<VV> RE: Wise Gal - A Corvette is America's Sprts Car - Corvair :"America's

Sun Aug 20 08:04:52 EDT 2006

This thread sounds like a collection of people who have never driven a Corvette, especially a later model (no contest on the 84 Z51 though).  They are a blast to race (legal...SCCA Solo2) and my piddly 86 (C4s are nothing compared to the new C6s, especially Z06s) convert as modified gets 27.5mpg with the cruise set on 70mph on the interstate...city/highway the way I drive it is about 23mpg.  My Corvette, Corvair, and Lotus all get along just fine in the garage together...never any arguments between them as to which is best or most fun!  If I had to get rid of anything, the Lotus (project car) would go first.  I would be hard pressed to decide between the Vette and the Vair.

Image?  I'm a guy that takes as much pleasure driving around in my beat up 58 Chevy Suburban (in restoration now) as I do the Corvair or Vette...and my "mule" is a seriously worn 86 Chevy pickup with 256Kmiles on it.  I'm in it for the driving experience.

Mark Noakes
58 GMC NAPCO 4wd pickup, in the queue for restoration
58 Chevy Carryall Suburban, in restoration now
61 Corvair Lakewood, once restored, used as a daily driver, now seriously worn
66 Corvair Monza, restored, first car owned since July 14, 1974
73 Lotus Europa JPS, long term project
86 Corvette Convertible, SCCA BSP#32 and daily driver
86 Chevy Silverado, daily driver and "mule"

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per" <chaz at ProperProPer.com>
> To: RKB <rkbyers at verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: <VV> RE: Wise Gal - A Corvette is America's Sprts Car - Corvair	:"America's Cheapest Hardtop" ?!?!?!?
> Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:40:46 -0700
> 
> 
> I've heard of cars with suspension so taught that you ride over a dime, and tell if 
> it was heads or tails.  Must've been a 63 Stingray ?
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "RKB" <rkbyers at verizon.net>
> To: "Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per" <chaz at ProperProPer.com>
> Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 10:31 PM
> Subject: Re: <VV> RE: Wise Gal - A Corvette is America's Sprts Car - Corvair 
> :"America's Cheapest Hardtop" ?!?!?!?
> 
> 
> > The real reason I think is much more logical.  Early Sting Rays rode like a 
> > buckboard and old bones don't take kindly to the torture of a taut suspension, 
> > which increases as you speed up  That rear suspension may have been IRS but the 
> > front was still pretty basic.  63's were among the worst of all, except for an 84 
> > with a Z51 kit.
> > regards,
> > Ron
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per" 
> > <chaz at ProperProPer.com>
> > To: "Arjay Morgan" <n3lkz at yahoo.com>
> > Cc: "Virtual Vairs" <VirtualVairs at corvair.org>
> > Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 1:19 AM
> > Subject: Re: <VV> RE: Wise Gal - A Corvette is America's Sprts Car - Corvair 
> > :"America's Cheapest Hardtop" ?!?!?!?
> >
> >
> >> I'm not even going to get into why someone who would own a Corvette that's not 
> >> trying to show off.   A Corvette is the very definition of an overstated car.  
> >> Sure, they're nice, but they are SUPPOSED to be !  You paid for that image.
> >>
> >> With a Corvair, you get a car that was supposed to be a "compact, economy" car, 
> >> and those discerning to enough know, would know, or discover when they 
> >> inadvertently found themselves behind the wheel of a Corvair, especially in a 
> >> corner, that their car is so much more than passersby could know.
> >>
> >> If this very proper, elderly gent, sans midlife crisis, really wanted to enjoy a 
> >> nice ride in a classy car, he should be driving a Corvair, with a knowing smile, 
> >> enjoying what his little Corvair says about him, although so many will not know.
> >>
> >> A Corvair says so much about it's driver that a Corvette so profoundly overstates.
> >>
> >> Sorry, but I like "sleepers," cars that are much more than they appear to be.  
> >> That is a Corvair, not a Corvette.
> >>
> >> A friend (the same one who "introduced" me to Corvairs, always told his friends 
> >> that he drove a Camaro, to "impress" them, and they were disappointed, expecting a 
> >> Camaro.  I told my friends I had a Corvair, and when they saw my Corsa 
> >> convertible, they were impressed.  It was an interesting dichotomy to watch the 
> >> faces of people when we were together.
> >>
> >> "America's Cheapest Hardtop" - Aarrgghh !!!!!  What were they thinking ?!?!?!?!?
> >>
> >> OK, soapbox overload...<EOF>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arjay Morgan" <n3lkz at yahoo.com>
> >> To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
> >> Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:25 PM
> >> Subject: <VV> RE: Wise Gal
> >>
> >>
> >>> After being pretty much rained out at the Plant City, FL cruise-in on Saturday we 
> >>> found ourselves homeward bound on Rt. 39 behind another early model Corvair, who 
> >>> was behind a Sting Ray style Corvette. It was still spitting rain, the sun was 
> >>> setting, wife, Elayne, was by my side.
> >>>
> >>>  After a few miles at 50-55 mph (Rt. 39 is a 60 mph, 2-lane road) the Corvair 
> >>> ahead of us had had enough and passed the Corvette on the straight. What was 
> >>> amazing was that the Corvette driver let him do it. That left us behind the 
> >>> Corvette.
> >>>
> >>>  Curious, and wondering if the Corvette was suffering some sort of malfunction, I 
> >>> remained behind. After another few miles Elayne piped up with, "Isn't that 
> >>> amazing, a Corvette that's not trying to show off."
> >>>
> >>>  We stayed behind the Corvette for another 10 miles, both of us driving at a safe 
> >>> and sane 50-55 miles an hour, given the wet road, the sprinkling rain and the 
> >>> approach of darkness. Elayne continued to marvel at the Corvette that refused to 
> >>> "show off."
> >>>
> >>>  When we reached a traffic light I pulled alongside in the right-turn lane and 
> >>> saw the reason for the unusual Corvette behavior --- there sat a gentleman, of an 
> >>> age, replete with a full head of gray hair. There was no blonde chick with him, 
> >>> nor was there any evidence of there ever having been one. Just a nice old 
> >>> gentleman out for a cruise in his Corvette. When's the last time you saw such a 
> >>> thing? When's the last time you saw an aged Corvette driver who was not having a 
> >>> mid-life crisis?
> >>>
> >>>  Only in Florida.
> >>>
> >>>  Now, a question for the manufacturing engineers in the crowd. Ford has announced 
> >>> it is closing a half dozen plants until the end of the year. I'm assuming that 
> >>> means they'll be "mothballing" them for a while. The question is, what do you do 
> >>> to mothball something as huge and complicated as an automobile assembly plant? Do 
> >>> you just turn off the power, send the workers home, and let the mud daubers take 
> >>> over? If so, does that mean the robots are just stuck at Position 38 like so many 
> >>> arthritic ballet dancers?  What about the cars that are midway down the line, do 
> >>> they just stay there, frozen in time? Or, are there orderly ways to shut the 
> >>> enterprise down, complete with miles of shrink-wrap? This inquiring mind would 
> >>> like to know.
> >>>
> >>>  Arjay Morgan
> >>>  slightly damp 64 Monza convert
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---------------------------------
> >>> How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low  PC-to-Phone call rates.
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> property
> of the writer, please attribute properly. For help, mailto:vv-help at corvair.org
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>

Mark Noakes

Personal, hobby, enthusiast vehicles, work/school, nature/travel/art photography located at:

http://blog.mark.noakes.com/

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is usually a difference."--Anonymous

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
-- Mark Twain. 

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