The Chevy Corvair entered its second and final generation in 1965. The design was superior to the first generation that caught the safety eye of crusader Ralph Nader, as sales of the ‘65s and later versions would fall off from year to year. The seller (a dealer) offers a restored and super nice ’65 Monza Sport Coupe that doesn’t quite hide its color change. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this sharp Chevy is available here on eBay for an affordable $12,900. Our appreciation once again goes to “Curvette” for the tip!
Demand for the 1965-69 Corvair may have been more affected by competition than Nader’s book, Unsafe at Any Speed. The hot new Ford Mustang competed to an extent with the Monza coupes and convertibles, and Chevy’s mid-size Chevelle also stole some thunder, as the sticker price wasn’t that much more. The ’65 Monza used the 164 cubic inch air-cooled flat-6 that came out the year before. Several iterations of it were offered in the Corvair, with the 110 hp set-up applicable to the seller’s car.
The seller’s Monza Sport Coupe was one of 89,000 produced in 1965 (but when was the last time you saw one?). It has 82,000 miles, but we don’t know how many have been added since the vehicle was restored. The glamour shots present a great-looking vehicle, though we’re surprised that the underside of the hood wasn’t repainted when the car’s color went from burgundy to yellow. We assume the Chevy is mechanically true, including the 4-speed manual transmission.
During the resto work, the Monza picked up a set of wire knock-off wheel covers, which really add to the appeal of the car. The black interior hardly looks used, and the only things that are known to be in-op are the radio and heater (wiring?). If you’re looking to get into the classic car scene, this car is priced to get you there without breaking the bank. And the seller included a walkaround video for your perusal.
This is a really nice looking Corvair, but I think I would have preferred the original burgundy color. GLWTA!! :-)
Agree. Our ’65 was burgundy and we loved it.
To each his own preference. This another small car relative to the SUVs on road today, and light yellow can be easily seen by traffic compared to a dark color. This one is on other side of state, about 350 miles west – Pittsburgh.
No matter what color, this is a very handsome design. The 4 door hardtops from ’65 onward also are really nice looking cars. The 4 speed is a huge plus here too.
I love Corvairs and this one looks great! Let me talk about swing axle rear suspension for a minute. It can be modified to be safer-Mercedes did just that with the 300SL (original coupe is twitchier than the later roadster) by adding a horizontal transverse compression spring which makes the weight transfer and camber shift less abrupt in hard cornering. GM went all out for the new Corvair and just changed the whole design to what I imagine was a much more expensive system. Once again for the Nader-haters I must reiterate that he was using GM and specifically the Corvair to make a larger point about the tradeoffs corporations make between risk to the consumer and cost control. It is a hard fact of life and a permanent feature of capitalism (for better or worse). I think the fact that the great Ernie Kovacs lost his life in a Corvair had as much to do with the subsequent post Nader brouhaha as anything!
Fun fact: Nader did not drive. And there was a rumor that he was buying up Ford stock left and right about the time his spiel came out. His specialty was always about running down GM.
IIRC, Road & Track tested the “new” Corvair and found it generated more cornering “Gs” than the Stingray. These are great cars and would love to have one.
Well stated. hatofpork. Nader was making a name for himself taking on a giant corporation. David vs Goliath.
The NTSB later exonerated the Corvair stating it was no more dangerous than other compact cars on the road at that time. Think: Volks Beetle, Porsche 356 and 911 which has similar swing arm rear suspension. Corvair introduced a Camber Compensator in ’64 which basically eliminated the problem of the wheels tucking under on a quick turn and eliminated it completely with the Corvette like suspension in ’65. Many a Yenko Stinger (look it up) has beaten Porsche on road courses which tells us something abbot handling..
Spell check again (aargh!)
I always liked Corvairs, be they first or second generation. Unfortunately like the author mentions, between bad and mostly incorrect publicity and the competition, it was Chevy’s own Chevy II and Nova that stole the Corvair’s thunder. What’s nice about the second generation is it has a hint of the soon to be released Camaro in its styling. A handsome car to be sure.
Last time I saw one? I just looked in my garage. 65 Monza Sport Coupe. 140 HP (4X1BBL), POSI diff., 4spd.
Hmmm!
My garage has a couple also, a 65 Corsa with a Crown conversion, and a 66 Monza convert, 140/4 speed factory AC car built in LA. Just saw them today!
This caught my eye because I had a 65 Monza same color and interior, but the automatic. The car is restored yet they didn’t fix the heater?
I enjoyed your comment. As a lifetime Corvair owner, purchased my first Corvair Monza Spyder Convertible in 1964 as the last Spyder the dealer had. 1965 models were on the ground. I have had some type of Corvair ever since. My current daily driver is a Rampside. This Monza coupe is a stylish car. Too bad the painter did not do as well with the color change under the hood as he did in the engine compartment. Seems to be extra effort made in the engine compartment for the color change, perhaps just an oversight on the trunk compartment. The heater and a little paint would help with the sale.
My buddies had the later cars and they were probably one of the best handling cars of the late 60s and early 70s. The IRS was a huge improvement. I got my first experience with trailing throttle oversteer in my grandmother’s 1961. Since it was a Powerhlide, it was the most excitement you could get from it.
Nader was a nut case,always looking for publicity. He never drove a car !
Nothing he said ,or wrote should be taken seriously.
I have raced rear engine cars, a quick lift off the accelerator upon your turn in will cause the rear end to come around, that straightens the cars acceleration toward apex of the turn. Allowing for much faster throttle application.
A series of events killed the Corvair not necessarily Ralphs book. First Ford introduced the Mustang.
That prompted GM to develop the Camero which was already in the development stages.
Gm decided the continue with the Camero and let the Corvair die a slow death.
The last 521 Corvairs convertibles were basically hand assembled in a back room by a small team of Corvair Specialists.
Theres a lot more to the history of the final 4-5 years of the Corvair but those are the bullet points.
CAMARO ! !
Yes! Amazing how many times I see that error in print.
Sorry but what on earth would make someone change the color for burgundy to yellow? We had a 64 black on red the family loved! I liked the styling of the next generation a bit more, but yellow!?
This primary color even looks bad on the exterior of a house. IMHO.
Nice looking car and even the paint mismatch under the hood isn’t a major issue, but it is a tad bit over priced, especially considering the heater doesn’t work.
whoever owned this paid more than the ask to restore. another dealer selling what a shame
Heater repair on these can be problematic. My heater blower was loaded with walnut shells and garage insulation, most of the extensive ductwork also. Lots of disassembly and cleaning and a new high output blower motor from Clarks Corvair and now I’ve got super duper heat and defrost. Used my electrical fish tape to clean out all the ducts from the engine to the defrosters. A couple of new heater control cables also from Clarks and you’re good to go. It’s nice to have an outfit that stocks literally every part of your project car.
I am so sick and tired of Nader being the first word said after Corvair. Talk about the great car, not the jackass.
Two ”Thumbs Up”!
Nice looking car for the money ……but all the ones I had , had rust holes in certain places. Best take a magnet in a sock and check it out in person. Fresh body work and fresh paint has fooled many people.
IMHO the ’65 thru ’69 Corvair 2 door and 4 door design is perfect, and can’t be improved on.