By 1960, all the major automakers were getting into the compact car business. But Chevrolet was doing it in a less convention way with the Corvair: its engine was air-cooled and located in the back and it had four-wheel independent suspension. As the decade wore on, the car would come under attack from the likes of Ralph Nader for safety concerns, but Chevy still managed to sell 1.8 million of them in 10 years of production. The seller has at least four Corvairs for sale, all having been in an open barn for more than two decades along with some other cars. This collection can be found in Carthage, North Carolina (between Charlotte and Fayetteville) and they’re been offered here on Facebook Marketplace for a variety of prices.
1963 Corvair Spyder — $2,800
This car appears to be dark blue in color with a white convertible top. The tires are flat, so the undercarriage is nearly on the barn floor. No visible damage, but we only get a couple of views of the exterior and none of the interior or engine compartment. We’re told the car is intact, but the floorboards are rusted out. Worth perhaps $30,000 in excellent or restored condition. One of about 44,000 made in 1963.
1965 Corvair (2) and 1966 Corvair (1) — $1,000 each
From the photos provided, it’s hard to tell which two are the ‘65s and which one is the ’66 as they were very similar in appearance. Two of them are convertibles, one red in color and the other blue. Besides the convertible tops being shot, we can’t tell what else is troublesome here. There is a 2-door sport coupe in the mix here, too, white in color. We’re told all three cars are intact and are likely worth $5-10,000 less than the ’63 in excellent or restored condition. There were about 47,000 convertibles made in both years combined and nearly a half million coupes for the two years as well. Thanks to Corvair History and Preservation for production data.
Without a physical inspection, the safest bet here is to think of all four as parts cars. If you have a Corvair project that’s currently stuck in progress, perhaps one or more of these could be donors. For what we can see, the ’63 Spyder is likely the more desirable, but also possibly the most rusted. The Marketplace ad has been placed by a third-party who is affiliated with Corvair Trader, a Facebook group. For more details on the cars, you’ll have to contact the seller, Lesley, via the contact information provided.
I would think anyone into Corvairs has the listing on the radar. Not that anyone is ready to jump on the lot, but they are about as unique a vehicle ever made ! GM should build a retro model with ABS, traction control, air bags and call it the RN series to honor Ralph Nader. Insane at any age !
The estimate for value of the ’63 Spyder is a bit high…
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-honda-cbx-supersport-6/
The Blue convertible would be the ’66.
It would certainly help to know additional information about the cars, as there are some real influences on desirability and values.
The blue convertible looks to be a Corsa. If it is and it’s a 66 it’s the rarest of the group.
Unlikely, it has the Monza emblem behind the front wheel. The Corsa nameplate is higher, above where the one seen here is located.
I does appear to have wider-than-standard rims though, Makes me wonder if it was hopped up a bit?
Not a Corsa. Monza badges on front fender.
With the wheel bolt pattern the same as the bigger Chevys putting the wider wheels on was pretty common. Almost did the same with my ’65 but wife wanted AC so it turned into a ’66 Buick Skylark.
Wow! A “Nader” of Corvairs….
(The preferred collective noun for those of us who are decades away from our last English Class.)
I have kind of a soft spot for these old Corvairs. I helped a friend rebuild the engine in his ’65 Monza convertible when I was in high school. On the last day of our senior year, the transmission had gone out on my Olds 98, so I hitched a ride with him. It had rusty quarters, but the floors were solid and it was pretty cool.
Why would someone collect these cars and then store them so poorly? Open windows and if broken, why not cover them? If in a damp location or on dirt put down heavy mil plastic, gravel and put these cars up on stands or at least on cement blocks.
Keep the storage building tight and dry.
A collector or merely a person with a hoarding disorder?
Truly a shame to see these cars left to deteriorate.
Years ago, I worked with a kid that had put a 396 big block into a ‘66 Corvair. He was previously a mechanic at the local Chevy Dealership. It was a nightmarishly fast car.
Don’t know if he or the car has survived the time warp since then.
That was over 40 years ago.
I wouldn’t own a Corvair if you paid me.
Can’t see any of these cars being worth $30,000.00.
But then, I could be wrong.
I wouldn’t trade my ’57 B.A. for every Corvair ever Produced!!!!
nobody asked you
Must have been around 1970, my friend found a guy with three Corvair 700s for sale, I believe around 1960,61 models. Nothing special about any of them but they all ran and my friend bought them all for 500 bucks. Total.
I wouldn’t trade my 68 Charger for every 57 Chevy ever produced. But, some people like 57 Chevys and some people like Corvairs. To each his own.
Keep the Corvairs, I’ll take the Jeep!
I wouldn’t trade my ’57 OR my taken apart ’56 Chevy for Every MOPAR EVER produced since its beginning! I would even have a ’57 Ford before ALL the Mopars produced!
The blue one and the whitish colored ones are 65s. This was the only Chevy put the Corvair badge on the left front corner of the hood. In 66 they moved it to the lower left portion,of the “grille”. But any body could have swapped hoods. That’s just a quick glance but obviously you would want to verify VIN in the engine compartment on left rail.
That is why I tagged the Blue Convertible as a ’66. The Corvair script emblem is located next to the left headlight, on the front of the car instead of the hood.
Is there another reason that you think this car is a ’65?