<VV> Recruiting Newcomers to Corvairs and then CORSA

[Jeffrey B. Aronson]

Bill Strickland has presented some very interesting points on 
transforming Corvair ownership into Corvair enthusiasm and then maybe 
CORSA membership. I offer these thoughts as a returnee to the Corvair 
fold [had a '64 110/4 in the early 70's], a working stiff [6 different 
jobs at any one time during the week] and a 5-month member of CORSA.

I have never been able to own a car as a hobby - they're always working 
vehicles for me. None are in show condition, but all will get me to an 
event, if and when I have the time. I'm certainly not young anymore but 
my  auto enthusiast habits have not changed since I was buying my first 
cars in my late teens.

I just returned from a Land Rover offroad weekend, at which my '66 Land 
Rover was joined by about 65 other vehicles and their owners for an off 
road event. Some Land Rovers were only 10 years old, some were classic 
like mine, but all drove there and went off roading in the deep, deep 
snow. The age range was from college to AARP eligible.My experiences 
made me think about building Corvair enthusiasm and CORSA.

Like a lot of younger enthusiasts, my cars tend to run better than they 
look. I adore seeing Corvairs, Land Rovers, Triumphs and MG's [my other 
automotive loves] with brilliant paint jobs and no dings, but I'm not 
going to own one of those cars. I will never have that kind of money. 
However, my entry into auto enthusiasm is my ham-fisted desire to repair 
and maintain the cars myself, as much as possible. And I will always be 
able to drive it, and enjoy being seen in it and getting others into the 
cars.

Most of the Land Rover enthusiasts who came to the recent event were 
people who just loved to drive their Land Rovers, maintain them to their 
levels of time and interest and sometimes upgrade them with extra off 
road accessories. The age range, skewed sharply towards the younger 
owners [some with their spouses, S.O.'s and kids], tells me that there's 
a healthy infusion into the enthusiast world of Land Rovers - and they 
know and recognize the classic Rovers, too.

A glance at high school/college parking lots, teen movies and magazines, 
television shows and videos shows that classic cars can hold their 
interest but not if the whole point is just posing with the car. They 
want to drive them, look cool in them, enjoy them, customize them and 
fuss with them. 

So what do we offer through CORSA? A convention that requires hundreds 
of dollars in gas, hotel/camping fees, meals, etc., to attend - let 
alone getting time off work to go. Any music? Any funky competitions? 
Anything that shows how cool it is to own my car, even if it is scruffy 
in places?

We offer a magazine [to which I've contributed] whose costs dictate that 
the insides must be in black and white. The articles skew towards the 
memoir [I'm guilty of this] or "how I won the trophy," and not enough of 
how cool it is to own or drive a Corvair [not guilty of this charge], or 
how easy and affordable it is to get into a Corvair, or fun things I've 
done in my Corvair, or the pleasure of driving the car.

The Corvair story is a great one, as challenging in its time as the 
"hybrid" rush is right now. Are we telling this story to students, 20 
and 30-somethings? Not really. Rear engine, rear wheel drive, 
independent rear suspension cars at economy car prices would be akin to 
finding that your Honda Fit, Chevy Aveo, or Toyota Yaris was actually a 
hot-ticket car that was cool to drive and cool to be seen in! The 
Corvair was - and is - the newcomers are not. The new sport/economy cars 
are as embarrassing to them as your folks' station wagon was to you.

There's no need to pull a Mitt Romney and talk hip-hop to stunned and 
baffled kids. But we could see to it that tech schools and colleges have 
access to Corvairs to learn about them. We can continue to make certain 
that auto enthusiasts of all ages see our cars by driving them 
everywhere, not just sticking them in the garage until an event. We can 
offer them for homecoming parades, winter carnivals, hometown events. We 
could contact local newspapers and invite their reporters to cover our 
local chapter events - but only if we do something significant for the 
community.

The Communique could look for younger contributors who reflect a broader 
range of those interested in Corvairs. I edit a national magazine for 
Land Rover enthusiasts and I've worked hard to find younger writers, 
female writers, and create new columns and commentaries for them. Let's 
get their photos and stories out there, and then let's get more copies 
of the magazine to Autozones, NAPA's, etc., schools and colleges.

The website could be freshened [ or made more entertaining by 
contributions from younger contributors] so that it invites viewership 
to encourage membership. Why can't we link to all the YouTube Corvair 
entries? Why can't more recent issues of the Communique be available 
online? Why can't the website have links to any member who wants to 
publicize their professional services, personal interests or avocations, 
through links to thei websites or MySpace pages?

These are not shifts that should deter current members from remaining 
active and interested in the club. They might signal to younger members 
that CORSA is for them, too. Remember that clubs everywhere are 
diminishing in number but that enthusiasm for many niche interests 
remains high and active.

The CORSA Board and officers do yeoman service for the club, and I for 
one, am grateful for their willingness to serve. I hope they can make 
some time to explore what CORSA can do for younger members, and how they 
can continue to encourage local chapters and unaffiliated clubs promote 
Corvair ownership.

Maybe it's time to revive the "I love my Corvair" bumper stickers :)

Jeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME 04863

'66 Corvair Monza Coupe 110/4
'66 Land Rover Series II-A 88" [2]
'80 Triumph TR-7