. I surprised the driver of a 1966 Fairlane 289.
I had it up to 115 mph with 4 passengers on it. I let up because the front end felt like it was lifting. Great car with lots of memories. Black/black. My friend was upset that I didn't sell it back to him, as I guess I said I would
My grandmother left me her 1965 monza 140, black on black. I got my license in this car,went to my prom in it as well,heck my oldest son was probably conceived in it! In high school I just had to polish the chrome & scrub the white walls & I was sporting a head Turner! The car has 38 thousand original miles on it at this time & still going strong. I am 60yrs old now & wouldn't trade it for anything!
Another factor is the success of the Ford Falcon. Chevy rushes to built the Chevy II which was a conventional layout. You could get a V8 in the Nova SS. Therefor it was gutted in the sports car market by the Mustang and the economy car market by the Falcon and Chevy II.
Normally I like your videos and find them to be pretty accurate. But the Corvair didn't fail. They sold almost two million of them. In the short time they were in production.
Those were definitely very unique cars for the day. A head of their time. Unibody, front and rear independent suspension. Had a sound of their own. Back in the 80's I was working at a Shell station we had a customer who had a '64 I think it was a Monza 2 door hardtop 3 speed.anyway he had bought it new and had to wait 6 months for delivery. He had said that they were very popular at the time and paid about $1500 if I remember right. He took very good care of it. Drove it on the weekends. Earlier in the '70's those flat six corvair engines were widely used in VW bugs- Baja conversion's. Thanks for the memories!
I remember the ramp-side pickup!
And public perception still beats actual reality to this day even with all the knowledge available at everyone's fingertips.
Should have made it right from the start GM, their cheapo ignition switches prove that they never learn.
Drove one for 9 years; sold it and recouped almost every penny I put in to it, including building an engine etc. They are quite affordable, and fun to work on. I miss actualyl DRIVING a car vs, simply 'guiding' one.....
In the late 70's, I knew a guy whose family had a bunch of old Corvairs sitting around the property. The cars had just been driven or towed to various places in the woods and left to rust. I guess there was still enough stigma to the name that no one thought of assembling parts to get a couple of working vehicles. If they'd had storage space, they probably could have made some money keeping the parts from rusting and selling them over time.
Nader's book was the first "Car" book I read when I started my auto mechanic career in high school tech class in the 70's. I was waiting for the vid to talk more about some facts in the book regarding the people killed as a result of the design of the rear suspension. The vid was informative and the narrators matter of fact delivery made it more watchable, but there are some out there that show how a driver of any level of skill can "lose it" on a curve. Less about tire pressure and more about what the back wheels would do (camber/caster?) with all that weight on a curve at speed. Still would have like to hear more of Chevys decision to not include a component (front stabilizer bar) due to them weighing the cost of the part as opposed to death claim payouts (remember the Ford Pinto?). That kind of information should be included in a full disclosure type vid.
they were not a failure in fact gm sold millions of them they were a very well built car got good mileage easy to keep up the maintenance, actually good cars all the way around
The Corvair was definitely a car ahead of its time. The design was imitated on cars throughout the world. I haven’t owned one yet but my dream Corvair would be a Yenko Stage III Stinger.
Excellent video best explanation of what happened to the Corsair. Man this is a fun little car to drive.They made at GT model boxer 8 cylinder two turbo only one was produced in private collection
The 65+ model years are especially good looking cars. My Dad had a 66 when I was a kid.
I wouldn' call a 10 rear run a failier
It's like when Chrysler stopped making PT Cruisers, all stories about it "failing". It was built almost unchanged for 11 years and for most of those years sold well. In today's auto industry that's a success story.
10 “rear’ run ?.?. ... You funny guy .. haha ..
@@jigglydoo Ree's rawking rike Rastro or Scooby Doo for some reason.
I'll never forget . In the mid1960s were driving on the Hollywood freeway in a storm . We hit a water patch , the Monza did a quick 360 spin ending in the same lane and direction it started . Freakiest thing that ever happened to me in a car . Well , maybe second freakiest . My first girlfriend was pretty freaky too .
Very Informative video...