Exploring the Functionality of the Chevrolet Corvair

The Corvair became Chevrolet's most-debated model since the failed "Copper-Cooled" version of 1923. Interestingly, neither was intended to cause controversy; both were simply reactions to the market demands of their respective eras.

The Corvair's downfall stemmed from its unconventional design, which made it too expensive for its intended role as an economy car and too unconventional for its target buyers. Ironically, it was its unexpected success in a new market segment that allowed it to survive for as long as it did.

The real twist lies in the Corvair's popularity as a sporty compact, which inadvertently led to the creation of its competitor, the Ford Mustang. The final blow came from Ralph Nader, a rising lawyer who brought further scrutiny to the model.

Chevrolet's fascination with a smaller companion vehicle dates back to the late 1940s, when it considered the Cadet, a prototype four-door sedan weighing 2200 pounds and featuring a conventional design, developed shortly after World War II.

Equipped with a short-stroke 133-cid variant of the division's renowned "Stovebolt Six," this compact car with a 108-inch wheelbase was designed to be sold at minimal prices in anticipation of a postwar economic downturn. However, the market surged instead, making the Cadet redundant. Additionally, its production costs matched those of a standard Chevy, making it unprofitable at the intended $1000 price point, leading to its cancellation in mid-1947.

By the late 1950s, the scenario had changed dramatically. With Volkswagen and Renault leading the way, the growing sales of economy imports became impossible to overlook, especially after the 1957 national recession. American Motors introduced the 1958 American, a revamped version of the 1955 Nash Rambler, while Studebaker launched the 1959 Lark, a downsized full-size car. The Lark's success even temporarily halted Studebaker's decline.

These independent initiatives soon faced competition from the Big Three. Ford prepared its Falcon, and Chrysler its Valiant, for the 1960 model year. General Motors had already marketed its "captive imports," such as British Vauxhalls and German Opels, in 1958-59. For 1960, GM turned to the Corvair.

Conceived in 1956, the Corvair was primarily the vision of Chevy's chief engineer, Edward N. Cole, who later became GM president. As a technician's car, it stood out as the most innovative among the new Big Three compacts.

Possibly influenced by Cole's fascination with aviation—or more likely by the widespread appeal of the VW Beetle—the design centered on a 140-cid air-cooled flat-six engine, initially producing 80 to 95 horsepower. Uniquely, it was rear-mounted (a feature Corvair advertisements proudly highlighted as the ideal engine placement). This engine was notably complex, featuring six individual cylinder barrels and a split crankcase.

Despite its lightweight aluminum construction, the engine weighed 366 pounds, exceeding the target by 78 pounds. This oversight would later impact the car's handling negatively.

The Corvair boasted all-independent suspension and unit construction, both rare for American cars at the time. Its sleek 108-inch-wheelbase Y-body platform was entirely new, though the all-coil suspension was somewhat rudimentary: front wishbones and rear semitrailing swing axles reminiscent of the VW Beetle. Antiroll bars were excluded to minimize costs, saving just $4 per car, despite GM's awareness of their necessity for stable handling with rear swing axles and a rear-biased weight distribution.

This choice, along with management's push for assembly standardization, delayed the introduction of more advanced suspension systems until 1962. That year, a Regular Production Option offered stiffer springs, shorter rear-axle limit straps, and a front sway bar. A significant upgrade came in 1964 with the addition of a transverse rear camber-compensating spring.

However, the original 1960-63 Corvair suspension was not the "dangerous, ill-handling car" later lawsuits alleged. It did exhibit oversteer, but the tendency was manageable if the recommended tire pressures (15 psi front, 26 psi rear) were maintained. Unfortunately, many owners neglected this, leading to some unfortunate incidents.

Ralph Nader's exposé in *Unsafe at Any Speed* turned the Corvair's handling into a major controversy, which wasn't resolved until a 1972 congressional investigation exonerated the 1960-63 models. Unfortunately, this vindication came too late, as the Corvair had already been discontinued for three years.

1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Chevrolet Corvair

The Corvair's production spanned two distinct generations: 1960-64 and 1965-69. The first generation featured basic four-door sedans in "500" and more upscale "700" trims, priced between $2000 and $2100. A three-speed manual transaxle was standard, with the option of Chevy's two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.

Midway through the model year, two-door 500 and 700 coupes were introduced, but the standout was the new "900" Monza coupe, which featured a stylish interior complete with bucket seats.

The Monza gained momentum in 1961 with the introduction of an optional four-speed gearbox, revealing a strong demand for sporty, enjoyable compact cars. This was a fortunate turn, as Ford's simpler and more affordable Falcon was dominating the economy car market. From this point, the rear-engine Corvair increasingly targeted driving enthusiasts.

However, some plans were already set, leading to the release of the Corvair Lakewood station wagons and a Monza sedan in 1961. The Lakewood offered impressive cargo capacity—58 cubic feet behind the front seat and an additional 10 under the front hood—surpassing many compact and even some larger wagons. Despite this, sales were lackluster, with first-year production barely reaching 25,000 units.

Chevrolet also introduced the unique Corvair-based Greenbrier window van, Corvan panel, and Rampside pickup, all forward-control models inspired by VW's Type 2 Microbus and precursors to modern minivans. Additionally, the flat-six engine was enlarged to 145 cid, with standard power at 80 hp and an optional $27 "Turbo Air" upgrade boosting it to 98 hp.

In 1962, the 500 series was reduced to a single coupe, while the Monza line expanded to include a wagon (no longer named Lakewood) and a new convertible. The Monza wagon was luxurious, but only about 6,000 were produced before the body style was discontinued to make way for the Chevy II, a conventional compact designed to succeed where the Corvair had faltered in the economy market.

Mid-1962 saw the debut of the most sought-after first-generation Corvair: the turbocharged Monza Spyder. Initially a $317 option package for Monza coupes, it featured a 150-hp engine with chrome accents, a shorter final drive for quicker acceleration, heavy-duty suspension, and a multigauge instrument panel with a tachometer and brushed-metal trim. The four-speed transmission and sintered-metallic brakes were required extras.

The Spyder came with a hefty price tag, starting at $2600, but it was considered the closest thing to a Porsche at the time. Over 40,000 units were produced through 1964.

First-generation Corvair designs saw only subtle annual updates, primarily focused on the front end. The original winged Chevy bowtie emblem was replaced by a smaller logo on a narrow chrome bar in 1961. The 1962 models featured dummy air slots, which were swapped for a wide single chevron in 1963, followed by a double-bar version of the 1961 design in subsequent years.

The major update for 1964 was the introduction of a stroked 164-cid engine, delivering 95 or 110 bhp in its standard form. However, the Spyder's power output remained unchanged.

1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 Chevrolet Corvair

The year 1965 marked a dramatic design transformation. The second-generation Corvair showcased a sleek appearance, flattering from every angle, a testament to the efforts of GM Design led by William L. Mitchell.

The design resembled something an Italian coachbuilder might create—similar to Pininfarina's custom-bodied 1964 Corvair. The 1965 Corvair not only featured an attractive shape but also the perfect amount of chrome detailing. Closed models were now pillarless hardtops, and a four-door option returned to the 500 series.

The 1965 models were equally innovative under their stylish exteriors. The turbocharged six-cylinder engine now delivered 180 bhp, but the standout was the new 140-bhp naturally aspirated engine, standard on the top-tier Corsa coupe and convertible, replacing the Monza Spyder. Its increased power came from redesigned cylinder heads, manifolds, and four progressively linked carburetors. The "140" engine was optional for lower-tier Corvairs, which retained the 95 bhp standard and 110 bhp optional engines.

The 1960 Corvair was the first mass-produced American car with swing-axle rear suspension. By 1965, it became the first to feature fully independent suspension, second only to the 1963 Corvette. The key difference was that while the Corvette used a single transverse leaf spring for the rear wheels, the Corvair employed individual coil springs.

Both systems featured upper and lower control arms for each rear wheel. The upper arms were essentially the axle halfshafts, while the lower arms consisted of unequal-length, nonparallel trailing arms (two per side). These components worked together to manage all wheel movement. Small rubber-mounted rods extended from each lower arm to the main rear crossmember, absorbing longitudinal motion at the pivot points.

There was no longer any doubt about unpredictable handling at extreme limits: the Corvair now exhibited near-neutral behavior with slight initial understeer. With the rear wheels maintaining a nearly vertical position, the car could be driven aggressively through corners with excellent stability. The front suspension was also fine-tuned to match the new rear setup and enhance roll stiffness.

Following in the footsteps of the Monza Spyder, the 1965-66 Corsa became the most sought-after second-generation Corvair—a status it retains among collectors today. Priced at $2519 for the coupe and $2665 for the convertible, it featured comprehensive instrumentation, distinctive exterior details (including a bright rear-panel appliqué for easy identification), a premium all-vinyl bucket-seat interior, and the 140-bhp engine.

With the optional $158 turbocharged six-cylinder engine, the Corsa entered the performance car arena: it could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 11 seconds and complete the quarter-mile in 18 seconds at 80 mph. Given sufficient space, a turbocharged Corsa could reach speeds of up to 115 mph.

Sadly, the Corsa struggled to compete with Ford's wildly popular Mustang, which debuted about six months earlier and outperformed the Chevy on the road. More concerning was the simultaneous decline in Monza sales.

Although the most popular Corvair model saw a slight rebound in 1965, production dropped by nearly two-thirds the following year. Sales were undoubtedly impacted by Nader's book and GM's awkward admission of surveilling him. However, the criticism and negative publicity were secondary. GM had already decided the Corvair's fate in April 1965 with an internal memo stating, "No further development work. Only meet federal requirements."

When Chevrolet introduced its true Mustang competitor, the Camaro, in 1967, the Corvair lineup was reduced to just the 500 sedan and coupe, along with the Monza sedan, coupe, and convertible. The turbocharged engine was discontinued, and hardtop sedans were phased out after that year.

The 1968-69 Corvairs are among the rarest. Limited to 500 and Monza hardtops and Monza convertibles, they are easily identified by the federally mandated front side-marker lights—clear for 1968 and amber for 1969. Monza convertibles were the scarcest, with only 1386 built in 1968 and 521 in 1969.

With minimal updates amid rapidly declining sales, the Corvair appeared to be nearing its end by 1968. Many were surprised Chevrolet even produced the 1969 models. Some dealers refused to sell or service them, prompting the division to offer remaining buyers a $150 credit toward another Chevy purchase through 1974. This marked the end of the Corvair.

Looking back, the Corvair was a casualty of its own success. Without the Monza, the Mustang—and eventually the Camaro—might never have existed.

The no-more-development directive left the XP-849 project unrealized, despite progressing to two clay mockups: one seemingly a rear-engine design and the other a front-wheel-drive concept. Interestingly, both models bore the "Corvair 2" badge. Potentially a precursor to Chevrolet's ill-fated 1971 Vega, though likely intended for international markets, XP-849 never came to fruition. Yet, it demonstrated that some within GM still embraced the innovative spirit of the original Corvair, despite years of corporate missteps and public scrutiny.