Pity the poor Chevrolet Corvair. It was either ahead of its time or the right car with the wrong market. Whatever the case, they were a pretty radical departure from the typical GM design and excess at the time of their introduction. While produced in two-door, four-door, station wagon, van, and pickup versions, there was a convertible too and here’s one that has surfaced. It is ’64 Corvair Monza convertible, located in Los Angeles, California and available here on eBay for a current bid of $1,592, eight bids tendered so far.

The Corvair was introduced in the 1960 model year, seemingly ready to engage in battle on two fronts. On one front, Chevrolet’s engineers and marketers were eyeing Volkswagen’s “Bug”, mimicking its rear-mounted, air-cooled engine. And on the other front was domestic competition in the form of the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant and Rambler American. Ultimately, it would seem, that Chevrolet got cold feet and in 1962 introduced the Chevy II, a more traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive design, similar to the Falcon, Valiant and American, a back-up move perhaps? While Chevrolet shouldered on with the Corvair and effected a significant redesign in 1965, political implications and changing times spelled an end for this unique compact car in 1969.

This 1964 example is the top line Monza in obvious convertible form – it’s a nice find. It has been off the road since 1989 and has that faded, tired southwest look about it. While the body is worn, it is straight with no sign of crash damage or rust/rot. The convertible top is flayed but that’s to be expected. The body, other than the top, is really useable as it is though it could use a serious cleaning. The finish may even brighten up with buffing, to an extent anyway. While the trim is all in place, the dented wheel opening moldings don’t look right, an aftermarket addition perhaps?

The underside of this Corvair is really solid. There are no signs of an integrity issue just as you would expect on a California car – there aren’t even any signs of fluid leaks.  The odometer has only registered 56K miles on this Chevy and the lack of obvious deterioration and wear may be due to the moderate mileage accumulation.

Under the bonnet of this Corvair is an air-cooled, flat six-cylinder engine displacing 164 cubic inches. The horsepower ratings available in non-Spyder models were either 95 or 110 and the seller offers no specific information on that front. The hood (trunk?) emblem, however, appears to be the one used to denote the 110 HP engine – a nice upgrade. The seller does add that the engine turns over by hand but is apparently non-running. The fun factor with this convertible is upped by the presence of a four-speed manual transaxle which will certainly enhance the driving experience vs. the Powerglide automatic unit. BTW, note the “Lacquer Thinner” fuel tank, that’s a real don’t try this trick at home move!

The interior of this Monza is worn and dirty. There is minor surface rust in places but it is very complete with what appears to be non torn or ripped, white vinyl upholstery. The instrument panel is a bit grungy but it may be salvageable with dismantling and cleaning. The interior is quite complete, just neglected.

This was a sharp-looking car in its day and it could be brought back to presentable condition without a lot of effort. The mechanics are unknown but perhaps that’s just a matter of reversible neglect too. Corvair fans seem to align themselves as preferring generation 1 like this Monza or generation 2 which started in 1965. The gen 2 models seem to get the popular vote but there is plenty to like about this ’64 Monza convertible. With two days to go, the bid is very reasonable, anyone tempted?