where did the name corvair come from

Full Answer

What is a Chevrolet Corvair?

The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact car manufactured by General Motors' Chevrolet subsidiary from 1960 and 1969. Dubbed the "poor man's Porsche" by some, the Corvair was exceedingly uncommon for a domestic car. It was the first mass-produced American car to include a rear-mounted air-cooled engine, shattering Detroit's conventional car mold.

How many Corvairs were sold in 1960?

Time magazine put Ed Cole and the Corvair on the cover, and Motor Trend named the Corvair as the 1960 "Car of the Year". Corvairs sold more than 200,000 in each of its first six model years.

When did the first Ford Corvair Convertible come out?

As design tweaks progressed, the Corvair remained largely unchanged until 1965, with the convertible 1964 model before me as the pinnacle of what the Corvair line had to offer in that first generation. Visit Torque News homepage for more stories.

When did the first Corvair have a collapsible steering column?

In 1967, the Corvair line was trimmed to the 500 and Monza Hardtop Coupes and Hardtop Sedans, and the Monza Convertible. This model year was the first with a collapsible steering column.

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What does the word Corvair mean?

Corvair may refer to. Chevrolet Corvair, a compact car produced by General Motors from 1960 to 1969. Corvair Monza GT, a mid-engined experimental prototype car built for Chevrolet in 1962.

Why did Chevy make the Corvair?

Chevrolet engineers have designed a new kind of car that meets a combination of requirements that as recently as five years ago would have been impossible to satisfy.” The Corvair was the product of a nine-year research and development program aimed at designing a compact car which was low in initial cost.

Why did Ralph Nader dislike the Corvair?

Nader's main argument against the Corvair dealt with the combination of a rear-engine layout and a rear swing-axle suspension that had the tendency to "tuck under" during certain maneuvers at certain speeds.

Why did GM stop making the Corvair?

In April 1965, General Motors decided to stop development of the Corvair and to do only what was necessary to keep it legal to sell. That decision was made due to the strong sales of the Mustang, and the Corvair was not considered capable of competing with it without a major redesign.

Why is the Corvair unsafe?

The Corvair's alleged problems stemmed from its unusual rear-engined lay-out and the suspension that held it up. That design led to unstable emergency handling, according to Nader. It's hard to say whether the Corvair was much more dangerous than other cars of its time.

How much is a Corvair worth now?

According to Hagerty, the average price of a mid-level Corvair in satisfactory and drivable condition today is $6,600, with later models of the 500 line averaging closer to $9,700. Examples in mint condition can run to $20,000 or even, very rarely, $30,000.

Are Corvair engines reliable?

Still, with 1,839,439 sold over 10 years, including 130,362 trucks, the Corvair was hardly a failure. It's among the least expensive ways into the U.S. collector car world and the best convertibles seldom surpass $25,000. Corvairs are relatively easy to fix, with a reliable parts supply.

What was the downfall of the Corvair?

The rear engine placement in the Corvair caused a weight imbalance that resulted in poor handling. As a performance vehicle, many people enjoyed driving the Corvair at high speeds. When combined with poor handling, high speeds can lead to an accident when the driver attempts to correct a steering error.

Was the Corvair unsafe at any speed?

In his 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader called the Corvair “the one-car accident.” He wrote that a design flaw in the rear suspension made the car likely to flip over when driven in abrupt maneuvers, like, say, avoiding a ball that suddenly rolled into the street.

Why was the Corvair unsafe at any speed?

The Corvair relied on an unusually high front to rear pressure differential (15psi front, 26psi rear, when cold; 18 psi and 30psi hot), and if one inflated the tires equally, as was standard practice for all other cars at the time, the result was a dangerous oversteer.

Who ruined the Corvair?

On January 13, 1962, Ernie Kovacs, a comedian who hosted his own television shows during the 1950s and is said to have influenced such TV hosts as Johnny Carson and David Letterman, dies at the age of 42 after crashing his Chevrolet Corvair into a telephone pole in Los Angeles, California, while driving in a rainstorm.

What kind of engine was in a Corvair?

flat-sixThe Corvair's engine was an overhead-valve aluminum, air-cooled 140 cu in (2.3 L) flat-six (later enlarged, first to 145 and then to 164 cubic inches). The first Corvair engine produced 80 hp (60 kW; 81 PS).

Who killed the Corvair?

1960 Chevrolet Corvair Deluxe 700 Series 4-Door Sedan. It's a standard misconception among the general public that Ralph Nader killed the Corvair, but the reality is that Ralph simply kicked a dead horse.

Did the Corvair come out before the Corvette?

The 1954 Chevrolet Corvair concept car was an early generation Corvette built as a fastback....First generation (1960–1964)First generation1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertibleOverviewProduction1959–1964Model years1960–196413 more rows

How much did a Corvair cost in 1960?

A Corvair Monza Spyder coupe cost $2,636, while the convertible was $2,846. A regular Monza coupe cost $2,273, with a convertible at $2,483.

Is a Chevy Corvair a muscle car?

No, it's not a muscle car… or a sports car. It's not something you want to take to the drag strip or track in stock trim, but it does have style—in spades. The second generation Corvair debuted in 1965, and the design was unlike anything on the road.

When was the Corvair named?

The name "Corvair" originated as a portmanteau of Corvette and Bel Air, a name 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.

What year was the Corvair made?

Chevrolet Corvair. The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960 –1969 in two generations. It remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine.

How many Corvairs were sold?

Corvairs sold more than 200,000 in each of its first six model years. Chevrolet claimed that the rear-engine design offered packaging and economy advantages, providing the car with a lower silhouette, flat passenger compartment floor, no need for power-assisted steering or brakes as well as improvements in ride quality, traction, and braking balance. The design also attracted customers of other makes, primarily imports. The Corvair stood out, with engineering different from other American offerings. It used GM's Z-body, with design and engineering that advanced the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout most recently brought back into the market by cars including the Tatra 77, Tucker 48, Fiat 500, Porsche 356, Volkswagen Beetle, Renault Dauphine, Subaru 360, and NSU Prinz —and employed by the concurrent and short-lived Hino Contessa .

Why did Corvair use a tire pressure differential?

Tire pressure differential: As with the Renault Dauphine and pre-1968 Volkswagen Beetle, Corvair engineers relied on a cost-free tire pressure differential to eliminate oversteer characteristics – low front and high rear tire pressure–a strategy which induced understeer (increasing front slip angles faster than the rear). Nonetheless, the strategy offered a significant disadvantage: owners and mechanics could inadvertently but easily re-introduce oversteer characteristics by over-inflating the front tires (e.g., to typical pressures for other cars with other, more prevalent suspension systems). The recommended low front tire pressure also compromised the tire load capacity.

What was the Corvair 1954?

The 1954 Chevrolet Corvair concept car was an early generation Corvette built as a fastback.

How much horsepower does a Corvair have?

The first Corvair engine produced 80 hp (60 kW; 81 PS). Power peaked with the 1965–66 turbocharged 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) Corsa engine option. The first generation model's swing axle rear suspension, invented and patented by engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1903, offered a comfortable ride. The design was replaced in 1965 model year with a fully independent trailing arm rear suspension similar to the Corvette Sting Ray .

When did Corvair end production?

According to GM historian Dave Newell, Chevrolet had planned on ending Corvair production after the 1966 model year. Development and engineering changes were halted in 1966 on the year-old, redesigned second-generation cars with mainly federally mandated emissions and safety changes made thereafter. An increasing lack of interest from the company, especially from Chevrolet's General Manager John DeLorean, and a complete absence of Corvair advertising after 1967 reflected the company's priorities, including promotion of three redesigned models for 1968—the Corvette, Chevelle, and Chevy II Nova. The Corvair was referred to as "the phantom" by Car Life magazine in their 1968 Monza road test, and by 1969 Chevrolet's Corvair four-page brochure was "by request only". During its final year of production, 6,000 cars were produced.

What is the Corvair?

The Corvair was intended to provide a comfortable ride despite its smaller size. Americans were used to cars with very soft suspension, cars that gave you a feeling that you were floating along the road. To this end the Corvair was designed with fully independent suspension front and rear. At the front were conventional anti-dive wishbones with coil springs, while at the rear were semi-trailing arms with coil springs. Brakes were servo assisted hydraulic drums all around and steering was by worm and roller.

Why was the Corvair designed?

The Corvair was intended to provide a comfortable ride despite its smaller size. Americans were used to cars with very soft suspension, cars that gave you a feeling that you were floating along the road. To this end the Corvair was designed with fully independent suspension front and rear.

How many horsepower does a Corvair have?

The engines for the new generation Corvair still carried forward the 95hp and 110hp from the previous years first generation for buyers wanting economy, but the Corsa model had a new 140hp version equipped with four single barrel downdraft carburetors, larger valves, and a dual exhaust system.

What chapter did Nader put the Corvair in?

Nader put the Chevrolet Corvair in the first chapter of his book and that first chapter was possibly the only one read by journalists putting together a story with a deadline to meet.

What was the result of the Chevrolet Corvair?

The result for the Chevrolet Corvair was its being plastered with negative publicity that ultimately helped seal its demise, despite the fact that at the time of the publication of Nader’s book, 1965, the criticisms he had levelled at the Corvair had been remedied in the new Second Generation models released that same year.

What was the first car made by Fisher?

The Corvair used a unibody and was the first such car made by Fisher. The styling was intentionally quite European in style with no pronounced fins or similar such stylistic devices. The car was made in four body styles; first produced was the four door sedan, followed by the two door Monza coupé, the Lakewood station wagon, and later in 1962 the convertible.

When was the second generation Corvair released?

Second Generation Chevrolet Corvair (1965-1969) The Second Generation Chevrolet Corvair was released in 1965, the same year as Ralph Nader’s book, and it addressed the weaknesses of the first generation Corvairs decisively.

How did the Corvair get its name?

The Corvair got its name from the Corvette, whose 1954 fastback show car originally held this moniker. It was later revived as a new title for a car to be produced as a 1960 model in order to compete with popular small, lightweight imports and domestic compacts.

What year was the Corvair?

A history lesson courtesy of a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair. Often treated as a questionable classic that received a bad name it didn't deserve, the Corvair was a forward-thinking car produced in the 1960s; and after seeing a 1964 model, fully restored, and speaking with its owner, a few things come to light about this overlooked beauty.

What was the name of the Corvair in 1963?

Various versions of the Corvair were presented as concepts, including a Tourismo racer called the Corvair Monza GT and a sister Monza SS Spyder in 1963 and an electric model in 1964 called the Electrovair, followed by the Electrovair II in 1966. Production Corvairs included a pickup truck (Rampside), station wagon (early models called the Corvair Lakewood), van (Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon), and the various Monza and standard coupe and convertibles.

When was the Corvair Monza made?

The Corvair Monza was, in 1962, the first production automobile to include a turbocharger as a factory option. As design tweaks progressed, the Corvair remained largely unchanged until 1965, with the convertible 1964 model before me as the pinnacle of what the Corvair line had to offer in that first generation.

What was the 1960 Corvair stripped of?

A standard three-speed manual was forced on him. And the 1960 Corvair was stripped of any and every other possible convenience and safety equipment, including a sway bar or any other device to minimize its tendency to tuck under its rear wheels in extreme handling maneuvers. That whole story has been covered here.

What were the problems with the 1960 Corvair?

There were other issues with the 1960 Corvair that were seen to make it vulnerable to the competition from the Falcon and Valiant. One of them was the front trunk, where the spare was located , was problematically small. But like VW, the 1960 Corvair offered at least a partial solution, due to extra space available behind the rear seat. That area, shown in brown above, was a good-sized well that could be accessed more advantageously with the optional (of course) fold down rear seat.

Why did Chevrolet lower the starting price of the 1961 Corvair?

Presumably, the many drastic changes to the ’61 Corvair improved production costs; in any case, Chevrolet lowered the starting prices for 1961 by some 3%, undoubtedly to improve its competitiveness against the Falcon, which was a huge seller.

Is the Corvair cheap to build?

But it was not cheap to build. That was a serious problem. In order to build the Corvair’s complex aluminum flat six, GM had to make major new investments in a large aluminum foundry, as well design a transaxle and other unique components, never mind it being GM’s first domestic unibody.

Does the Corvair have a heater?

Somewhat curiously, the Corvair was originally designed to only have an (optional) gas-fired heater. The fact that this heater was optional is not that odd, given how heaters were still generally optional on most cars; certainly in the low-priced sector. Of course how anyone other than in Florida or Hawaii might be ok without one is another question; even Southern California can get quite chilly in the winter.

What engine does the Corvair have?

The Corvair was powered by a rear-mounted Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine that necessitated a specially designed transaxle. Corvair Powerglide took the principles of the standard Chevrolet Powerglide and modified them to suit the rear-mounted powertrain location of the new Corvair.

What year did Corvair use the Powerglide?

The Corvair used the Powerglide for all 10 years it was produced; from 1961 to 1963, Pontiac used a modified version of Corvair Powerglide it called ' TempesTorque ' for its front-engine, rear-transaxle Tempest, LeMans and Tempest LeMans cars. Dash-mounted Powerglide control lever, typically used on 1965–69 Corvairs.

Overview

History

Handling issues

Reception

Legacy and reputation

Greenbrier Sportswagon

Production notes

Concept cars