Hello! Log in or Register   |  Help  |  Donate  |  Buy Shirts See all banner ads | Advertise on TheSamba.com  
TheSamba.com
 
Corvair… love or hate?
Page: Previous  1, 2, 3, 4
Forum Index -> Off Topic Share: Facebook Twitter
Reply to topic
Print View
Quick sort: Show newest posts on top | Show oldest posts on top View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
&Dan
Samba Member


Joined: January 29, 2008
Posts: 1784

&Dan is offline 

PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 8:28 am    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

Volktales wrote:
Well it finally happened.



Congratulations, and you have my sympathy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
KTPhil Premium Member
Samba Member


Joined: April 06, 2006
Posts: 33879
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
KTPhil is online now 

PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 9:21 am    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

With all the criticism of Detroit being out of touch, old fashioned, just making "shrunken big cars" instead of true small cars, the Corvair stands as the ultimate rebuttal.

Yes, it copied the VW/Porsche designs, but that's a meaningless criticism, since the rest of the model lines copied the Model T if you want to go back far enough!

In this second generation, it was a car that was styled like the larger cars, and yet cleaner, and scaled to fit the small wheelbase beautifully. In fact, the other cars look bloated or stretched by comparison. Roomy, efficient, relatively simple, and it could be serviced at any Chevy dealer in the country.

By all rights this should have been a winner, but the up-and-coming Nader with tunnel vision killed it off. And what did we get after that? The Vega, Pinto, and Gremlin.

I am glad to see these cars restored and driven, if nothing else, as a giant FU to those that said GM was too conservative... they tried, and succeeded... from an engineering standpoint.

Start a thread and post progress as you go. As an air-cooled homage to Porsche, it fits in here just right.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Volktales
Samba Member


Joined: June 21, 2013
Posts: 545
Location: Nanaimo, B.C. CANADA
Volktales is offline 

PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 5:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

I have to finish off my Ghia project before I can dive fully into the Corvair. But I do intend to try and make the Corvair roadworthy and have started on that. First jobs are making things like doors and lids open and close properly and the windows too, as pretty much everything that should move, doesn't want to. The engine has not seized up, so that is a start anyway. I will start a build thread when I get moving on this project. It is going to be taking some time....
_________________
1974 "Restfalia" Camper 2000 cc EFI 2001-
1970 Beetle first car, rotten, yard art 1985-
1966 Sunroof Beetle, restored 1998-
1964 Ghia, ongoing project 2007-
1962 Beetle Beryl,original paint survivor 2012-
1970 Savannah Beige Beetle 2012-
1992 16v GTI, 100% stock 2006-
1991 "Terseo", wife's old daily 1995-
1969 Chevrolet CST/10 (family owned since new)
1965 Gold Corvair Monza 2021-
1966 and 1965 Monza 2022-
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Abscate Premium Member
Samba Member


Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22568
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
Abscate is offline 

PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 2:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

I drove right by a Corvair for sale in the town of North Sea, NY, north fork of Long Island.

Took pictures.
_________________
.ssS!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
VWAdam
Samba Member


Joined: February 14, 2002
Posts: 3330
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
VWAdam is offline 

PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2021 9:27 am    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

I think they are super neat cars. The fact that GM built that car astounds me.
Any time I go to a general car meet, if there aren't any other VWs, I park near the Corvairs. They seem to be pretty cool guys and don't take themselves too seriously.
_________________
All he needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road.

'59 Euro Beetle ragtop
'63 Standard Microbus

Come to my show! www.volksjam.com

Looking for badge/sticker/frame from Western Motors in Great Falls, Montana
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger Gallery Classifieds Feedback
67rustavenger Premium Member
Samba Member


Joined: February 24, 2015
Posts: 9663
Location: Oregon
67rustavenger is offline 

PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2021 2:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

This Corvair truck looks like one I saw at an American car show in Estonia circa, 2008-9.
There was a matching Corvan to go with it. Inside the van? A nasty looking PitBull. Heaven help the jerk that opened the side door of that van with bad intentions.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
aaronr25
Samba Member


Joined: September 06, 2009
Posts: 267
Location: NW Arkansas
aaronr25 is offline 

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

I always thought the Corvair pickups were cool.
I also dig the Corvair wagons which seem to be pretty rare.
_________________
65 Bug
66 Landcruiser FJ40

Life's too short to drive a stock VW
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
ach60 Premium Member
Samba Member


Joined: May 14, 2001
Posts: 4139
Location: Santa Maria
ach60 is offline 

PostPosted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 11:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

Very interesting read, and YouTube Video
Why There's A Chevy Corvair Abandoned Deep In The Jungle Of The Darién Gap
https://jalopnik.com/why-theres-a-chevy-corvair-ab...K2lGrD1MoA
_________________
Good Luck
Al
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger Gallery Classifieds Feedback
oprn
Samba Member


Joined: November 13, 2016
Posts: 12632
Location: Western Canada
oprn is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 4:28 am    Post subject: Re: Corvair… love or hate? Reply with quote

To me the early Corvairs were the ones that looked like type 3 Ghias and I seem to recall that GM solicited the Italian influence in the styling. From '65 on though to me they are purely American. Just a slightly smaller Camaro with a short nose and longer trunk.

Oh and the adaption of the 2 speed slush box auto trans was a poor move. It killed the performance of the V8s never mind the little 80 - 110 HP flat 6!
_________________
We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Forum Index -> Off Topic All times are Mountain Standard Time/Pacific Daylight Savings Time
Page: Previous  1, 2, 3, 4
Page 4 of 4

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

About | Help! | Advertise | Donate | Premium Membership | Privacy/Terms of Use | Contact Us | Site Map
Copyright © 1996-2023, Everett Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
Not affiliated with or sponsored by Volkswagen of America | Forum powered by phpBB
Links to eBay or other vendor sites may be affiliate links where the site receives compensation.