With its air-cooled, rear-engine design, the Chevy Corvair was unlike anything else the U.S. automakers were building in the 1960s. However, as a result of a series of accidents involving first generation Corvairs, public safety advocate Ralph Nader investigated the handling of the vehicles, wrote a book, public confidence dropped and Corvair sales tanked. The car was later exonerated, but the damage had already been done. This 1966 Corvair Monza is from the second generation, produced post-Nader, but has been sitting for 10 years after the motor was rebuilt. The car’s whereabouts is in Checotah, Oklahoma (southeast of Tulsa) and available here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,000
Between 1960 and 1969, Chevrolet built 1.8 million Corvairs. They were the automaker’s first foray into the compact car market, but they were unconventional in design. The cars were more like VW Beetles and Renault Dauphines than Ford Falcons or Plymouth Valiants. No other domestic car had a motor in the back – and one that was not water-cooled. Prior to the release of Nader’s book, Unsafe at Any Speed, Corvair sales were at 220,000 units in 1965 and then 110,000 the following year. This in spite that the 1965 models brought changes to the car’s independent rear suspension. So, it’s probably a safe assumption that Nader didn’t get an invitation to GM’s 1966 Christmas party. After all the dust settled, a safety commission report concluded that the Corvair posed no greater potential for loss of control than its contemporary competitors in extreme situations.
The Monza was the sportier version of the Corvair, available as either a coupe or convertible, bringing bucket seats, floor shift and other features to the car. This Monza two-door coupe is one of 37,000 assembled for 1966 and we’re told its been sitting under a carport for at least 10 years. It has the dirt and grime to attest to it. We’re not told if this immobility has brought any rust to the car and none of the photos are good enough to really tell. Perhaps the white paint will largely buff out, or maybe not.
Out in back is a 2.7-liter air-cooled six-cylinder that was capable of 110 hp in the day. The seller says the motor was rebuilt some time ago but never ran. It’s paired with a 4-speed manual transmission as would be common with the Monza. A nice ’66 Monza can fetch more than $20,000, so the question begs what would it take to bring this one up to those standards?
Ralph can’t be credited to killing off the Corvair. GM already had the revised suspension in the works for the LM Corvairs based heavily on the Corvette rear suspension. The demise of the Corvair model was due to several factors. 64-1/2 brought the Mustang and in response GM developed the Camaro and Firebird which also put a dent in future sales. GM decided to stop further development in 66 and let the Corvair continue to be made till 69. The last being hand built in a special area of the factory.
It is rumored that production would have stopped at the end of the 66 model year but because of the Ralph Nader publicity they extended production.
The 66 Monza was the middle trim level with the Corsa at the top of the range with its 140hp or 180hp engine options. Nice ones can still be had for under 10K which is the way to go as engines cost 5K to rebuild now.
The LM 4- door models are becoming sought after due to fewer remaining. These are good starter cars because parts are readily available and the cars are still pretty affordable. I have a 65 Corsa and really enjoy it.
The value of this car is really tied to the condition of the bottom, and the lower unibody. Not too encouraging to see the car sitting in dirt and exposed on three sides to the elements.
If the door-hinge frames, the floor and trunk pans, the rockers, the lower fenders, etc. are gone or severely compromised, this becomes more like a parts car.
Always expected from cars which have been sitting for a very long time, refinishing would e necessary for fuel and brake systems, and possibly the running gear as well. From the top, the car looks to be in decent condition, and complete. I wonder about the interior. And a 110/4 combination can be a lot of fun.
The main problem was people didnt inflate the tires to spec….that was in the manual…vw…porsche…did it for years…911 anyone?…and Nader was just a dick….
Very true, back then the “filling station” attendant kept your tires up, and he didn’t know, didn’t care or both. So you got 28 lbs or so all around when the front should have been say 23, creating an unsafe handling car. With proper tire pressure, a rear anti roll bar and a little extra weight in the “trunk”, they handled fine. I learned all this the hard way in the 70’s after doing a 360 on a wet road in a ’62 Vair.
A co-worker of mine years ago had a 66 hotrodded with a 283 out back and some American Racing coke-bottle wheels. Looked and sounded great.
There’s a ’67 or so Corsa rotting near me that I keep leaving my card on but nothing yet….
My grandfather was an attorney in Oak Ro=idge Tennessee, known far and wide for his Marina Blue ’66 Monza coupe, 11-/4gear. I visited my grands after I graduated High School and had the run of the car for about two weeks. Found out that ol’ Ralph was giving a speech at the Atomic Energy Museum, drove past, what else could I do? Parked that car right in front of the front door…
Sorry, That was the extent of my ’60s ‘rebellion’. Gee, how hip was I?
Every time a Corvair gets mentioned in print, Ralph Nader gets 15 more seconds of fame.
About 35 to 40 years ago I drove my blue 4-speed Corsa coupe to the CORSA [Corvair Club] National Meet outside Washington DC. I met Nader briefly as he signed my glove box door. He was fairly proud of his claim to have never owned a car, nor did he have a driver’s license.
I see a nice 1966 Corvair convertible, medium green with a white top and black interior around Cleveland a couple times a summer. It has a small ding or two and a few imperfections, but overall is a very nice driver. Driven by a 30 something woman with two kids.
I’m wondering when Sellers will make the effort to at least wash the car so we can see it, drag it out to day;light in front of the barn or even partially obscured, and have some knowledge about what they are selling. These are very enjoyable cars and should provide someone with much of the same.
I bought a wearhouse back in 2006. It was from an attorney and was part of a very large estate. The previous owner collected Corvairs. There must have been a half a dozen Corvair motors. Made a CL ad with the make an offer and haul away. Had only one guy respond. Amazingly he actually showed up and wanted them for……. an airplane project. I thought OK. I think I got maybe $75 for them and he hauled them away. $5000 for a rebuild today? Wow!
It’s true GM already had the parts to eliminate the swing arm travel in a sharp turn. They NEVER installed them. It was more cost effective for GM to adjust the tire pressure for free then to add an $8 dollar part. Says a lot about a company people still idolize and defend that cares nothing about them. Seems only Corvair enthusiasts don’t understand the truth that Ralph Nader made GM do their job they should have done to begin with. It was GM’s fault the Corvair was a failure. Had they sold it as designed it would not have been considered
Funny but few know that GM spent a lot money and hired PI’s and even a prostitute in order to strong arm or discredit him. He sued GM for invasion of privacy. Won $425,000. Used the proceeds to fund the Center of responsive law. Up to that time NO One ever went up against GM before. In the late 1960’s he went after them again over a lesser known defect with junk motor mounts that caused wide open throttle. If you have ever seen mid 1960’s Chevrolets with a safety cable on the right side of the engine this is why.
It is great that America has had a such a civil servant. It is a shame he doesn’t get the respect he deserves especially by auto enthusiasts. Because of him cars and trucks are safer.
So much wrong information in this comment. So let’s start with this first. (Seems only Corvair enthusiasts don’t understand the truth that Ralph Nader made them do their job). Actually, most Corvair enthusiasts understand the Ralph Nader subject very well, have read his book (that is not a book about the Corvair). Most Corvair enthusiasts also know that Ralph Nader was proven wrong on his Corvair suspension slander. The NHTSA whom Nader pushed to study the 19-60-63 Corvair found no propensity for loss of control or rollover. Here is the study released in 1972
https://www.corvair.org/index.php/history-and-preservation/unsafe-at-any-speed
Furthermore, Ralph had no influence on the design of GM. The Corvair like any car was evolving. Started very simple as the 1960 model but each year much improvements were made. Turbocharging, front sway bar, and HD suspension all available by 1962. The VW/ Porsche/ Triumph type swing arm suspension was all but gone by 1964 with a transverse leaf spring, 1965 swing arm suspension was completely gone. Unsafe at Any Speed was published in 1965 and after GM had gone to full IRS. Ralph Nader praised the 1965 design in the book. Corvair was not a failure. Almost 2million built and sold over a 10 year period and several design firsts. Unibody construction, full IRS suspension, turbocharging, lightweight alloys utilized, all tunings common in modern cars today.