The corvair was quite the car but it really didn't stand a chance against the more traditional front engine rear wheel drive compacts that came from Ford Chrysler AMC and Studebaker. Where that car really would have shined is if it had been sold as a two-door two plus two hardtop and convertible like the mustang. As a family car it didn't work very well. It's too bad it was quite the automobile.
You missed a car. The 1962 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova, brought out only 2 years after Corvair. At that point, Chevrolet was looking as the Corvair more of a sporty compact in Monza guise and the Chevy II which came with a 4 cylinder engine as standard equipment as the economy sedan/wagon. This had to hurt Corvair sales as well.
Back in the early 70s I owned 3 cars and 2 vans. 1 van had double doors on each side. 2 convertibles, one 1964 dark blue with red interior and white top. The other one was maroon with white top(parts car). Shure would love to have them now.
Nader is not responsible for the demise of the Corvair. If you believe otherwise, watch the video! And I read Nader's book. Corvair is just one chapter on a book attacking the Detroit auto makers.
The Corvair was way ahead of Porches! the flat 6 introduced in 1959 , Porches 1965, Corvair Turbo introduced 1962, Porches did not offer one till 1976.In fact the only two things they have in common is a engine in the rear & 7 letters in there name, Corvairs where always coupes or convertibles, & 4dr. sedans. & let us not forget Corvair wagons,trucks & vans. All had a air cooled flat 6 ,never a flat 4 Porches has always been sport cars in the rear engine platform ( air cooled ) & the Porches tractors do not count. I as a Covair owner am insulted for any of my Corvairs to be called a poor mans Porches.Oh! & 1 more thing when Porches introduced there 1st AC flat 6 in early 65 it was the same displacement as the Corvairs a 164 cubic inch which came out in 1964 & I'm very rich for not ever buying a Porches.Thanks for the video.
@@motavaper2613 Also, the Corvair didn't have a radiator anyways. Conventional A/C would have been somewhat difficult, and especially costly. They were meant to be affordable at the time.
It was like a Porsche? Okay sure. But I would guess it was more designed to compete with the VW Beetle than the 356 Porsche. That's what I always believed but I'm open for correction.
If Read the book Unsafe at any speed. It talks about swing axle how it could use a stablelise bar to help with handling. It also said that Covair with the Corvette independent suspension didn't have same issues as the swing axle and it handled better. Here the thing the car was sold as an economy car. Inexperienced drivers were going to buy them. A simple mistake should not make you wreck your car. The car was so ground breaking it had some Teething issues that needed to be worked out and they didn't want to fix them. Today you could put your mother in law in a Porsche Boxer and not worry that she is going to wreck it getting a gallon of milk because the car is sorted out. Not that you going let your mother in law drive anything. The Covair issue is GM said you had to this and that. Today cars are easier to drive. If GM would have worked on making handle better or put the Corvette independent suspension in to begin with it might still be around. In short read a book before judge by it's cover. I still like the Covair after reading the book. I would make sure Covair is all sorted out before I drive it.
I think the guy describing the swing axle is probably a good friend of ol Ralphie boy. Kind of left out it cars out at the time and not targeted like the Porsche also benefited significantly from a compensator bar or side to side mono spring. Also the variety of ways several manufacturers delt with the cons of swing axle. What happened around this car set back progress back by decades in the us car market. It was a lightweight smaller car and engine with good mpg for the day. Instead the mustang type of car was ingrained into the driving culture. Larger heavier cars and engines then the fuel crisis. We were behind the eight ball by now we had to do what countries in europe, asia already had started and been perfecting. Except we were just starting and are just recently getting some luster back on the finish. It's quite a bit easier to hold the hill than to be trudging up it in the mud over and over to retake.
the guy talks about the MONZA being the one with the higher horsepower... I think he means the SPYDER and then the CORSA... But he doesn't even "announce" that!!! This guy did not do his homework.
Built from a 1923 Tatra design, it most definitely was not "ahead of it's time" as they say at the end of this video. The technology, although extremely old, was simply overlooked by American auto builders. Killed finally by the inability to comply with incoming federal emissions regulations, not Ralph Nader or as they claim here, the Ford Mustang. Anyone who believes the Corvair and the Mustang were in the same category (regardless of what Chevrolet may have tried to claim) were pipe dreaming.
The Tatra T-11 was a front-engined, rear-wheel drive, 2-cyl. car. Chevy was visited by a VW engineer during the design of the Corvair, and I don't think it was Mr. Ledwinka. As for the Mustang, it was built on the Falcon frame, as a sporty compact. The fact that it had an optional 289 cu. in. V8 was what helped kill the Corvair. If the gas crunch of the early 70's had come 5 yrs earlier, the Corvair would probably still be available. They still race them against the Porsches, MGs, Healys, etc. in the vintage races.
He doesn't say it's a Tatra T-11, but just Tatra. Tatra 87- 603 and 77's are all rear engine cars before the Corvair and the same concept is clearly visable. Independent suspensions etc... Tatra 77 is from 1934. and in the video the guy says "before Porsche 911". True it came before a 911, but not before the 356, and the 911 concept was out there before the Corvair as Porsche T7. There are other cars with similar caratteristics before the Corvair. To be fair they could say the first American car etc... But no, they have to exagerate....
The denigration of the Corvair epitomizes human proclivity for blaming inanimate objects for human failings. An example, pilots during WWII had to contend with limitations on their fighters’ flight attitudes because of their planes’ carburetors. Inverted flight or pushing over into a dive could result in fuel supply interruption, an inconvenience not sought during aerial combat. Another example is the short wheelbase Jeep whose canyon carving cornering capabilities are severely compromised. However, it excels in the rough stuff. When the strengths and the weakness if a plane, car, motorcycle or kitchen blender are appreciated, and implementation carefully considers limitations, then most tragedies are prevented. Notorious among the human failures with the Corvair was people who thought they knew better than the designers and put excessive pressure in the front tires. Slapping on and off the throttle in a curve was another driver error. Entering the turn too quickly was yet another. Did the car have flaws? Yes. But driven with an understanding of those shortcomings provided many owners with wonderful long years of motoring enjoyment. The Corvair was a car that didn't suffer fools, at all. Ask body shops about restoring Turbo'ed Porsches after some tyro went blitzing on a twisty road and didn't compensate for turbo lag when he nailed the throttle mid-turn. So many beautiful cars wrecked by ignorant amateurs.
I take everything C & D says with a big grain of salt. Just because they say it doesn't mean it's true. In 1973 the NHTSA put the Corvair to numerous tests and determined the car was as safe as anything else produced at the time.
+2right4words This is very true, and often overlooked as a very easy and inexpensive upgrade. The 65' and newer models especially benefited from the addition of a front chin-mounted air dam. I had a 66 'vert with one and it made all the difference.
We owned Several in our family; the Hubcaps SCRAPED the road on sharp turns. The gas pump was right behind the rear bumper; my sisters Exploded into a fireball when it got hit in back. The Paper Zip Tubes would get soaked in oil and Choke you almost to death when the Heater was turned on. The Metal dash was a killer...
Both of my Corvairs ('61 van and '62 sedan) have a gasoline heater and never smell of oil and when working, will put out hot air within seconds of turning on. Airbags are a recent development and the metal dash was common in the decade the Corvairs were built. They were as safe as any other car, and safer than many, if you kept the front/rear tire pressures correct. Just ask Joie Chitwood. He jumped the car over 200 times in his stunt shows. I've personally had my Corvair van up on the two starboard wheels for about 7 or 8 seconds.... on the highway at about 45 mph.... without flipping it or scraping the hubcaps.
@521farmer which hood? if its the trunk hood in the front the keyhole is behind the emblem, if its the engine bay *hood* theres a little level on the right hand side of the license plate
OK, so it is obvious you don't like advanced engineering in the 60's era. I have owned Corvairs and 911 Porsches ('72, 73 and '83) and they leak oil too. Smoked oil from tailpipe had nothing to do with motor leaks, that was either rings, guides or other mechanical issues. Weak charging system, so were the other Chevys. There were few power hungry (electrical) items. Rust, so did every other Chevy from 1960-69, as well as, European and Japanese cars of that era. Be little less biased, please.
They have issues, but to someone restoring and collecting them some issues are fixed with careful rebuilding and new parts. I sure appreciate them for the ideas behind the design, and the aesthetics.
TechMaven, the last thing you want to do is add ballast to the back end of a Corvair. Be sure if you have one, to follow the factory recommendations concerning tire pressure unless you want a huge surprise the first time you crank into a corner.
Csaba Csere was wrong. Recommended pressures caused a sudden switch from understeer to oversteer...increasing front tire pressure decreased the understeer but adding ballast to the rear of the car to bring rear camber to a negative state made the car handle beautifully..Neutral, with high lateral adhesion limits..The 2nd generation Corvair had fantastic handling from the word go. Great little cars.
John Robert, you know nothing of which you speak. I had two, my Dad had three, my Sister had one and my girlfriend had one. Tire pressure differential was essential.
Looks good but that turbo didn't really kick in till 3 gear
A Spyder pulled up beside her and took Ms Muffet's breath away... ua-cam.com/video/C1lHoNG2SHg/v-deo.html
So much better than John Davis and Motor Week!!
The corvair was quite the car but it really didn't stand a chance against the more traditional front engine rear wheel drive compacts that came from Ford Chrysler AMC and Studebaker. Where that car really would have shined is if it had been sold as a two-door two plus two hardtop and convertible like the mustang. As a family car it didn't work very well. It's too bad it was quite the automobile.
You missed a car. The 1962 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova, brought out only 2 years after Corvair. At that point, Chevrolet was looking as the Corvair more of a sporty compact in Monza guise and the Chevy II which came with a 4 cylinder engine as standard equipment as the economy sedan/wagon. This had to hurt Corvair sales as well.
Back in the early 70s I owned 3 cars and 2 vans. 1 van had double doors on each side. 2 convertibles, one 1964 dark blue with red interior and white top. The other one was maroon with white top(parts car). Shure would love to have them now.
My 1964 convertible was also a turbo, 4 speed with 4 one barrel carbs.
R Nader made his bones trashing this platform. Now sought buy collectors, & off road enthusiasts.
Nader is not responsible for the demise of the Corvair. If you believe otherwise, watch the video! And I read Nader's book. Corvair is just one chapter on a book attacking the Detroit auto makers.
The Corvair was way ahead of Porches! the flat 6 introduced in 1959 , Porches 1965, Corvair Turbo introduced 1962, Porches did not offer one till 1976.In fact the only two things they have in common is a engine in the rear & 7 letters in there name, Corvairs where always coupes or convertibles, & 4dr. sedans. & let us not forget Corvair wagons,trucks & vans. All had a air cooled flat 6 ,never a flat 4 Porches has always been sport cars in the rear engine platform ( air cooled ) & the Porches tractors do not count. I as a Covair owner am insulted for any of my Corvairs to be called a poor mans Porches.Oh! & 1 more thing when Porches introduced there 1st AC flat 6 in early 65 it was the same displacement as the Corvairs a 164 cubic inch which came out in 1964 & I'm very rich for not ever buying a Porches.Thanks for the video.
Now, turbo corvairs are in car shows.
So are Mustangs.
I just bought a '66' monza 140hp 4 carb 4 speed! Love it! Dreaming of driving the entire rt.66 in her!
Ive owned several Corvairs in the past. My favorite was a 65 Corsa with a 140. I thought it ran better than the 180 Corsa Turbo I had.
A two piece aluminum engine ! Wow , my '64 coupe engine looked like way more pieces !😎
Car and Driver you need to check your facts !
GM should bring it back
This car makes me think of the Corvair actor Richard Dreyfuss drove in my FAV of his movies; 1995’s “Mr. Holland’s Opus”.
A 9 year model run is impressive, for a car that was supposed to be so bad.
10 year run !
Another reason for the demise of the Corvair was the difficultythat a conventional A/C system would involve.
James Kinkland. Didn't bother vw did it?
worst idea ever ac systems in cars
@@motavaper2613 I guess that's why all the new aged junk everyone's driving, comes with A/C.
@@bountyhunter4885 race cars don 't have ac takes away power
@@motavaper2613 Also, the Corvair didn't have a radiator anyways. Conventional A/C would have been somewhat difficult, and especially costly. They were meant to be affordable at the time.
It was like a Porsche? Okay sure. But I would guess it was more designed to compete with the VW Beetle than the 356 Porsche. That's what I always believed but I'm open for correction.
It was designed to compete with the Beetle BUT the new suspension for '65 made it handle like a Porsche. It also had twice the power of a Beetle.
If Read the book Unsafe at any speed. It talks about swing axle how it could use a stablelise bar to help with handling. It also said that Covair with the Corvette independent suspension didn't have same issues as the swing axle and it handled better. Here the thing the car was sold as an economy car. Inexperienced drivers were going to buy them. A simple mistake should not make you wreck your car. The car was so ground breaking it had some Teething issues that needed to be worked out and they didn't want to fix them. Today you could put your mother in law in a Porsche Boxer and not worry that she is going to wreck it getting a gallon of milk because the car is sorted out. Not that you going let your mother in law drive anything. The Covair issue is GM said you had to this and that. Today cars are easier to drive. If GM would have worked on making handle better or put the Corvette independent suspension in to begin with it might still be around. In short read a book before judge by it's cover. I still like the Covair after reading the book. I would make sure Covair is all sorted out before I drive it.
CORVAIR!!!!!
I think the guy describing the swing axle is probably a good friend of ol Ralphie boy. Kind of left out it cars out at the time and not targeted like the Porsche also benefited significantly from a compensator bar or side to side mono spring. Also the variety of ways several manufacturers delt with the cons of swing axle. What happened around this car set back progress back by decades in the us car market. It was a lightweight smaller car and engine with good mpg for the day. Instead the mustang type of car was ingrained into the driving culture. Larger heavier cars and engines then the fuel crisis. We were behind the eight ball by now we had to do what countries in europe, asia already had started and been perfecting. Except we were just starting and are just recently getting some luster back on the finish. It's quite a bit easier to hold the hill than to be trudging up it in the mud over and over to retake.
sounds like he never took a physics class also
Ralph LIBTARD NOBRAIN Done the Corvair in I had a 60 with a gas heater LOVED IT!.
My Corvair gas heater caught fire cruising Hollywood Blvd. with my gf in 1967.
You had to go there, didn`t you. Do you know how stupid your remarks sound. Go back to kindergarten.
your like 12 nader is still a dipshit @@telestrat060
The ironic part is that Nader owned a yellow Corvair sedan. Well, it's now a cheap collectible car, I'd love to own one.
the guy talks about the MONZA being the one with the higher horsepower... I think he means the SPYDER and then the CORSA... But he doesn't even "announce" that!!! This guy did not do his homework.
Peter Heidgerd. Spyder was an option pack on the MONZA
they have more hp but also more uglies
Wow, they even brought back Chubby Cheddar (1:22) for this documentary.
This vid and the TNN logo remind of the era when TV didn't suck.
The problems they state are incorrect
really u got 1?
it's a shame, that they were discontinued, just as they had worked the bugs out of them
Agreed! I had two as a youngster … liked em both and would love to have one now (at seventy).
@@howieschaneman4549 get one!!! They’re cheap and out there
Built from a 1923 Tatra design, it most definitely was not "ahead of it's time" as they say at the end of this video. The technology, although extremely old, was simply overlooked by American auto builders. Killed finally by the inability to comply with incoming federal emissions regulations, not Ralph Nader or as they claim here, the Ford Mustang. Anyone who believes the Corvair and the Mustang were in the same category (regardless of what Chevrolet may have tried to claim) were pipe dreaming.
The Tatra T-11 was a front-engined, rear-wheel drive, 2-cyl. car. Chevy was visited by a VW engineer during the design of the Corvair, and I don't think it was Mr. Ledwinka. As for the Mustang, it was built on the Falcon frame, as a sporty compact. The fact that it had an optional 289 cu. in. V8 was what helped kill the Corvair. If the gas crunch of the early 70's had come 5 yrs earlier, the Corvair would probably still be available. They still race them against the Porsches, MGs, Healys, etc. in the vintage races.
He doesn't say it's a Tatra T-11, but just Tatra. Tatra 87- 603 and 77's are all rear engine cars before the Corvair and the same concept is clearly visable. Independent suspensions etc... Tatra 77 is from 1934. and in the video the guy says "before Porsche 911". True it came before a 911, but not before the 356, and the 911 concept was out there before the Corvair as Porsche T7. There are other cars with similar caratteristics before the Corvair. To be fair they could say the first American car etc... But no, they have to exagerate....
completely different physics at work here and one isnt built ford gay
The denigration of the Corvair epitomizes human proclivity for blaming inanimate objects for human failings. An example, pilots during WWII had to contend with limitations on their fighters’ flight attitudes because of their planes’ carburetors. Inverted flight or pushing over into a dive could result in fuel supply interruption, an inconvenience not sought during aerial combat. Another example is the short wheelbase Jeep whose canyon carving cornering capabilities are severely compromised. However, it excels in the rough stuff. When the strengths and the weakness if a plane, car, motorcycle or kitchen blender are appreciated, and implementation carefully considers limitations, then most tragedies are prevented. Notorious among the human failures with the Corvair was people who thought they knew better than the designers and put excessive pressure in the front tires. Slapping on and off the throttle in a curve was another driver error. Entering the turn too quickly was yet another. Did the car have flaws? Yes. But driven with an understanding of those shortcomings provided many owners with wonderful long years of motoring enjoyment. The Corvair was a car that didn't suffer fools, at all. Ask body shops about restoring Turbo'ed Porsches after some tyro went blitzing on a twisty road and didn't compensate for turbo lag when he nailed the throttle mid-turn. So many beautiful cars wrecked by ignorant amateurs.
Is that Walter White?
I loved Car and Driver magazine. It was one of my favourite car magazines when I was growing up.
I take everything C & D says with a big grain of salt. Just because they say it doesn't mean it's true. In 1973 the NHTSA put the Corvair to numerous tests and determined the car was as safe as anything else produced at the time.
I drive a 64 it’s the same as driving a Porsche.car handles great especially with right tire pressure
My dad's first cars were Corvairs when I was a small child because people were dumping them after Nader came out against them
A simple air dam added to the front added a great deal of stability to the car.
+2right4words This is very true, and often overlooked as a very easy and inexpensive upgrade. The 65' and newer models especially benefited from the addition of a front chin-mounted air dam. I had a 66 'vert with one and it made all the difference.
+NorthernChev good to know, I recently bought a 67 corvair that I am working on rebuilding.
I added one to my '65, for looks. I was very surprised haw much it improved the high speed stability. A lot.
@@danr1920 u cant put a wig on a pig
We owned Several in our family; the Hubcaps SCRAPED the road on sharp turns. The gas pump was right behind the rear bumper; my sisters Exploded into a fireball when it got hit in back. The Paper Zip Tubes would get soaked in oil and Choke you almost to death when the Heater was turned on. The Metal dash was a killer...
Both of my Corvairs ('61 van and '62 sedan) have a gasoline heater and never smell of oil and when working, will put out hot air within seconds of turning on. Airbags are a recent development and the metal dash was common in the decade the Corvairs were built. They were as safe as any other car, and safer than many, if you kept the front/rear tire pressures correct. Just ask Joie Chitwood. He jumped the car over 200 times in his stunt shows. I've personally had my Corvair van up on the two starboard wheels for about 7 or 8 seconds.... on the highway at about 45 mph.... without flipping it or scraping the hubcaps.
how do ya open the Hood ? Just askin thank,s for your time Farmer
@521farmer which hood? if its the trunk hood in the front the keyhole is behind the emblem, if its the engine bay *hood* theres a little level on the right hand side of the license plate
521farmer. The trunk (in front) opens with key...the hood in back had a lever by license plate if memory serves me.
2right4words. The gas tank was in front between a stabilizer bar...the tank was near impossible to remove...
'65 thru '69, they are great cars, just own one!
No love for the earlies lol I have a 64 and 65 love em both!
That was fun, but no turbo whistle or the 4 carb 140 and mention of the CORSA?!?!?!?
corsa died of stds a long time ago
OK, so it is obvious you don't like advanced engineering in the 60's era. I have owned Corvairs and 911 Porsches ('72, 73 and '83) and they leak oil too. Smoked oil from tailpipe had nothing to do with motor leaks, that was either rings, guides or other mechanical issues. Weak charging system, so were the other Chevys. There were few power hungry (electrical) items. Rust, so did every other Chevy from 1960-69, as well as, European and Japanese cars of that era. Be little less biased, please.
if its leaking u fill it and its always clean
this clip,is fixed some bad info too.
You know what, i drive a 65 monza 4 speed daily all year round and i never have problems. It really is a good car if proper maintenance is done.
I drive a 64 theyre great
They have issues, but to someone restoring and collecting them some issues are fixed with careful rebuilding and new parts. I sure appreciate them for the ideas behind the design, and the aesthetics.
thrr are like 5 parts in this car
WOW!! I remember this on TNN back in the day! Thanks for posting this!
The second generation Corvair is still a good looking car.
I just Love my Corvair a 1963 Corvair Monza 900 Spyder Convertable.
I would love to own one of these,a beautiful stylish car!
You need to drive one to understand! I have a '65 convertible. Fun to drive is an understatement.
mini super car
Totally agree!!
These are great cars, I drive a '61 Monza sedan.
64 monza sedan.the earlies don’t get nearly as much respect especially the moredoor
TechMaven, the last thing you want to do is add ballast to the back end of a Corvair. Be sure if you have one, to follow the factory recommendations concerning tire pressure unless you want a huge surprise the first time you crank into a corner.
The first ones oversteered like crazy
Or run radials instead of the3 standard bias-plys.
Csaba Csere was wrong. Recommended pressures caused a sudden switch from understeer to oversteer...increasing front tire pressure decreased the understeer but adding ballast to the rear of the car to bring rear camber to a negative state made the car handle beautifully..Neutral, with high lateral adhesion limits..The 2nd generation Corvair had fantastic handling from the word go. Great little cars.
John Robert, you know nothing of which you speak. I had two, my Dad had three, my Sister had one and my girlfriend had one. Tire pressure differential was essential.
In the 1960-1964 with bias ply tires.
john barth=Moron.
GREAT CARS !!!!!