Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair is a rear-engined, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations from the 1960 through 1969 model years. The Corvair was a response to the increasing popularity of small, fuel-efficient automobiles, particularly the imported Volkswagen Beetle and American-built compacts like the Rambler American and Studebaker Lark.

The first generation (1960–1964) was offered in four-door sedan, two-door coupe, convertible, and four-door station wagon configurations. A two- and four-door hardtop, as well as a convertible, were available as second-generation variants (1965–1969). The Corvair platform was also offered as a subseries known as the Corvair 95 (1961–1965), which consisted of a passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck variant. Total production was approximately 1.8 million vehicles from 1960 until 1969.

The name "Corvair" was first applied in 1954 to a Corvette-based concept with a hardtop fastback-styled roof, part of the Motorama traveling exhibition. When applied to the production models, the "air" part referenced the engine's cooling system.

A prominent aspect of the Corvair's legacy derives from controversy surrounding the handling of early models equipped with rear swing axles, articulated aggressively by Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed but tempered by a 1972 Texas A&M University safety commission report for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which found that the 1960–1963 Corvair possessed no greater potential for loss of control in extreme situations than contemporary compacts.

To better counter popular inexpensive subcompact competitors, notably the Beetle and Japanese imports such as the Datsun 510, GM replaced the Corvair with the more conventional Chevrolet Vega in 1970.

Development

The development of the Chevrolet Corvair in the late 1950s is an unconventional chapter in American automotive history, driven by shifting market dynamics and visionary leadership. Ed Cole, a pivotal figure at General Motors, was promoted to chief engineer of the Chevrolet Motor Division in 1952. Four years later, in July 1956, he ascended to the role of general manager of Chevrolet, GM's largest automotive division, and became a GM vice president. Cole was a driving force behind many significant engineering and design advancements introduced across Chevrolet's car and truck lines between 1955 and 1962. His influence extended to the Corvette sports car as well as the development and production of the air-cooled, rear-engine Corvair. He is also widely recognized as the "father" of the small-block Chevy V8. Chevrolet had experimented with an air-cooled engine in 1923 with the Chevrolet Series M Copper-Cooled; however, that venture was deemed a failure due to engineering challenges.

By the late 1950s, the physical size of the entry-level models offered by the "Big Three" American domestic auto manufacturers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) had grown considerably. This expansion effectively abandoned the market segment for smaller, more economical vehicles that had previously been available. However, a successful modern "compact car" market segment had already been firmly established in the U.S. by the 1950 Nash Rambler. Concurrently, growing sales of European imports, such as Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat, and others, clearly demonstrated a burgeoning demand in the U.S. market for small cars, often serving as a second vehicle or an affordable alternative for budget-minded consumers.

While the "Big Three" continued introducing ever-larger cars throughout the 1950s, the newly formed American Motors Corporation (AMC) adopted a contrasting business strategy. Years before a widespread perceived need for them existed, AMC strategically focused on smaller-sized and fuel-efficient automobiles. As a far smaller company than any of the "Big Three," AMC positioned itself as an underdog. Its compact Rambler models proved highly successful, helping to propel AMC to third place in domestic automobile sales. American Motors further capitalized on this trend by reintroducing its predecessor company's smallest Nash model as the "new" 1958 Rambler American for a second model run—an almost unheard-of phenomenon in automotive history. In 1959, Studebaker followed AMC's successful formula by restyling its mainstream economy-model sedan, rebranding it as the Lark and marketing it as a compact. The Lark's initial success gave Studebaker a reprieve for several years before the company ultimately ceased automobile production in 1966. General Motors registered the name "Corvair" for use on automobiles on August 6, 1959. This followed its earlier use on a 1954 concept car, the Chevrolet Corvair, which featured a distinctive fastback styled after the Chevrolet Corvette. The official launch of the Corvair was October 2, 1959.

Reception

Time magazine featured Ed Cole and the 1960 Corvair on its cover for the Corvair introduction in 1959, and Motor Trend named the Corvair as the 1960 "Car of the Year".

The Time article described "its fresh engineering is hailed as the forerunner of a new age of innovation in Detroit." Chevrolet sold 26,000 Corvairs its first two days on the market, taking over 35% of Chevy's two-day total of 75,000. Chevrolet had intended to sell one Corvair for every five Chevrolets. By March 1960, the Corvair comprised 13% of Chevrolet's sales. Shortly after its introduction, the Corvair faced competition from the Ford Falcon and Mercury Comet and was plagued by problems,

Generations

Overview

The Corvair was sold in two generations, the first from 1960 to 1964, the second from 1965 to 1969. It sold more than 200,000 units in each of its first six model years, and 1,835,170 in all.

Chevrolet positioned the under $2,000 car as an economy compact, and highlighted its rear-engine design, which offered a low silhouette, flat passenger compartment floor, and spacious interior. There was excellent traction, no need for power-assisted steering or brakes, good ride quality, and balanced braking. The design also attracted customers of other makes, primarily imports. The Corvair stood out, being larger, more powerful, and offering more features than comparable imports, and engineering unique from other American offerings. It used GM's Z-body, with design and engineering that advanced the rear-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout, which at the time had recently been popularized by the exploding success of the Volkswagen Beetle.

The Corvair's engine was an overhead-valve aluminum, air-cooled flat-six, later enlarged, first to and then to . Power peaked with the 1965–66 turbocharged Corsa engine option. The first generation model's swing axle rear suspension, which offered a comfortable ride. The design was replaced in 1965 model year with a fully independent trailing arm rear suspension similar to that of the Corvette Sting Ray.

First generation (1960–1964)

1960

The 1960 Corvair Body Styles 569 and 769 four-door sedans

The option of a more powerful engine for the Corvair was introduced in February 1960. The RPO 649, marketed as "Super Turbo Air", included a hotter camshaft, revised dual-spring cylinder heads, and a lower restriction 2-inch muffler to deliver at 4,800 rpm and of torque at 2,800 rpm. In its first year, it was available on any Corvair model with a manual transmission.

The advertised February introduction of a full synchromesh, four-speed transmission (RPO 651) was postponed until the 1961 model year. This was due to casting problems with the aluminum three-speed transmission case which resulted in technical service bulletins to dealers advising of the potential for differential failure due to external leaks at the front of the transmission's counter gear shaft. The revision of the four-speed transmission designated for 1961 introduction incorporated a cast-iron case and a redesign of the differential pinion shaft to interface with a longer transmission output shaft and a concentric pilot for the revised transmission case. These are among many of the improvements undertaken by Chevrolet by the end of the 1960 model year.

The Corvair was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1960.

1961

thumb|1961 [[matchbook cover art]]

In 1961, Chevrolet introduced the Monza upscale trim to the four-door sedans and the club coupe body styles. With its newly introduced four-speed floor-mounted transmission, DeLuxe vinyl bucket seats, and upscale trim, the Monza Club Coupe gained in sales, as nearly 110,000 were produced along with 33,745 Monza four-door sedans. The four-speed Monza caught the attention of the younger market and was sometimes referred to as "the poor man's Porsche" in various car magazines. The Monza series contributed to about half of the Corvair sales in 1961.

thumb|1964 Corvair Monza rear

thumb|1964 Corvair Monza Interior

thumb|left|1961 Corvair 500 Lakewood station wagon

A station wagon, marketed as the Lakewood, joined the lineup in 1961 with its engine located under the cargo floor and offering 68 ft3 (1.9 m3) of cargo room; 58 ft3 in the main passenger compartment, and another 10 ft3 in the front trunk. The Corvair engine received its first size increase to via a slight increase in bore size and was rated at . The base engine was still rated at when paired with the manual transmissions but this increased to when mated to the optional automatic transmission in Monza models. To increase luggage capacity in the front trunk, the spare tire was relocated to the engine compartment (in cars without air conditioning) and new "direct air" heater directed warmed air from the cylinders and heads to the passenger compartment. The gasoline heater remained available as an option through 1963. Factory air conditioning was offered as a mid-1961 option introduction. The condenser lay flat atop the horizontal engine fan. A large, green-painted reverse rotation version of the standard GM Frigidaire air-conditioning compressor was used, and an evaporator housing was added under the dash with integrated outlets surrounding the radio housing. Air conditioning was not available on wagons, Greenbrier/Corvair 95, or the turbocharged models introduced later, due to space constraints. Chevrolet also introduced the Corvair 95 line of light-duty trucks and vans, using the Corvair Powerpack with forward-control, or "cab over", with the driver sitting over the front wheels, as in the Volkswagen Type 2.

The Greenbrier Sportswagon used the same body as the "Corvan 95" panel van with the side windows option, but was marketed as a station wagon and was available with trim and paint options similar to the passenger cars. The "Corvan 95" model was also built in pickup versions; the Loadside was a fairly typical pickup of the era, except for the rear engine, forward controls, and a pit in the middle of the bed. The more popular Rampside had a unique, large, fold-down ramp on the side of the bed for ease of loading wheeled items.

1962

thumb|The Corvair Spyder [[turbocharged engine]]

thumb|1962 Corvair advertisement

In 1962, Chevrolet introduced the Corvairs with few changes at the beginning of the year. The bottom line 500 series station wagon was dropped and the 700 became the base station wagon. The "Lakewood" name was dropped. The ever-popular Monza line then took on a wagon model to round out the top of the line. In spring of 1962, Chevrolet committed itself to the sporty image they had created for the Corvair by introducing a convertible version, then offering a high-performance turbocharged "Spyder" option for Monza coupes and convertibles, making the Corvair the second production automobile supplied with a turbocharger as a factory option, with the Oldsmobile F-85 Turbo Jetfire having been released earlier in 1962. Corvair station wagons were discontinued at that point in favor the new Corvair Convertible and Chevy II (built at the same assembly plant). The slow-selling Loadside pickup was discontinued at the end of the model year. The rest of the Corvair 95 line of Forward Control vehicles continued. Optional equipment on all passenger cars (except wagons) included metallic brake linings and a heavy-duty suspension consisting of a front anti-roll bar, rear-axle limit straps, revised spring rates, and recalibrated shock absorbers. These provided a major handling improvement by reducing the potentially violent camber change of the rear wheels when making sharp turns at high speeds. The Turbocharged Spyder equipment group featured a multi-gauge instrument cluster which included a tachometer, cylinder head temperature, and intake manifold pressure gauges, Spyder fender script, and Turbo logo deck emblems, in addition to the high-performance engine.

The Monza Coupe was the most popular model with 151,738 produced out of 292,531 total Corvair passenger car production for 1962. John Fitch, chose the Corvair as the basis for "Sprint" models. These included various performance improvements along with appearance modifications. Individual components were available to customers and several Chevrolet dealers became authorized to install the "Sprint" conversions.

1963

The 1963 model year had the optional availability of a long 3.08 gear for improved fuel economy, but the Corvair otherwise remained largely carryover with minor trim and engineering changes. Self-adjusting brakes were new for 1963. Of all the Corvairs sold in 1963, fully 80% were Monzas. The convertible model accounted for over 20% of all the Monzas sold.

1964

Significant engineering changes were introduced for 1964, while the model lineup and styling remained relatively unchanged. The engine displacement was increased from by an increase in stroke. The base engine power increased from , and the high-performance engine increased from . The Spyder engine rating remained at despite the displacement increase of the engine. In 1964, an improvement in the car's swing axle rear suspension occurred with the addition of a transverse leaf spring along with softer rear coil springs designed to diminish rear roll stiffness and foster more neutral handling. Spring rates could now be softer at both ends of the car compared to previous models. The heavy-duty suspension was no longer optional, although all models now had a front anti-roll bar as standard. Brakes were improved with finned rear drums. The remaining pickup, the Rampside, was discontinued at the end of the model year.

Despite a vastly improved 1964 model, Corvair sales declined by close to 73,000 units that year. This was attributed to a number of factors, including the basic styling being 5 years old, the lack of a pillarless hardtop (which virtually all competing compact models had), the lack of a V8 engine, and the introduction of the Ford Mustang on 17 April, which broke all records for sales of a new car (and cut into Corvair sales).