When Chevrolet rolled out the Corvair compact in the early 1960s, they went one step further. That step was the Corvair 95, a series of interesting COE pickups and vans. The seller has a 1962 Rampside, a truck with a fold-down side ramp for loading and unloading awkward cargo. It was a rare vehicle that found declining sales between 1961 and 1964, which proved to be the end of the line. Located on a farm in Southington, Ohio, this vehicle has lots of newer parts but has been off the road for a number of years. It’s available here on Facebook for $8,500 OBO. Thanks for the nifty tip, Pnuts!
The series was named after the wheelbase of the vehicles (95 inches), and the trio consisted of the Loadside pickup, Greenbrier van, and the Rampside. Under the skin, these had Corvair gear, including the rear-mounted air-cooled six-cylinder engine (145 cubic inches in 1962 when the seller’s truck was produced). The payload capacity was about 1,900 pounds. It utilized a distinctive fold-down ramp that was hinged on the passenger side of the truck, something that was great for loading refrigerators and other oddball-sized stuff.
Rampsides proved not to be popular, peaking at 10,800 units in its first year (1961). That dropped to 4,100 copies in 1962 and just 850 in 1964. When the Corvair was redesigned in 1965, the Rampside wasn’t in the mix. The seller’s vehicle runs and drives around the farm where it has resided for many years. The truck belonged to the father-in-law who passed away in 2009, and the seller inherited it. Extensive restoration work was done in 2014 before it was mothballed for more than a decade.
The seller provides an extensive list of the replaced parts, yet no photos of that hardware or the cool ramp that the truck is named for. Though it sat for many years, it was on a battery tender and started right up after the old fuel was removed and replaced. Since it hasn’t been on the road for ages, the seller suggests you bring a trailer, though it runs fine for local use. The seller needs a more conventional truck for the farm, so a trade may be considered. “Ramp” up your collection with this interesting Corvair!
From a safety standpoint, this rig is probably worse than a Corvair sedan, considering the flat nose on the thing. But, when the thing is this cool, well, safety be damned. I love it.
Think for a sec Russ. If this little jewel was actually a COE, as you describe, the cab would be hanging over the rear end of the truck. 🤔🫣🤯. Have a great day y’all. 🙏🏻🫶🏼
Put more than 200,000 miles on 3 VW vans and managed to survive the “you and the headlights go first” comments. Nice piece here.