On May 14, 2015, hundreds of Corvair enthusiasts from all over the U.S. and Canada came to gather at the Yankee Air Museum near the Willow Run Assembly Plant to enjoy a tribute event honoring the Makers of the Chevrolet Corvair created and hosted by Corvair Historian, Eva "Corvair Lady" McGuire. There were 16 guest speakers which included GM Designers, engineers, auto workers, special guests, family members of Corvair Makers and guest of honor, Mr. David Cole (son of Ed Cole, the Father of the Corvair). Folks enjoyed hearing never before first hand stories of Corvair design and production. You'll hear stories about the first hand assembled car and production 1960 Corvair (car #1) and what happened to it before it rolled off the assembly line among other tales including meeting the third designer of the Corvair Monza GT concept car, the gentleman credited for the Corvair FC truck front end theme design, and one of the designers of the proposed 1970 Corvair. The event was held on the 46th anniversary of the last day of Corvair production...May 14, 1969, at 1:30pm when the last made 1969 Corvair rolled off the assembly line at Willow Run.
A proclamation written by Corvair Lady declaring May 14, 2015, "Chevrolet Corvair Appreciation Day" was signed by the Governor of Michigan and local mayor of Ypsilanti Twp. and presented to Mr. Cole. Outside the event, there were two car shows (one indoors/one outdoors) featuring various Corvair cars and trucks including a special historical reunion of the last made surviving 1969 coupe (car #5999) and last made 1969 convertible (car #5997) that hadn't seen each other since they were made on May 14, 1969. A public debut of Astronomer Carl Sagan's 1964 Spyder convertible also made its first time public appearance since it was restored, and Frank Winchell's 1962 Corvair was also on special display as well as Ned Nickles 1969 Monza, and a horn slot Corvair! There are videos on UA-cam that showcase peripheral activities to the tribute event that you can find by typing "Meet the Makers of the Chevrolet Corvair" in the search bar.
Sadly, we no longer have a working relationship and severed ties with the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum and the Detroit Area Corvair Club due to difficulties that some of their officers and personnel have given to our staff at Meet the Makers and other Corvair organizations. Shortly after this event, CORSA decided to remove the national story that the Corvair Preservation Foundation (CPF) had and the Corvair displays were removed out of the Ypsilanti Auto Museum due to these difficulties. The CPF later opened their own museum "National Corvair Museum" in Glenarm, Illinois, and the Meet the Makers of the Chevrolet Corvair group created its own "Willow Run Corvair Club" in November 2023. We still have some good friends in the Detroit Area Corvair Club.
If anyone watching this video knows of a Corvair Maker, please have them contact Eva at corvairlady@gmail.com so she can document their stories to preserve for future generations.
Thank you for viewing and showing an interest in Corvair history!