Regardless of what Ralph Nader has to say, the Chevy Corvair stands as one of General Motors' boldest engineering achievements. Think about it. When it was introduced for the '60 model year, it was an absolutely revolutionary package. With its aluminum flat-six tucked beneath the trunk lid, there simply was nothing else like it available from Detroit, nor had there been, with the exception of the postwar Tucker. Sure, the first-generation '60 to '64 cars are a little on the ugly side, but it's a good kind of ugly, dig?
So when the restyled '65 models hit the scene, the taut lines should have spelled huge sales figures. The only problem was a thing called Mustang. Not only that, but Chevy was rapidly adding new models like the compact Nova in '62, the midsize Chevelle in '64, and the Camaro in '67, all of which took the wind out of Corvair sales. Ponycars and musclecars were hot, so the poor little Corvair was quickly swept aside to make way. Yeah, Chevy continued marketing the Corvair into the '69 model year, but after 1966, all performance options were dropped and the car slowly withered on the vine.
Groovy Factoids
* In 1964, a cast magnesium cooling fan replaced the previous stamped steel fan. Scrap dealers, start hunting!
* Power steering was never offered on the Corvair. With only 40 percent of total weight on the front tires, steering was already feather light.