Update 4/7/22 – This dusty Corvair has popped back up but is now listed here on eBay for $2,250. Thanks go to Larry for the tip!
From 2/14/22 – Some cars just epitomize the “barn find” sentiment perfectly, and this 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder is checking all of the boxes. Of course, it’s sitting in Eugene, Oregon, where all the great classic cars go to somehow survive in completely unscathed condition despite being left outside in the elements for untold years. This is a desirable turbocharged Corvair with a four-speed manual gearbox. It’s clearly been sitting for some time but the engine still spins and the body looks straight and true despite its years of inactivity. The seller has listed the Corvair here on craigslist for $2,500 with a clean title in hand.
When it was first introduced, the Corvair Monza Spyder was a hoot and a half. Featuring a TRW turbo and a Carter YH sidedraft carburetor, power output was raised considerably from a tepid 102 horsepower to a robust 150, and you got a few other upgrades as well. These included a 3.55 axle ratio, heavy-duty suspension, upgraded brakes, unique badges, and of course, the turbocharger. The Corvair was General Motors’ first production turbocharged vehicle, and despite being a bit obscure today, it really did open the door for the automaker to continue its experimentation with building high-performance turbocharged vehicles.
This is an eminently restorable car, and you can tell just by looking at it that the good bones are there. The interior certainly is tired but by no means a horror show; some new carpet and temporary seat covers and Bob’s your uncle. The door panels arent’ bad and the dash, which has likely split, could be gussies up with a dash mat. The gauges are all present and accounted for, and I believe the Monza Spyder came with a boost gauge. The turbocharged Corvairs make a great sound, and have a little bit of that “angry Porsche” rasp that almost all of us can agree is pleasing to the ears. Here’s a YouTube clip of a Monza Spyder rowing through the gears.
The seller doesn’t go into much detail about the history of the Corvair, other than noting it was built at the Oakland, California assembly plant and that it is “very complete.” Though I can’t see any obvious rust, the seller does clarify that there is no serious rust, so I’d anticipate finding some rot here and there. But if it was born in California and lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last few decades, I doubt it’s anything bad. The listing also notes there’s a cracked windshield, but fortunately, there’s still a healthy supplier network of new, used, and remanufactured parts available for the Corvair, so your search shouldn’t take too long for any spares you may need.
Several vendors do make these easy to restore. I’m a LM Corvair guy but I have warmed up to the EM Corvair. I think the asking price is fair and it definitely deserves a new lease on life. My choice would be to change over to a later 140hp. 4-carb engine. Turbo’s are finicky to own and drive. There are some really good upgrades to get more from your turbo but you will spend $$$ to get there if that is your choosing.
As a young boy born the same year as this odd beauty
I can confirm that a few of our montreal winters and these cars were gone , either ditched , slid or rusted
There were hardly any left by my 10 th birthday
And quickly faded afterwards
I have always enjoyed looking at the second generation topless ones
The hands on guys for these cars have gone to the great junkyard in the sky , so good knowledge for rebuilding an obsolete car is also obsolete
There are Plenty of the old guard left…
And quite a few younger ones who know these cars very well.
Pretty much anything someone needs to be done, whether restoration, modification, or repair/maintenance can be done without much drama.
The us is car nation , old cars dont go to the scrapyard , they are considered yard art and kept …
In montreal, canada they are junked , plain and simple , no decorator cars on the lawns or backyards , anyway the salt kills them
Canada is not car nation , so cars get crushed and not many are interested in the old ones
And the new generation has no interest in the oldies , for them an oldie is a 2010!
Sorry Not true the clubs around have many well informed members and most are willing to help
My mother owned 2 early models and we owned a ’65 Monza. All 3 were great transportation and the ’65 with the upgraded rear suspension was a great driver whether on the road or on an autocross course. This car looks to be a good candidate for restoration. Lots of information and parts available from a few companies specializing in the Covairs.
I see it comes with the optional engine hoist chain!
Har Har, that adds to its “very complete” status. And complete being a “very loose” term.
My second car was a ’62 Corvair Monza Spyder. I bought it in 1969 for $100.00. My first car was a ’57 Chevy Belair that I paid $10.00 for. I guy hit me and it was totaled (lol). His insurance company gave me $100 for it which is what I used to buy the Corvair. Thirty-five vehicles later, that was the only time I made money on a used car.
That one that sold for around $5800 a couple weeks ago was a steal. I almost hit the BIN on that one, then begged for forgiveness later.
I have owned several corvairs, from a four door, Automatic to a Monza turbo spider. My dad also owned a LM turbo convertible in red with the spinner wheels. Boy was it beautiful but before I could drive he sold it to the town drunk who totaled it by running it into his own house! Ugh. Been looking for one like that for years
At least it’s parked on a covered, concrete pad and the tires appear to hold air. Appears relatively complete except for maybe some of the turbo components. Don’t see a shift lever either, just the bottom housing. If this wasn’t on the wrong coast I’d be a buyer. Price seems fair.
Located in Eugene, OR
Watched the video, the car seems a different color and in the picture under the car port I don’t see a tail pipe?
Old video?
Car appears to be in primer.
Paul, the write-up says ‘a YouTube clip.’ No claim to THIS car.
Dad almost bought us a Corvair for school – we lived in the country and school was twenty-five miles away … had a ’64 Rambler Ambassador 660 to trade (with damaged front end and hood after I rear-ended a ’65 Ford Galaxie) … the Volkswagen dealer gave us better trade-in so I ended up with a green ’68 Fastback … drove it 18,889 miles in ten months before it was totaled by a GTO in a rear-ender …
I just finished building an LM ( 65 110 hp. ) and would like to do an EM, this would be an excellent example but alas it’s on the wrong coast. I wonder how much shipping would be.
That’s the easy part, go to uship.com
Ask them how much from 1 zip code to the other
I have used them a few times when the exchange rate was good and was buying us cars and selling in canada
…and Bob’s your uncle … Haven’t heard that one in forever …
Maybe, I’m alone out in Left Field…but, I would like an EM like this with a Chevrolet Bolt EV motor mated to a 2-speed Powerglide with batteries in the front and back. I know there was a LM Corvair EV in the 1960s (Electrovair II), but way heavier and far less technologically advanced.
I think a more modern EV Corvair would be a clean, green & mean machine.
Ahaha
Most people on the left think that they have all the right answers
I like that you leave some space for varying opinions
I like your idea
Sadly , i live in canada and our laws prevent us from modifying our cars to this extent
And our laws for everything else are also getting out of hand !
YOLO
Wow anybody here ever play with the turbo Vairs! Missing the distributor is a problem, they retard the timing once the boost comes in. Carb is old Carter side draft, think a rebuild kit might fix it? I had a couple and broke a few too. Had a 66 Monza and used big valve 140 heads, machine the compression lug out and spin the turbo. Put a few small V8 cars to shame. Parts for that distributor was tough to find many years ago, don’t know about now. But takes some tricks to keep a Corvair happy. They are different that’s all. Today you have computers to keep it all working then it was tuning and patience and parts and more parts. Flywheel is different on the turbo cars too. Good luck to the buyer, that’s a rough one.
If you have a stock distributor Advanced Distributor can build anything you need into it. Use them to build and time our race car units and the work is perfection of the highest order. 612-804-5543, Minnesota.
Gotta love the seat belts from Davy Jones, uncle to Rusty. Practice your bowlines between red lights, matey!
Clark’s Corvair Parts in Maine should have all the parts needed. I had two in my earlier days; ’63 Monza (non-turbo) and a ’65 Corsa 140hp 4-carb. Great cars, especially the Corsa. It outhandled almost anything domestic of the day and could outrun a fairly warm V-8 in a drag race.
These are the cars that got Don Yenko started
My parents wouldn’t let me have a proper British sports car in high school, so we compromised on a 64 Corvair 2 door sedan with the 95 horse engine and a 4speed. After a year, I bought a wrecked Spyder, changed the engine, transmission, rear suspension and wiring (for the cool dash) and drove it for a year. I then used my “sleeper” Corvair as a trade in for my first real car (that I bought myself, being over 18) a 67 Austin Healey 3000. I’ll always fondly remember that car, a GM product that was the gateway to a life of performance oriented “sports cars”.
I had tons of fun with my 65 Corsa turbo car. I modified mine with a Crown turbine housing, an E-flow impeller and housing, a 2″ SU carb, home made water injection feeding a set of 140 heads, a very early MSD, straight pipe exhaust, Crown front and rear sway bars, 7 and 8 inch rally wheels and some other stuff, it did indeed surprise quite a few “performance cars”. I got away from Corvairs in the late 70’s, but I now own a 65 Crown mid-engine and a 66 Monza 140 4 speed AC convert in addition to my other junk. Pretty much anything you could ever need or want is available in the aftermarket, plenty of Corvair local clubs that are part of the Corvair Society Of America (CORSA) and members willing to help. Great community, close to 5,000 members.
I had read somewhere the last owner had 5 car wash tickets and you get the 6th wash free….
clark’s started one town away from me. They were there 40, 50 yrs. When did they leave MA?
They didn’t, still in Shelburne Falls.