<VV> Corvairs In the news & Bob Marlow

Scott Morehead moreheadscott at yahoo.com
Fri Jul 31 08:29:23 EDT 2009







http://www.thedailyreview.com/articles/2009/07/31/sports/tw_review.20090731.b.pg2.tw31zyla_s1.2705944_spo.txt

 

Letter from a Corvair lover and owner





Published: Friday, July 31, 2009 3:17 AM EDT

I received a very nice letter
last week from Bob Marlow, a nationally respected motorsports writer/announcer
who’s father, Dic, built and operated the now closed Pinebrook Speedway in New
Jersey. He told me he primarily knew me from my writings for National Speed
Sport News (NSSN) and here at The Daily Review in Towanda, Pa.



Bob started contributing to NSSN in 1974, the same year yours truly had his
first works published. Today, Bob still submits material to NSSN from time to
time, (as I do, too), and he also announces for the annual indoor races
organized by Area Auto Racing’s News publisher Lenny Sammons at the Atlantic
City convention center.



Recently, he read my car collector shop talk column in The Daily Review, and
Bob discovered we have something in common when it comes to “love them or hate
them” cars…the Corvair. And yes, Bob Marlow is right. I’m a closet Corvair
lover, and have always been.



Bob told me he’s always owned Corvairs, and a great number of people involved
in racing know him for that distinction. In the 1970s and 80s, Bob drove his
Corvair van all over the place chasing all types of midget racing, from ARDC to
USAC and to wherever competitors from Pinebrook went to race.

 

Today, he still own Corvairs.



He thanked me for writing a favorable piece, and admitted that Corvair owners
are kind of like the “Rodney Dangerfields” amongst car enthusiasts. He said all
Corvair enthusiasts appreciate it when they are shown a little respect.



Bob sent me two photos, including his blue car, which is a 1966 Corvair “500”
model. He said he purchased the blue car from a “little old lady” in 1999 with
19,000 miles on it. He admits he’s “now run the odometer to a whopping 23,000
miles.”)



The second Corvair is the tan car, and also a “500” model. Bob modified it as a
“track days” car and it has run Lime Rock, VIR, Summit Point, Beaver Run,
Pocono and elsewhere. While the blue car is dead stock, the tan one is
significantly modified while remaining street-legal. Bob says it is no
world-beater, but it is fun.



His other two Corvairs are very noteworthy, and might be worth more than the
“cars” he owns. One is a 1964 Corvair Greenbrier van that his father bought in
1966, so it has been in the family for well over 40 years. The second non-car
is a 1963 Rampside pickup, which he purchased earlier this year because his
wife thought that it was cute and that it would be useful.



Bob says she was right on both counts.



Said Bob, “I must confess I never intended to be an ‘old car’ guy, but I guess
I am. But I started driving Corvairs at the point in time when they were just
inexpensive used cars with distinctive features. They proved to be fun and
reliable, and I kept driving them. They remain relatively inexpensive, and they
also remain distinctive. And thank you for your interest, and also thanks for
telling about the Congressional Investigation that cleared GM. Not many people
know about that. Keep up the good work.”



Thanks Bob, you made my day.



(Greg Zyla is a syndicated motorsports and automotive columnist who welcomes
reader questions or experiences on anything from the Daytona 500 to the Chevy
Corvair. Write him at extramile_2000 at yahoo.com or snail mail to 116 Main St.,
Towanda, Pa. 18848.)









 






      


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