<VV> RE: My first Corvair

[Christopher Nicholson]

>okay.  I was just thinking how cool it would be to
>share a story and ask that you guys share some of
>yours...a nice happy thread with Corvair content.

That was a great peice, Ryan!

I bought my first Corvair when I was 18 - that was 1986 and it was a 1966 
Corsa Coupe 140. It was the first car I bought without my parents' input or 
assistance.

It was cheap, looked pretty good (all one color) and it was fast. It should 
have been fast, as there was little undercarriage left from spending the 
bulk of its life in Wisconsin. Less weight, go faster.

I cut my teeth on that car, and the two 1969 Monza coupes that joined it 
later. I learned a lot about working on cars, from synchronizing carbs to 
changing pilot bushings. It was also the start of my racing career, as I 
drove my first autocross in that Corsa in 1988. By the early 90's, I was 
road racing Porsches with a bit of factory backing. I did that until I ran 
out of money in the late 90's.

I honestly don't know how many Corvairs I've owned since then. I know I've 
had four FC's (a Rampside, a Greenbrier, and two Corvans) and two earlies, 
but how many lates did I go through?

Like you, Ryan, I also have a soft spot for the Chevies of the late 40's - 
1954. My dad bought a '50 Fleetline when he was in the Air Force and drove 
it back and forth from the Riverside air base to Tennessee fives times. Most 
of that was on Route 66, of course. A couple of years ago, I missed an 
opportunity to buy an all-original, 40,000-mile 1954 Chevy coupe from a 
friend of mine. Now the car literally cannot be bought from the current 
owner.

Cheers,
Chris

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