<VV> Corvair Article - About Autos - Vintage Cars

[MSYVairs at aol.com]

Really nice article about Corvair's (dare I say it complements "early" 
models????) and make some good statements about owning one!!!!

Bill "Swamp-Rat" Hadley
Denham Springs, LA

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Chevrolet Corvair Monza: Different for Drivers Who Dare to be Different
>From Philip Powell,Your Guide to Vintage Cars. 
Vintage Starter Car #6
When Detroit's Big Three decided to go compact in 1960 the contrast between 
each of their offerings was remarkable. Ford's Falcon was absolutely 
conventional, Chrysler's Valiant had European overtones, and Chevrolet's Corvair took a 
completely fresh and radical approach. Sales figures for the three cars 
finished in the same order, which tells you something about the average North 
American consumer's taste.
The Corvair began with a completely blank sheet of paper, unusual in itself. 
It would even include an all-new engine and indeed, the car was created around 
the air-cooled, rear-mounted, flat-six, a complete reversal from the norm 
where engines must adapt to the chassis and outer skin. However this was a 
blessing, for it also dictated a fully-independent coil spring suspension system 
plus a flat floor in the passenger compartment. Footroom would be increased and 
height decreased, making the Corvair a sporty yet practical package.
It was produced as a 4-door sedan, coupe, convertible, station wagon 
(briefly), plus a forward-cab 6-door Greenbrier wagon, delivery van, and pickup. 
Although initial sales were good, the Falcon (and the company's own, conventional, 
Chevy II) soon pushed the Corvair down the charts. There was, however, one 
bright exception: the Monza coupe, which came onto the market in 1960. Though the 
average driver shied away from Corvair's uniqueness, enthusiasts had taken to 
it and when the sporty-looking Monza appeared, people who enjoyed the art of 
driving were delighted.
Monza brought with it the option of a 4-speed transmission; until then all 
Corvairs came with 3-speed manuals and 2-speed Powerglide transmissions. I 
remember testing one of the latter for my radio show, expecting it to be a dog but 
in fact that wasn't the case. The 140 c.i. engine seemed to have enough 
low-down torque to cope with the 2-speeder and it made for a smooth package.
Still, it was the addition of performance and sports car-type features that 
made the Monza coupe, and follow-up convertible, such a delight. The Monza 
Spyder convertible came with a turbocharged engine, the first use of a turbo in a 
production car. This raised power from 90 hp to a whopping 150 hp, and 
included a package with heavy-duty clutch, 4-speed transmission, and modified 
suspension.
One serious drawback was the engine's turbo-lag, resulting in a 2-second gap b
etween flooring the accelerator and getting any action. For the unskilled, 
handling was also a problem, due to the excess weight in the rear. It might have 
been less so if the spare tire had been mounted under the hood as originally 
intended, instead of moving to the engine compartment to increase luggage 
space. To compensate, tire inflation was to be 15psi at the front and 26psi at the 
rear, but too few owners bothered to properly maintain tire pressure.
Knowledgeable enthusiasts would alter the rear wheel camber from positive to 
negative, making the car more stable in corners and all but eliminating wheel 
tuck-under caused by the swing axles. This, of course, affected tire wear, so 
tires needed to be rotated more frequently, again something the average owner 
wasn't prepared to do. Ralph Nader (who didn't have a driver's license) may 
have had a point when he charged the Corvair with being Unsafe at Any Speed but 
many of us believed the true fault lay with the incompetence of North American 
drivers. Nevertheless there were those who believed in the sporty Monza, 
especially after the second edition Corvair appeared in 1965.
The best known of various modification packages came from Don Yenko, who 
produced a small run of 240 hp, race-winning Yenko Stingers.
I'll deal with the new generation Corvair in another article, for it is one 
of my favorites. I first owned a coupe, then a convertible, and coming from a 
Porsche background with a growing family, I found them to be a perfect 
compromise.
Meanwhile, the earlier generation Monza is the one I'm recommending here as a 
starter car, for it's a relatively uncomplicated automobile and, lacking the 
V-8 performance credentials of other cars in that era, is not in high demand. 
On the other hand the Corvair Monza is more nimble and offers better driver 
control than its conventional competitors, which means that unless you're 
infatuated with tire-burning acceleration, you can even purchase one of the humbler 
versions with stock engine and 3-speed manual or 2-speed Powerglide and still 
have a lot of fun.
With the convertibles, prices rise accordingly, even more when a turbocharger 
is fitted. And so does the cost of maintenance. Find a Yenko Stinger and you 
will, of course, be out of the starter price range entirely.
As a bottom line I would suggest that if you come upon a humble 4-door 
Corvair sedan in good shape, and coupe status is not important, go ahead and buy it. 
Even today any Corvair stands apart as an honest attempt by Chevrolet to 
build a car that drives to a different drummer.