<VV> Jerk who trashed Corvairs on PBS/Forbes

Wed Mar 27 11:57:44 EDT 2013

I wish I could give him a ride in one of mine.  He would have to admit the car is perfectly safe even if the driver isn't.

Joel McGregor

To  All Corvair Buffs,

Ok,  I surrender. You have moved, on email, from castigating me to charming
me with  your love of the Corvair. Since I love old cars and love old car
buffs, let me  say that the Corvair surely deserves a reprieve after all
these years.

best,  Larry

PS,  You guys own me a ride in yours, but not in the rain!

On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 3:36 PM, <_Taruffi57 at aol.com_
(mailto:Taruffi57 at aol.com) > wrote:

We had our 2012 CORSA convention in Sturbridge but I wasn't  able to go.

********************

In a message dated 3/25/2013 11:37:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)  writes:

Joe,  I'll write something nice re the Covair!  You won me over.  I spent a
fair amount of time working (with no real  knowledge) to get a Volvo 122
running for my brother.  Lovely car.  Great red leather interior.  Can still
smell it.  I will  be down, eventually, to see your collection and meet you.
If you get  to Boston, let me know.  Larry

On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 10:59 PM, <_Taruffi57 at aol.com_
(mailto:Taruffi57 at aol.com) > wrote:

Larry,

I didn't want to rile you but I will admit to thinking that maybe  you are
a Buick guy.   :-)

Yeah, I would love to have had a go in the Herald.  I had a  Sunbeam Tiger,
Simca 1000, Renault R-10 with pushbutton automatic  transmission, a couple
of Audis (lovely cars), never any BMWs, but I  have a friend who had a bunch
of them.  2 really gorgeous  M3's.  In my early days, I too had a 1950
Dodge convertible  (red).  Had a sweet little baby blue 1960 MG Magnette.  Can't
 even find one now in America.  After i traded it in on something in
Mobile, I heard that the next owner totaled it.  I want a 1960's  Volvo 122S 2
dr.  Drummer friend in a band I played in (many bands  - 25 yrs.) had one and
they are indestructible.  Ok.  I may as  well tell you what I drive mostly.
A 2002 Ford F-150 pickup with  276,000 miles on it.  My wife brought it
home from her brother -  who bought it new, at 248,000 miles,  Auto. trans. was
 destroyed.  I need to drive a pickup for some things I do.  We  went
full-time motorhome in '03 and I towed a Saturn but wife got  homesick on Calif.
so we came back & bought another home.  I  also have an original Seafoam
Aqua/white first year (1962) Pontiac Grand  Prix with TRIPOWER (3 carbs),
automatic and factory A/C.  4,000# of  brute force.  I also have a 1980 Triumph
TR8  (3.5 liter  V8).

Is that Univ. you teach at (I am guessing here), one of those  flaming
Liberal establishments we hear so much about down here in the  backwoods South?

Oh, Mary I went to the big Amelia Island (north of Jax. Fl.)  Concourse
D'Elegance a couple of weekends ago.
VERY classy and high-end at the Ritz-Carlton on the ocean.   Lots of
multi-million dollar cars out on that lawn.  The 1930's  French cars are
incredibly gorgeous.  Delahayes,, Bugattis,  Delages.  Cadillac had about a 12 car
ex-Motorama/Cocept  display.  You name it, it was there.  Some stunning
stuff.  I saw lots of famous race drivers and other car  personalities walking
around.  It is the second most prestigious  collector car event - 2nd to
Pebble Beach, in the Country.

I am currently building a 6 car garage and will get back on my  Corvair as
soon as it's enclosed and the car lift installed.  It's  destined to be a
classy and fast American Porsche 911S  - with  A/C.  I had to partially
disassemble it to get it painted  recently.

You really should recognize the flak you have taken from the  Corvairisti
about your article with some kind of follow-up  posting.  We;'re not
completely disagreeing with you,  Rather,  saying we know something else was
involved in your spin escapade.   Corvairs absolutely do not spin while going in a
straight line - even in  heavy rain.

I lost a buddy under a guard rail in SW N.C. on a clear day.   He had old
hard tires on his bike but was known for  "knee-dragging".   He was a
Mercedes mechanic and a great  guy.

Joe

***********************************

In a message dated 3/25/2013 10:15:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)  writes:

Joe,

It looks like we are becoming buddies.  Much better.  I  have a BMW.  My
dad's Corvair was, I believe, one of the earliest  models.  But my dad had no
clue about cars.  To him a car  was a car.  And at 19, I wasn't asking
questions.  Just  "give me the keys, please."  I'm a bit of a car buff, but no
nothing about car mechanics.  I have a 328i BMW.  I've had a  1960 Alpha
Spider, a 1961 Volvo PT544, a 1951Doug Coronet Convertible,  a 1976 MG Midget, a
1960s Triumph Herald, a bunch of more modern  Volvos, a CRV, and a Jeep
Grand Cherokee.  I liked the Herald the  most.  Lovely car.  When I meet you in
North Carolina,  you'll take me for a ride in your Corvair.

best, Larry

On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 9:49 PM, <_Taruffi57 at aol.com_
(mailto:Taruffi57 at aol.com) > wrote:

MIT grad info.

Yes, he is right as to the dynamics of basic car  "handling". (polar moment
of inertia)   Modern cars  have had their rear suspensions tamed for years
now - since we don't  all have equal driving ability.  That has also
drastically  reduced the "killer car" suits against manufacturers..  Do you  know
that FIAT built millions of small economy cars for the masses  in Italy -
most of which have ......drum roll...  Swing  Axles.  I could name you many
other cars which have been built  with swing axles.

I will differ with your MIT guy on one point though.  The
engine/transmission of a Corvair is mostly aluminum and thus, weighs  much less than V8s of
the era.  In 1963, Corvette's went to an  fully independent rear suspension.
 Chevrolet changed the  Corvair to that - in 1965.  Yes, the Late Models
(LM) do handle  much better, but one at least needs to be advised of the
difference in handling of a rear-engined car before getting out and  doing
something abrupt with the steering inputs.  I wouldn't  send my Son out on a
rainy night on a curvy road w/o at least taking  a minute to explain the
difference between his front drive Jap car  and a rear-engined car.  How about Ford
Pintos with fragile and  exposed gas tanks right up under the rear bumper.
A few people  died in fiery crashes with them.  I can site a few  more.
Cars have become boring in their sameness these  days.  You can see that I
find the oddities intriguing , and I  don't worry that any of them will kill
me.

I suppose you drive a Mercedes?  (so does my wife)

Meet me in SW North Carolina and I will take you for a ride on  my sport
bike, but you have to lean the same direction  I lean......

Joe

********************************************

In a message dated 3/24/2013 11:51:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight  Time,
_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)  writes:

I  have a minor correction to your article titled "Cyprus: The  Nightmare
Scenario and How to Avoid It in America" with PBS. You  said:

The  Corvair's engine was placed right in the middle of the  automobile,
which made it flip from a nice forward path to a  crazy spin that would kill
you if you hadn't said your prayers  properly or were just damn lucky.

Actually,  the engine in the Covair was placed squarely in the  rear. By
placing the heavy engine in the back, the polar  moment of inertia was
drastically increased. In combination with  the phenomena of "lift off over-steer",
the weight shifts from the  back to the front when going around a turn and
lifting off the  throttle. This can cause the car to loose control in the
rear, and  spin out of control. This is especially dangerous, because your
natural reaction when cornering at too great a speed is to slow  down. But if
you slow down...

In  fact, a mid-engine arrangement is  the preferred placement for all
modern, high performance  automobiles. For instance, the Porsche Cayman and
Boxster, as well  as nearly all modern Ferraris and Lamborghinis use  a
mid-engine setup. This minimizes the polar inertia and  distributes the weight more
equally front and back, eliminating  this effect. In a perfect world, the
engine would be exactly in  the middle, not in the front. Of course, it needs
to be offset a  bit to the rear to accommodate the driver (especially  the
weight of your typical American).

--
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
A William Fairfield  Warren Professor, Boston University
Professor of Economics,  Boston University
270 Bay State Rd.
Boston, MA 02215
_www.kotlikoff.net_ (http://www.kotlikoff.net/)

President, Economic  Security Planning, Inc.
_www.esplanner.com_ (http://www.esplanner.com/)

_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)
cell  617  834-2148
work 617  353-4002

--
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
A William Fairfield  Warren Professor, Boston University
Professor of Economics, Boston  University
270 Bay State Rd.
Boston, MA 02215
_www.kotlikoff.net_ (http://www.kotlikoff.net/)

President, Economic  Security Planning, Inc.
_www.esplanner.com_ (http://www.esplanner.com/)

_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)
cell  617  834-2148
work 617  353-4002

--
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
A William Fairfield Warren  Professor, Boston University
Professor of Economics, Boston  University
270 Bay State Rd.
Boston, MA 02215
_www.kotlikoff.net_ (http://www.kotlikoff.net/)

President, Economic Security  Planning, Inc.
_www.esplanner.com_ (http://www.esplanner.com/)

_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)
cell  617 834-2148
work  617  353-4002

--
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
A William Fairfield Warren  Professor, Boston University
Professor of Economics, Boston  University
270 Bay State Rd.
Boston, MA 02215
_www.kotlikoff.net_ (http://www.kotlikoff.net/)

President,  Economic Security Planning, Inc.
_www.esplanner.com_ (http://www.esplanner.com/)

_kotlikoff at gmail.com_ (mailto:kotlikoff at gmail.com)
cell  617  834-2148
work 617  353-4002

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