What more can you say about the Corvair? General Motors American answer to the Volkswagen Beetle was a moderate success. That is, until lawyer and political activist Ralph Nader penned his magnum opus titled “Unsafe At Any Speed.” While the Corvair wasn’t the full subject of his book, Nader’s highlighting of the car cast a shadow on these innovative vehicles for a generation. Looking back, his treatment of the car looks to be unfair in comparison to its competitors. There are a few excellent examples are still hanging around despite Nader’s best efforts, like this 1963 Corvair coupe being sold on eBay out of West New York, New Jersey. This amazingly well kept Corvair has just 60,000 miles on the odometer, and is selling for an amazing buy it now price of $4,000.
Lately, enthusiasts have rediscovered the joys of the Corvair. Called a poor man’s Porsche for its flat six and rear engine design, speed lovers have found ways to make second generation Corvair coupes into racetrack terrors. While this first generation Corvair would need a lot of modification to tear up the track at one of the road courses that dot America, this one might be better left alone. The body is in excellent shape except for three small spots of rust that the seller clues us in to. It also appears that the chrome and paint need just a little cleaning and polishing to be more than presentable.
Inside, we see that this car has been well taken care of. The vinyl upholstery is nearly perfect except for a bit of stitching that has come apart at the top of the driver’s seat. The dash pad is in great shape, the steering wheel is free from cracks, and the rest of the dash looks like it just left the factory. Only what looks to be a vintage add-on FM radio detracts from the well kept stock appearance.
The vinyl in the back seat is in great shape as well. A thorough cleaning would get rid of the dusting of mold and grime that currently makes the back seat moderately uninhabitable for fans of white and pastel clothing. The carpet, however, is perfect in the area we can see. A hubcap sitting in a USPS Flat Rate Box rounds out our tour of the interior.
The seller provided buyers with two pictures of the engine compartment. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, both pictures center on the hinge areas of the compartment. Known to be a rust prone are, these sections seem to have been covered with either some sort of gooey rust preventative or black strap molasses. What we can see of the rest of the compartment hints to be very original and in good shape. The bad news is that the car hasn’t been started since 2012, and that there are oil leaks emanating from the pushrod tubes and the transmission gasket area.
If you are looking for a distinctive collectible car that is in great shape for a cheap price, how could you do better than this Corvair? While they are not everybody’s cup of tea, first generation cars have that neat sixties style, and are easy to work on. Other than the usual items to replace, clean, and rebuild when you purchase a car that has been sitting for an extended length of time, the cost of ownership on this car is about as low as you can ask for. Maybe Ralph Nader did car lovers a favor by making Corvairs affordable by unintended consequence.
I’m considerably more partial to the 2nd-gen Corvairs and manuals, but this one would be a great deal for someone that doesn’t mind an automatic transmission.
Crown Conversions offered a v8 swap to make these into terrors. Even stock turbo Monza Corvair could be modded to handle amazing. Ralph Nader was the Jane Fonda of Hot Rodders. I hope he was run over by midget racers!
The Corvair had a 9 year run with only one substantial design change. I have always scoffed at the idea that Nader killed off anything. The market changed and captive imports were a better option for US manufacturers. The Chevette, for example, is really an Opel and so on.
Why do everyone – except Corvair people, invoke Ralph Nader into any Corvair discussion? Nader likely had little to do with the car’s demise. In fact, GM continued building – and improving the car for years after Nader’s book was published. While there were multiple reasons that GM killed the car in 1969, the main cause was the fact that the car was going to have to be completely redesigned/engineered to comply with newer national traffic safety standards. A properly maintained Corvair is durable, unique, and a joy to drive.
Like almost every GM classic, they killed off the Corvair at the height of its development. Examples: Tornado, Riviera, El Dorado, GMC motorhome, Fiero, etc.
Ugh. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Another powerglide ‘Vair. PASS.
These were better cars than anyone gives them credit! I’ve seen one mechanic remove and replace the engine in about the same time as A VW Bug engine (under an hour)! There is a dedicated following on these cars and the original air/oil cooled motors are reliable and durable. These may become mid- level classics and very collectible cars.
My father in law worked for GM and worked on the creation of the Corvair. It was not the answer to the VW Beetle, they bought a Porsche 356 and dismantled it as they designed the Corvair.
And when Porsche decided to build a flat 6, guess who the consulted. Yep, GM helped Porsche design the 911.
They’re a great car in their own right.
Corvair historians attribute the great success of the Mustang to the ending of the Corvair. When the Mustang came out, it outsold the Corvair (both considered pony cars). The Camaro was the direct replacement for the Corvair. Nader might have had a small part, although the 1965 Corvair had zero of the Nader criticism’s. Could be the buying public gravitated towards conventional cars. I myself love the Corvair, super fun car to drive.
I think they just liked the V8 power. Both cars had great styling. The Corvair certainly had better handling.
Love mine too! 😊
If you are driving a swing axle car, never lift the throttle while cornering. ” Unsafe at any speed” was as real as anything could be. Seen it myself. Major spin out at low speed.
I wonder if modern & wider radial tires alone would make a big difference in the handling. Would Nader get in this car if he was hitchhiking? Or in a pinto? lmao
Interesting
http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/chevrolet-corvair-history/3/
I’m VERY surprised Ralph has never complained about all those cloudy yellowing headlites TODAY – & demand a total recall!!
Do you hear me, Ralph?!
I only lift in my 69 when I WANT it to rotate. 😉
They’re really a great handling car. The earlies needed the correct tire pressures for average drivers though. A lot of people set the fronts too high.
If you enter a corner at a low enough speed that you can floor the accelerator all the way through it, the weight transfer will keep the rear end planted. If you are cornering hard at 25 mph and lift, it will swap ends. That was the root of Ralph’s complaint. Swing axles are not a good way to go.
“cornering hard”? Same thing would happen with a V W or Renault of that era. That kind of driving should be done smoothly so as to not cause a spin. Again, the car will tell you when you are near spin mode.
There’s not much from the early 60s that handled well. My Triumph Spitfire would tuck the wheel under at autocross. That certainly wasn’t the fastest way around the track. But swing axles were a very conventional suspension at that time. Even Mercedes used them.
Not arguing that swing axles are a great design. You could never build a car that way today. But they were a bread and butter design for sporty cars of the era. Nader kinda knew what he was talking about… Kinda. But the Corvair certainly didn’t deserve the bad reputation that has followed it.
Exactly right, JBD, and the Corvair was slated to share the same fate–then Nader’s book came out. If they killed the Corvair after the 1966 model year, they were afraid it would look like they were caving in to Nader. So, although they stopped all further development after 1966, they continued the marque until mid-1969. Ralph was actually responsible for prolonging the life of the Corvair.
That’s one way of looking at it. I’m gonna use this haha.