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Lambrecht Corvair: 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza

This 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza was one of the vehicles that passed through what would rate as one of the most famous auto auctions in American history. It is hard to believe that 6-years have now passed since the famous Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction, which saw more than 25,000 people descend on Pierce, Nebraska, to bid on nearly 500 classic GM cars from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. One of those cars was this Corvair, and Barn Finder Ikey H has referred the car through to us. Thank you so much for that Ikey. The Corvair is once again looking for a new home. It is now located in Dolgeville, New York, and is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $15,175 for this classic piece of Chevrolet auction history.

For a relatively unassuming car, this Monza holds a fairly significant place within the Lambrecht family. This car was the personal transport for Ray Lambrecht’s daughter, and like so many of the cars that went under the hammer that day, it is a remarkably well preserved original vehicle. The Black paint has a wonderful shine to it, and there are no signs of any panel damage or rust. The owner doesn’t mention whether there was any restoration work performed on the car following the auction, but it is possible that the car would have needed nothing. Today, that remains true, because it looks like the buyer isn’t going to have to do much but drive and enjoy this classic.

The Corvair’s red interior also presents well, and apart from the fuzzy dice, it looks to be completely original. The carpet, especially in the front, looks like it might be a bit stained, but that could also be a trick of the light. Otherwise, it really does look to be in impressive condition.

When the Corvair was introduced, it really did represent engineering at its most adventurous for GM. To develop a brand new rear-engined economy car when it would’ve been so much easier to produce a car with a more conventional drive-train showed a new side to the engineering abilities of the company. The car really didn’t deserve the sort of bad press that it received via Ralph Nader, because, in reality, the Corvair was no more prone to stability problems than any other rear-engined car of the era. Today, the Corvair has become a cult classic, and they are a spacious, interesting, and comfortable car. This one has been meticulously maintained and is said to have a genuine 44,988 miles showing on its odometer. The 144ci flat-6 engine sends its power to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transaxle. Recently, the Corvair has had its gas tank professionally cleaned. It has also received new tires, a new master cylinder, and a new battery. This should mean that this carefully maintained car will run and perform well for quite a few more years.

While it is an unassuming car, this Corvair is part of a special chapter in American automotive history. The owner holds a letter which verifies the fact that this Corvair was sold via that famous auction. At the end of the day, it really is doubtful whether this particular claim to fame would add anything to the car’s ultimate value. However, what it does represent is an interesting back-story that would be a great conversation starter wherever this Corvair went. Otherwise, what this Corvair appears to be is a clean and tidy 1960s classic that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately.

Comments

  1. Avatar Erik in RI

    “The owner is asking $15,175 for this classic piece of Chevrolet auction history.”

    Well he can ask, but that’s a hefty premium to pay for auction history.

    Like 21
  2. Avatar DW

    As someone who has owned Corvairs continuously since 1979 (still own my 1st and 8th), this is overpriced by a huge factor. Early (1960-1964) models are selling for – at most – $10k in pristine condition (and that for the premium styles – converts with the Spyder turbo package). Of course, if the seller can get $15k that is great for all of us current owners. But very hard to justify, regardless of the provenance of the vehicle.

    Like 18
    • Avatar YourSoundMan

      DW:

      The 21st century trend is to charge as much for second hand anything as one would for something brand new.

      I work in donated goods and over the last couple years have had several customers show me on their phone items in our store that can be had for less, new, than what we price them used!

      It’s out of hand, and disgusting, the love of money. I just do my job, listen to the price complaints, and keep my mouth shut.

      Like 2
  3. Avatar JOHN Member

    This guy is way beyond dreaming with that price. It’s ridiculously high, maybe he is too?

    Like 15
  4. Avatar TimS

    The Lambrecht auction was way overrated. It’s every “gonna restore it someday” story multiplied by five hundred. Scores of viable automobiles left to rot by a hoarder wearing the cloak of Americana.

    Like 12
    • Avatar JLS

      who said anything about restoring. these were low mileage runners. I love these.

      Like 6
  5. Avatar Will Fox

    This seller is banking on the fact that this car went through the Lambrecht action, which to me doesn’t add a dime of value. This Corvair was NOT one of the cars with single-digit test-drive miles on like some from the barn!! This has 44K on it, and to me, it’s simply a clean, used Corvair. IMHO, this car is priced about $5-6K too high.

    Like 16
    • Avatar On and On Member

      I recently passed on a local Corvair for sale. It was a 1964 Monza 2 dr from California. Original everything, great paint and shiny chrome, the guy wanted $4000. It only had 40K and looked it. At that price you still need about $2000 in sealing the engine properly and ensuring the suspension is up to date. $15,000 ………yikes. And that one still needs the updates.

      Like 15
  6. Avatar Badnikl

    Sold for $13,500 at Auction I believe.

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Dave

    Gee, they told me that the 2016 Jeep Patriot with 4700 miles they were trying to sell me was only driven by a member of Jim Shorkey’s family, so they sold it to me for $18,500. Sticker was $27,400. Lesson learned.

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Dave at OldSchool Restorations

    @Adam Clarke

    The statement ” in reality, the Corvair was no more prone to stability problems than any other rear-engined car of the era. ” is incorrect. The Gen 1 Corvairs used a swing axle and design geometry that was more of a problem than other rear engine cars of the period.
    GM totally changed it the following year (1965).

    Like 8
    • Avatar Dave

      Funny how Nader never went after VW or Porsche like he went after GM. At least the new rear suspension was the same as the Corvette, a parallelogram design.

      Like 4
      • Avatar David Frank Member

        And then there was Nader’s Corvair. If they were so dangerous, why did he own one? It was a 1962 Monza 900 Sedan.
        Jessie did a nice writeup on his Corvair in 2016.

        https://barnfinds.com/ralph-naders-corvair-unearthed/

        The VDub bug was a lot easier to roll and would do so at a much lower speed.

        Like 5
      • Avatar Blackcatprowl

        He did in ’72 with _Small– On Safety: the Designed-in Dangers of the Volkswagen_. Basically, the same book.

        I had a ’65 Monza 4-speed 140 and it was a tremendous car. Though, it had its particularities~ could stall in a sharp low-speed corner, front end needed added weight in the winter to deal with snow, I would say it was an excellent handler and quite striking looking.

        Fun as heck to drive!

        Looking to get another…

        Like 4
      • Avatar misterlou Member

        Nader went after the Corvair because GM touted it as a completely new, outside-of-the-box, ground up, ground breaking, cutting edge study of automotive design. Since GM labeled it as being on the bleeding edge Nader thought it’d be a good subject to scrutinize and found that GM had done really nothing to make it safer than any of the other cars they sold. They gave themselves enough rope and made the noose too. Nader just placed it around their neck.

        Like 3
      • Avatar DillWeed

        Blackcatprowl…correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the 140 HP was the Corsa, the 110 was the Monza. The ’65 Corvair Corsa I had was the 140 with 4 single barrel carbs, the 110 had two carbs. And like yourself, it was a hoot to drive and a rocket in disguise. Loved that car, would love to have another.

        Like 3
    • Avatar 68custom

      Isn’t there a mod to. Prevent this? Rear stabilizer bar from a later model maybe? Nice car but 15k! Dream on!

      Like 4
      • Avatar Gregory Mason

        Actually in 1964 Chevy added the cross leaf to the rear suspension which eliminated the handling issues on the 60-63. And yes you can add the cross leaf to the early models easily. The only other problem with the 60-64s is the solid rear axle’s if a rear wheel bearing failed the whole rear axle tire brake drum and all could pull right out of the car. That problem was eliminated in 1965 with the introduction of rear driveshaft,s with universal’s and better wheel bearings .

        Like 3
      • Avatar xrotaryguy

        No mod necessary. The thing people don’t remember is Nader was proven incorrect.

        Like 0
    • Avatar xrotaryguy

      Then only shortcoming was the lack of front sway (but only on the base model, everything else had the front sway bar). In 64 the added a transverse leaf to the rear to further stabilize the back of the car. And yes, 65 basically has the Vette C2 rear suspension.

      But Nader was proven wrong by multiple studies long, long ago. It’s sad that the misinformation persists. (unless you like buying cheap Corvairs like me haha!)

      Like 2
  9. Avatar 4spdBernie

    This Corvair is a genuine ‘certified purchase from the famous Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction’ and with that critical documentation the buyer is guaranteed they are NOT buying a Lambrecht Auction tribute car, lol. Maybe the seller can persuade Ray Lambrecht’s daughter Jeannie to sign the glove box lid, lol x 2. It is a nice car as I recall; it wasn’t one of the hundreds left in the fields to rot.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Badnikl

      At 1:45 you see it . It was pretty field ready.
      https://youtu.be/jnpaE_8mcZc

      Like 0
    • Avatar KeithK

      I was going to comment that these cars are a great buy in for beginner collectors as good to “really kinda nice “ models still sell for 4 digit money. Quirky factor is off the hook and parts support is excellent. The internet is an amazing parts gathering tool. At 15k this is approaching ratty airstream money. I think I’ll put it there instead.

      Like 1
  10. HoA Rube Goldberg Member

    As shown, the foolishness continues. I have a feeling there will be books written on human behavior gone nuts, because of this auction. Like I say, the divorce rate must have spiked after the auction, lawyers probably had booths set up handing out cards and you can still be a part of it right here.

    Like 4
  11. Avatar DB

    The auction results (listed here https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/app/uploads/Lambrecht_Auction_Results.pdf ) suggest that a lot of people got really carried away. Good for the Lambrechts family, not so good for the buyers.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Jim Benjaminson

      I’ve come to the conclusion people are crazy – literally. I hadn’t looked at the Lambrecht auction results before but here are a couple of non-automotive items I noticed in the listing – rulers and yardsticks which would have been give-aways on announcement day. These rulers/yardsticks were dated 1963 and 1965 — prices: $225, $400, $450 and $550! For a ruler or yardstick!!!!! I have a fortune in these from the dealership my Dad worked at.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Kevin Fear

    I was at that auction and that guy paid ridiculous money for a at most $3500 Corvair and I am a lifelong Corvair Guy.

    Like 2
  13. Avatar JOHN Member

    There are deals to be had at auctions, but there are also a lot of people with cash that like to brag they bought their car at one of the big-name auctions. But as a seller, nothing better than 2 people with drinks in hand trying to out-bid each other. Nowadays, someone with a 77 base Camaro that was put out to pasture after a hard life, has sunk in the ground up to its floor (or what remains of it, windows down for 30 years thinks it is worth a fortune because he heard of a Camaro selling for $100k at auctions. The Lambrecht auction was heavily covered by the press, attracted people with $$, and I can only guess because that’s where they bought it, they believe it adds value to the car.
    I do try to catch some of the auctions on TV, they are fun to watch and give me ideas for the next project.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Kurt Member

    I turned off BJ and the rest when I saw a VW 23 window transporter sell for more than I paid for my first house. Too many rich dudes with too little savvy.

    Like 3
  15. Avatar Al

    Similar car, 1961 with 30,000 miles, 2nd owner, $5000/BO on Rochester, NY Craigslist. Hmmmmm.

    Like 1
  16. Avatar Comet

    Corvair’s certainly were ahead of their time and today still seem to remain unappreciated. But this seller is looking for a 8K bump evidently due to the “Lambrecht pedigree.” This is a 7K car. I second Will Fox’s opinion above.

    Like 1
  17. Avatar JOHN Member

    DilWeed, the 65 Corsa standard engine was the 140 HP, optional was the 180 HP turbocharged. The Monza and 500 models came standard with the 95 HP, the 110 HP and 140 engines were optional, either with a manual or automatic transmission. The Corsa’s were all 4 speed manuals.

    Like 1
    • Avatar xrotaryguy

      Right, my Monza has a 140, posi, 4spd, HD suspension, and GM quick steering, all right from the factory.

      Like 0
  18. Avatar Little_Cars

    Another contender vying for the “world’s worst photographs” of a $15k car. Why snap photos of a black car in the direct sunlight with trees shadowing every panel? This example would sell better if the car was brought inside with good lighting to reveal its strong points. Agree this is overpriced, and who gives a flip if it was from Lambrecht…no extra premium for the fact it ran through the auction. Who cares? Daughter’s signature on the glove box…now that’s a $10 premium!

    Like 1
  19. Avatar Del

    Lots if grouching.

    I think its worth the asking price.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Theodoric

      Are you the seller? If not, and you really believe it is a fair price then go for it.

      Like 0

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