<VV> Corvair Crash-worthiness

[Ken Maxwell]

Hi Gang,

I can personally attest to the crash-worthiness of both early and late Corvairs. I t-boned a '68 Olds 88 with my older brother's 4-year old '65 Monza coupe and came away without a scratch (I was wearing my seatbelt). The car was totaled but still driveable. The front end crushed up very nicely but the steering column did not move. My younger brother also totaled another of my older brother's '65 Corvairs when he spun on ice and hit a guardrail sideways with the rear wheel at over 50 mph! There were four people in the car and all walked away without a scratch, although the car was totaled (for some reason our older brother never let us drive any of his Corvairs again). Also, another of our club members was rear-ended on I-65 by a semi which drove his beautiful red 62 Spyder coupe into and partially over the center retaining wall. The car flipped and was hit by another semi going the other way. His only injury was when he undid his seatbelt and fell on his head! The car was totaled but It's amazing how solid that early coupe was. It took an incredible beating but the cabin held up well!

Ken Maxwell
Louisville, KY
69 Monza Convertible
66 Monza Coupe