<VV> Scrapping the Astro I show car

Charles Lee Chaz at ProperProPer.com
Mon Nov 30 17:05:37 EST 2009


I can't recall the exact date, but on my way back from one of CORSA's annual 
conventions, I stopped for gas, and happened to notice the Astro I sitting 
outside in front of an ALCOA building (?), just sitting there, unprotected, 
outdoors.

That was probably what got me started contacting people at GM.
I'm not a GM employee, although a U-Haul may have done it at that point, and 
I doubt anyone would have noticed, but I didn't try.

I'm glad someone (you and Stu) had the resources to pull it off, since it 
was much to beautiful to meet the reaper (or the crusher, actually).

Thanks to your efforts, we still have the Astro I !

Thanks for following up on that !
Charlie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "peter koehler" <pkoehler01 at atlanticbb.net>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 1:09 PM
Subject: <VV> Scrapping the Astro I show car


> When I was working for Chevrolet Engineering at the GM
> Milford Proving Ground in the mid-80's I was alerted that
> Chevrolet had plans to scrap the Astro I. The Monza SS and
> GT were not mentioned - but those two were drive-able
> vehicles and were not parked in the same dusty warehouse
> off Livernois Blvd in Detroit as the Astro I was relegated
> to. Seems that somewhere along the line the Astro I and
> some other special vehicles - like the very first Cosworth
> Vega were transferred to Chevrolet Fleet "on the books".
> Since Chevy Fleet saw no value in the Astro I it was
> tagged for demolition. That meant it would get hauled out
> to Milford and fed into the on-site car crusher. Once
> flattened its remains would be recycled.
>
> Of course we in the Corvair club didn't want that to
> happen. But we in the Corvair club had no "pull" with
> Chevrolet Fleet. That is when I got involved. It was
> fellow Corvair enthusiast Stu Shuster who notified me of
> the Astro I's plight. Since I worked for Chevrolet and I
> had become friendly with the guys in Milford responsible
> for moving cars around for my job at the time, Stu and I
> concocted a plan to save the Astro I. We used a simple
> shipper form (GSD-38?) to arrange for the moving of the
> Astro I out of the Detroit warehouse and into my care. I
> "borrowed" a driver and a flatbed truck from Milford and
> off we went to Detroit.
>
> The story has a happy ending. The Astro I was delivered to
> my residence in Farmington Hills and stayed there for less
> than a week. This is where Stu Shuster took over. He let
> it be known at Design Staff (where he was employed by GM
> as a designer) that we (the Corvair Club) had their (Chuck
> Jordon is very possessive of his creations) show car!
> Somehow Stu got Chuck Jordon to approve some funds ($25k?)
> to repaint and repair the aging beauty. I delivered the
> car to the GM Tech Center in Warren with my old 1977
> Caprice station wagon and a borrowed trailer. The next
> time we all saw the Astro I it was beautiful again.
>
> Stu should get all of the credit for saving the Astro I.
> It seems amazing to me now that we actually pulled this
> stunt off! - Pete K
>
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