<VV> Modern Corvair -- and a quandary

[Vairtec Corporation]

tkalp at cox.net wrote:

> Part of the problem in creating a true "today's Corvair" is while the 
> Mustang, Camaro, Challenger are noted for their appearence rather than 
> engineering excellence.  To capture the true soul of the Corvair, the 
> new Corvair would have to capture the excellent styling of the Corvair 
> but to be an engineering breakthrough also . . .
>   

Terry captures the root of a problem I have been having for several 
years now.

I am an "old car" enthusiast -- I subscribe to Hemmings, I go to Hershey 
every year, and so on.  But, I am the sort of old car enthusiast who 
appreciates old cars but who does not want to drive them daily.  I want 
the comfort and convenience of a new car.

I was drawn to Corvairs originally when they were new.  Now that they're 
old, they no longer are what I want to drive every day.  They look 
great, and they are great handlers, but they are no way as comfortable 
as a new car.  (Some of this has to do with MY getting old, too.)

Trouble is, there is no new car that appeals to me in the way that 
Corvairs did.  Corvairs appealed to me because of their distinctive 
engineering and their handsome but not in-your-face styling.  Today, 
from an engineering standpoint virtually everything is the same from 
brand to brand and model to model, and aerodynamic considerations have 
rendered most cars to a common template.  Nothing grabs me.

I have a friend who argues passionately in favor of the Chrysler PT 
Cruiser as a distinctive car.  I happen to own one and I like it, and 
I'll grant you that it is distinctively styled and that it offers more 
interior flexibility as a result.  But underneath it is still just 
another FWD econocar. There is no engineering distinction.

What I really liked about the Corvair is that it really did not LOOK 
particularly different, but it WAS different.  You could "blend in" 
driving a Corvair -- I am not a look-at-me kinda guy -- while enjoying 
the driving dynamics of a distinctly different car.

No such choice today.

--Bob Marlow