The Corvair was introduced in 1960 as a compact but family-friendly car. With its motor out back, the flat-floored cabin could accommodate six passengers in a pinch, and the front trunk was huge. The car had plenty of punch from its six-cylinder engine, and that only improved over time. Sales breached 250k per year for the first four years of production. But almost from the beginning, and long before Nadar’s treatise against the car industry (Unsafe at Any Speed) was published, the Corvair’s handling was an issue. Swing axle rear suspension combined with a rear-engined configuration was bedeviling drivers. Chevrolet sequentially improved the car’s suspension starting in 1962. Sales began falling off in 1964; a complete restyle for 1965 including independent suspension boosted sales above 200k units again. Success was fleeting, however: the advent of the Mustang stole market share from the Corvair, and seeing the handwriting on the wall, GM decided to throw its resources toward the Camaro. The Corvair was not advertised at all by 1968. Here on craigslist is a 1965 Corvair Monza project car in the unusual shade of Tahitian Turquoise, with an asking price of $4800. The car has an Oregon title but is located in a storage unit in Blaine, Washington, about a half-hour’s drive shy of the Canadian border.
By 1965, the Corvair came in three models – the base 500, the Monza, and the top-of-the-line Corsa. A variety of engines were available. The Monza was typically equipped with a dual-carburetted, 164 cu. in. air-cooled flat-six making 110 hp. A four-carb version was available, putting out 140 hp, but the cat’s meow was the turbo-charged 180 hp optional Corsa engine. Engine swaps are de rigueur in the Corvair world – no one cares about “matching numbers”. More than half the ’65 Monza production arrived with an automatic transmission, making this one’s four-speed desirable. In addition to air, Corvair engines depend on several quarts of oil and the original rubber shielding around the bottom of the engine bay to keep their cool. If you’re missing the rubber bits, check Clark’s. The seller says this motor ran when in possession of the previous owner, but no word on its current condition.
The ’65 Monza dash panel is painted silver – the only year of this treatment. Monzas also received special trim around the drip rails, wheel openings, rear cove, and beneath the doors. This interior will need refreshing from top to bottom but tough-to-find handles, gauges, and sill plates are present. The underside of the trunk lid reveals rust at one edge, and its floor has a small hole.
Speaking of rust, the driver’s side floor is also showing scars from the tinworm. A new pan is provided with the sale but the seller thinks the floor can be patched. The rear bumper needs straightening, and so long as we’re talking cosmetics, there’s that rare paint color to attend to. Decent Corvair coupes can be had for the mid-teens, though automatics go for considerably less. What’s the right price on this one?
Thought this looked familiar, Russ covered this back in May when it was advertised for 4900.
Surprised the owner hasn’t spent the time to get it running and driving in the past few months.
Nice car to restore, way too far away for me…
This engine design is referred to as a boxer. A classic rotary design would be the Wright Whirlwind as used in early aviation.
No, the Wright Whirlwind is a radial engine. A Wankel engine is a rotary design.
7 hour’s away I don’t have any experience with the rotary engine price isn’t horrible but I don’t know enough about their popularity if I can flip it or if its a money pit. According to Google Ralph Nader is still alive wonder if he would go for a ride.
This engine design is referred to as a boxer. A classic rotary design would be the Wright Whirlwind as used in early aviation.
1960s cars esp cars before 1965 were considered relics.to the old age of cars..but these cars.esp.corvairs had design flaws..esp.in the motor…it was a cute car but gm never design out the car flaws of the corvairs then in 1967 a camaro was developed to.dominate the car scene and better engineered.also..so gm let corvair sink in 1967…typical gm decision .try it then forget it…1967..the car never ran all that well.and driving well a wet road is not a friend..front ends are very light
Too much for a run of the mill monza in that condition, IMHO. Needs everything. More of a parts/donor car for a few grand, at best. (and air cooled flat six 164ci)
Not to bad!
Hmmm, I guess Corvair‘s like this are not $500 cars anymore. I would double that and go $1000 on this one if it actually runs!
Blaine WA is right on the Canadian Border. Bellingham is about a half hour from there.
A Subaru STI heart donor and associated organs will go a long way in making it a comfortable daily spirited runner. Of course lots of other upgrades would have to be included …like disc brakes, to stop it from kissing butts in highway traffic .Nothing too difficult stands in the way other than …a solid budget, skills , determination and youth. I have 4 out of 5 .
The visible rust is problem 5 in the engine bay opening and likely worse in areas not photographed ..difficult to repair and forever consigned to become a garage dweller at low humidity levels when not in use.
At 70 yoa, a two year long project is too long for me to wait out before getting some fun out of it , when instead I can buy a turn key, no sweat , point and go fun. For a younger prospective buyer it makes perfect sense to take the project on , two years later …what is left of that Thitian Turquois here and there on the panels will be a real car show ….stopper…
IIRC from my Corvair days, contemporary Camaro front disc swaps were a bolt in conversion. Since we’re being pedantic Wright engines were radials, not rotary. Pre-Wankel, a rotary engine was a radial engine where the crankshaft is bolted to the firewall and the engine rotates around it.
Doesn’t look like that color as I remember it. This looks to be more of a dark blue. You really don’t need disc brakes on one of these. The drums were more than sufficient. Maybe on a Corv8.
The 65-69 Corvair drum brakes are also used on the 65 Chevelle. 500-800 lbs difference in weight. That being said, I do have discs on my Corv8…
Great narrative of Corvair history Michelle. It made me wonder why anyone would sell such a sweet project. I hope they are ok.
This car is worth half of the asking price due to its condition. Unfortunately it has spent too much time outside on the wet side of WA state. I purchased my 65 Corsa Turbo in Kirkland a few years back but with a lot less rust than this one. One soon a time a paint job would run you 3-5K for a nice one. Now that number is 10-15K if you can find a willing shop to do the work. Corvair engine overhaul the right way is now 5-6K and climbing. On a good day a Monza coupe will hammer at 15K so do the math. That would make this a hard pass.
Chevrolet didn’t start to remedy the swing arm issues until 1964 which was the last year of the EM production. The installation of a camber compensator was the quick fix until the Corvette inspired rear suspension started with the LM production. Also there is no such thing as a matching numbers Corvair. The best one could hope for is by approximating the transit time from the Tonawanda engine plant to either one of the US factories going by the 2 letter engine code and the month of production. Also individual components are matched to the date of the engine and car production for those interested in awards.
The car hobby is all about money.
I had a 65 Corvair Corsa in high school. One of the funnest I’ve owned, but it was designed before technology had answers to things like keeping the oil on the inside of the engine. Mine was hopped up with ram air and a mild cam and beautifully tuned headers. It dropped a valve seat causing damage to the head. I got pretty good at rebuilding engine parts without removing the engine from its bay. My dad told me if he had known that the car would keep me off of the streets he’d have bought me one as soon as I could drive. I would still like to get one to make my dream come true of a V8 mid engine transplant. Except now that would include a Porsche Transmission and an LS 7.
Wow, another Corvair nut Kim. Cue twilight zone music.
A friend of mine built a mid-engine, small black Chevy Corvair, that was positively amazing.
This is my 1965 Crown conversion, modified 4 speed, 4 spider converted positraction rear, 350 with about 325 HP, also have a 66 Monza LA built convertible with the 140, 4 speed and factory air, still retains its factory engine. Corvairs are a lot of fun, affordable, and have great aftermarket support.
Had a 66 Corsa convertible 140 hp, 4 carb, 4 spd. Eventually replaced the 4 single bbl’s with the 4 bbl setup. Nice car, fun car
I have one in my garage, awesome car. I put it into car shows and leave the front hood slightly open. Crowds of people gather around it asking where the engine went.
Forgive my ignorance: I seem to recall that Porche obtained the boxer engine design from GM its 911 model?
Kinda’. Porsche had been building boxer engines for decades. Chevrolet copied and improved passenger car boxer engine design from Porsche and aircraft engines for the 60 Corvair, then Porsche simply incorporated some of those improvements in the ’64 911. Moving the oil cooler from the top of one of the cylinders, which tended to make that cylinder run hot, was one of those improvements.
Of note was Chevrolet offering a turbocharged flat six in the Corvair Spyder about ten years before Porsche offered a turbocharged 911.
Thank you!
19sixty5, had a 65 Crown conversion later swapped to a 66 for the gearbox which I broke in half with a 327 powershift, very thin casting, a 914 trans would have held up better, also used the glass seat cover and top cover with access doors to keep the racket down, rigged power 1/4 windows to retain hardtop look, did 150 on Ohio backroad once between tranny replacements, Goodyear E70-14 front tires L60-14s out back stuck like they were glued to the road.
Unfortuate a bid cannot be made or shipping costs negotiated into the price.
you have my oermission to pass that on to the seller.