Failure™ Magazine

Chevrolet Corvair

Failure at any speed?

Written by Michael Tesmacher   Filed under History

The author's 1964 Monza convertible.

I own a Chevrolet Corvair. The car is the tangible result of a post-divorce mid-life crisis and an attempt to recapture my youth with a vintage ’60s convertible. I never sought out the Corvair; it just came along and hooked me.

Invariably, people approach me and comment about the car and Corvairs in general. The majority of the comments are positive: “My mother (father, uncle George, aunt Tillie) had one of those. It’s a great car.” Occasionally someone asks: “Isn’t that the car that would flip over (catch fire, engine fall out, etc.)?” Others remark about Ralph Nader and his 1965 book “Unsafe At Any Speed,” which devoted all of chapter one to the Corvair’s unique handling characteristics. The car was and still is a good and safe vehicle. However, I have to admit that the Corvair had some perceptual problems in the marketplace that brought about its demise.

On October 2, 1959, General Motors’ Chevrolet division introduced the 1960 Corvair to enthusiastic audiences. It was a new and radically different design for an American manufacturer. During the mid-1950s, Volkswagen’s Beetle had become popular with economy-minded Americans. Taking a cue from this trend, GM decided to create an economy car—economical to operate but smaller than other American automobiles. Powered by an air-cooled six-cylinder engine—a first for Chevrolet—it was referred to as a “flat six,” since the cylinders were horizontally opposed rather than in the typical “V” configuration. Not only was the engine unique, but its rear location was a radical departure from the norm.

The 1960 model was offered in two body styles, a 2-door coupe and a 4-door sedan—available in two trim models—both which were somewhat austere. Later that model year the “Monza” was added as the line continued to expand. In ’61 Chevy added a pair of vans, a pickup truck and a station wagon, all with the engine mounted in the rear. In 1962 came the first Corvair convertible, along with the first mass-produced American turbo-charged car, the “Spyder.”

While early sales were promising, the other large American manufacturers quickly challenged with compacts of their own. Chrysler introduced the Dodge Lancer and Plymouth Valiant, while Ford countered with the Falcon and Mercury Comet. These other compacts were less expensive and more traditional. Even Chevrolet, like the other manufacturers, introduced a more “conventional” car to compete in the economy market. The Chevy II, which later became the Nova, was introduced in 1962.

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