<VV> cost of Corvair in Europe (was Corvair didn't make money?)

[Guus de Haan]

> <Frankly, though, I'm surprised the Corvair wasn't a bigger hit in
> Europe where it was decidedly superior to most other sedans or large 
> coupes
> in its price range.>

Apart from import taxes which made it pretty expensive there were 
several other reasons. The Corvair may have been a small car in the US, 
it still was a pretty big car for European standards. Also the European 
system had (and has) a lot of factors which make it expensive to run 
bigger cars.

High insurance costs due to the high price
Higher weight which is sometimes the basis for the road tax dues
Engine capacity which is the basis for road tax and insurance in some 
other countries
Horsepower which again is the basis for road tax and insurance in others
And those six cylinders of course want some fuel ...

It simply was not a car for "Joe Average" so numbers would never been 
that high.

Let's also not forget that the Corvair was designed as a basic car in 
the US. European versions were not updated in any way. So if it was 
compared against some of the more luxurious European players 
(pricewise) the choice may have been pretty easy!

Regards,

Guus de Haan
The Netherlands
'65 Corsa Turbocharged Convertible