With Porsche 911 prices through the roof, the Chevy Corvair has become the poor man’s 911. Just like the Porsche, the Corvairs’ air-cooled boxer six engine is hanging out back, but unlike a 911 you won’t have to sell a kidney to buy a Corvair. Reader Thomas A has decided to part ways with his running and driving Corvair Corsa 140 2 Door. It needs work, but could be a fun classic that won’t break the bank! If you’d like to give this Corvair a good home, be sure to make Tom an offer via the form below!
Location: Portland, Oregon
Title Status: Clean
Seller’s Description: 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa 140, 4-speed with the telescopic steering column. There’s minimal rust and was last driven in 2016.
Body Condition: It has a dent near the RH headlight. The paint is primer to prevent rust. No major bodywork was done. Battery box and related fender area need rust removed. Fender patch panel included. Some trim missing. Upholstery will need to be replaced. Dash pad recovered in 2016. Gauge cluster repainted and gauges tested. Quartz clock. Floor pans look good.
Mechanical Condition: The engine is 140 with 4 carbs. Has a sticky lifter that quiets down. All carbs we’re re-kit. RH valve cover drips oil. electronic ignition installed (Crane). New brake dual master cylinder, slave cylinder, and new brake shoes. New front tires. Trans/Clutch are ok.
Tom’s Corvair is seriously tempting and seems like it could be a great project! Corsa 140s are getting difficult to find and while the Turbo would offer more performance, this car would still be a blast. So, what do you think of the Corvair?
If you would like to sell your classic, you can list it with us here on Barn Finds!
List your classified here on Barn Finds!
It’s an interesting Corvair & not just because it looks like my first car.
But what good is an advertisement without an asking price?
Sellers generally know what they want, or at least know what they won’t take. It’s better for everyone involved if the seller picks a number. Very few cars are so rare that a little research won’t come up with a price that can be used as a starting point for negotiations.
Steve R
Sorry, but as someone who currently owns 3 Corvairs and has owned 5 other Corvairs over the past 40 years, there are 65 Corsa Corvairs in far better condition being offered everywhere from eBay to Craigslist to all the various Corvair outlets.
Unsafe at any speed
That is not true. It looks very safe as it sits at 0
I can vouch for the safety of later models. Owned several in the 70’s, 61 and 62 coupes , a ’66 4 door HT and a Corvair powered VW dune buggy. Did a 180 in the ’62,and a 360 in the buggy, but the ’66 proved stable under all conditions. The ’62 was just a typical 2 carb, but beat a hopped up VW in an uphill blind visibility drag race. Oh the stupid things we do as youth.
Actual blurry polaroids from back in the day…
Even if you buy into the Nader BS (read the 1970 NHTSA report), it applied to the Gen-1 60-63 models, not this car. Maybe have some idea what you’re talking about before repeating tired tropes.
You – obviously don’t know anything about Corvairs.
leaving off the price seems a little ‘seemly’ to me, and thank you for all the pics in partial shade,(or sunshine). just a light on the camera would work.
No price? Barn Finds needs to do better than that.
Unfortunately for the seller, the same reasonable prices that make Corvairs a good choice for a vintage driver also mean that a project car in this condition doesn’t command very much money. And I agree with others that if you don’t name a price, you tend to lose your audience in a hurry.
I guess the best way to go is to call/write him and ask what he wants for it. It’s going to be a number to get the interior squared away and do whatever else it needs. So don’t get in too deeply as to price.
It runs and drives but you can’t get it out in the sun for a decent picture?
Like the way the seller stuck the turn signal arm through the hole in the column. That switch alone runs about $150. Prediction: Mid-year Corvette restorer buys the car, removes the column to repair and sell, scraps the rest.
Does it actually have a sticky lifter or did the lifter simply drain while parked one time. The lifters on these are laid sideways. Sometimes the oil port in the lifter will be pointed down while parked. It’ll sound stuck for a bit and then clear up. You won’t hear lifter noise again for months or years till a lifter port points down while parked again.
As for the turbo performance, it’s not as good as the 140 motor. It’ll make more peak power but it makes crummy power most of the time. And the turbo carbs are lousy. They’re more of a novelty than a performance setup.
Advantage of the ’65 – ’68’s, the rear suspension was fixed (beginning in the ’64’s but the first and less attractive body), Nader was right IF the tires were not correctly inflated, something like 15 lb in the front, and 32 in the rear, they could, on a clear dry road, with a gusty crosswind, hike up in the rear, rear wheels tucked under, and you spun around. I drove a ’60 off and on for several years, never had a problem, but did have someone else’s coming toward me on a two lane road do the spin, ended up front bumpers about 6 feet from mine in the breakdown lane where I had gone and stopped. Renault Dauphines suffered from the same problem. Fixed with a simple bar that prevented extreme tuck under – today there would have been a recall and a fix – I have read that it was in the original design but the bean counters at GM had it not put in. So this one is safe, and a lot easier to drive than a contemporary Porsche which you had to be on top of every second to keep it on the road. And, to my mind, it is a very good looking car.
I agree completely with Steve R regarding pricing. Personally, while I’m sure I’ve missed some deals along the way, I stopped inquiring into any car listings shown without a price or best offer or make an offer as it was usually a Seller wanting me to price their car for them.
Running and driving, but last driven in 2016? Those two statements seem incompatible.
Sitting in dirt like that, likely that the drum brakes are locked, among other issues. The bottomside can go bad in a hurry. And since when does primer prevent rust? Rust-oleum, maybe? No photos of the trunk, which may or may not have a bottom anymore, and the floorboards may be gone as well under the carpet.