De Chevrolet Corvair is een compacte auto die door Chevrolet werd gebouwd in twee generaties tussen 1960 en 1969. Het is nog steeds de enige in serie geproduceerde personenauto van Amerikaans ontwerp met een luchtgekoelde motor die achterin lag.
De naam “Corvair” is is een samentrekking van Corvette en Bel Air, een naam die voor het eerst werd toegepast in 1954 op een op de Corvette gebaseerd concept met een hardtop dak in fastback-stijl.
Eind jaren 50 onderzocht Chevrolet de haalbaarheid van een instapmodel berline. Voor een Europees model zou dat sowieso betekenen dat het model een viercilinder motor zou krijgen, maar in de Verenigde Staten werd dat een zescilinder. Bovendien was het ook nog altijd een model van 4,37 meter lang. De Corvair was dus een instapmodel puur voor Amerikaanse begrippen.
achterzijde Chevrolet Corvair met ventilatieroosters voor de luchtgekoelde zescilinder
Achterin geplaatste motor Chevrolet Corvair
Het was Ed Cole die zich hard maakte voor veel van de belangrijke technische en ontwerp verbeteringen die tussen 1955 en 1962 bij Chevrolet werden doorgevoerd. Hij was volledig betrokken bij de ontwikkeling en productie van de luchtgekoelde Corvair met achterin geplaatste motor. De Corvair was in zijn tijd een baanbrekende auto. Als hoofdingenieur was Cole ook nauw betrokken bij de ontwikkeling van de Corvette-sportwagen. Hij staat ook bekend als de “vader” van de kleine Chevy V8, een van de meest geroemde motoren in de Amerikaanse autogeschiedenis.
Wat vooral opviel aan de Corvair, was de durf van het ontwerp: de concurrentie was vooral meer van hetzelfde, maar met de Corvair koos Chevrolet resoluut voor scherpe en vooruitstrevende lijnen, een luchtgekoelde boxermotor helemaal achterin, en een onafhankelijke achterophanging. De Corvair werd vervaardigd en op de markt gebracht als vierdeurs sedan, tweedeurs coupé, cabriolet, vierdeurs stationwagen, personenbusje, bestelwagen en pick-up. De tweede generatie was vanaf 1965 ook leverbaar als coupé, cabriolet en 4-deurs hardtop.
Eerste serie Chevrolet Corvair uit 1960
Eerste serie Corvair tot 1965
De eerste vierdeurs sedans uit de Corvair-serie van 1960 was een basismodel met een scherpe prijs van 2000 dollar. Aangedreven door de Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6-motor met 80 PK en gekoppeld aan een handgeschakelde drie-versnellingsbak of optionele tweetraps Powerglide automatische transmissie, werd de Corvair ontworpen om een vergelijkbare acceleratie te hebben als de zescilinder van volledige grootte Chevrolet Biscayne.
Het unieke ontwerp van de Corvair omvatte de “Quadri-Flex” onafhankelijke wielophanging en het “Unipack Power Team” van motor, transmissie en achteras gecombineerd in een enkele unit. Net als bij ontwerpen van Europese auto’s zoals Porsche, Volkswagen en Mercedes-Benz, gebruikte Chevrolet “Quadri-Flex” schroefveren op alle vier de wielen met onafhankelijke achterophangingsarmen aan de achterkant. Beschikbare opties waren onder meer RPO 360, de Powerglide tweetraps automatische transmissie, een benzineverwarming, een AM-buizenradio en een opklapbare achterbank.
Chevrolet produceerde in 1960 47.683 van het 569-model en 139.208 van het 769-deluxe sedan model. In januari 1960 werden tweedeurs coupé-modellen geïntroduceerd, de modellen 527 en 727. Ondanks de introductie van de coupé eind januari, verkochten deze auto’s goed; ongeveer 14.628 basismodel 527 coupés en 36.562 727 luxe coupés. Na het succes van de chique “Mr. and Mrs. Monza” styling concept-cars op de Chicago Auto Show in 1960, keurde het management de keurig ingerichte DeLuxe-bekleding van de 900-serie Monza goed als een tweedeurs clubcoupé. De nieuwe Monza arriveerde in april 1960 bij Chevrolet-dealers en er werden 11.926 Monza clubcoupés verkocht, wat de coupé tot een van de meest populaire Corvairs maakte.
In 1961 introduceerde Chevrolet de Monza luxe uitvoering voor de vierdeurs sedans en de carrosserievarianten van de clubcoupé. Met zijn nieuw geïntroduceerde vloertransmissie met vier versnellingen, DeLuxe vinyl kuipstoelen en luxe uitrustingen ging de Monza Club Coupé lekker in de verkoop en er werden er bijna 110.000 van gebouwd, samen met 33.745 Monza vierdeurs sedans. De Monza met vier versnellingen trok de aandacht van de jongere markt en werd in verschillende autobladen wel eens ‘poor man’s Porsche’ genoemd. De Monza-serie droeg bij aan ongeveer de helft van de Corvair-verkopen in 1961.
Tweede serie Corvair
De tweede generatie van de Corvair arriveerde voor modeljaar 1965, bekend om het ontbreken van een “B” -stijl en een nieuwe, volledig onafhankelijke wielophanging die de originele achterwielophanging met pendelas vervangt. De Corvair gebruikte schroefveren bij elk wiel.
Tweede serie Chevrolet Corvair
interieur Chevrolet Corvair
Krachtbronnen in de tweede serie Corvairs
De standaard motor met 95 PK en de optionele 110 PK versie werden uit 1964 overgenomen. De vorige 150 PK Spyder-motor werd vervangen door de atmosferische 140 PK sterke motor van dat jaar. Een 180 PK sterke turbomotor was optioneel op de Corsa, die leverbaar was met een drietraps automaat of optionele handgeschakelde vierversnellingsbak. De 140 PK sterke motor was optioneel op de 500 en Monza modellen met handmatige of Powerglide transmissies. Alle motoren kregen enkele van de zware interne onderdelen van de turbomotor voor een betere duurzaamheid.
Terwijl de Corvair uit 1965 werd ontvangen als een goed ontworpen auto met hoge prestaties, werd die prestatie overschaduwd door het fenomenale marktsucces van de Ford Mustang. General Motors zag voordelen in de route van Ford met de Mustang, een semi-coupé-carrosserie met vier zitplaatsen op een standaard compact (Falcon) chassis met een small-block V8-motor.
De Corvair was niet goedkoop te produceren; het ontwikkelen en op de markt brengen van een model in Mustang-stijl op basis van het Nova-platform had kostenvoordelen. In tegenstelling tot de Corvair zou een afgeleid model kunnen evolueren binnen GM’s standaard productietechnologie. De publicatie van Unsafe at Any Speed in 1965 bezoedelde de reputatie van de Corvair-lijn, hoewel de problemen niets te maken hadden met het huidige model. Onder concurrentie van de Mustang en de negatieve publiciteit daalde de verkoop van Corvair in 1966 met meer dan de helft. General Motors zag de voordelen van de ontwikkeling van de Camaro, niet de Corvair.
Volgens GM-historicus Dave Newell was Chevrolet van plan geweest om de productie van Corvair na het modeljaar 1966 te beëindigen. Wijzigingen in de ontwikkeling en engineering werden stopgezet in 1966 voor de eenjarige, opnieuw ontworpen tweede generatie auto’s met voornamelijk federaal verplichte emissies en veiligheid. Een toenemend gebrek aan interesse van het bedrijf, vooral van Chevrolet’s General Manager John DeLorean, en een volledige afwezigheid van Corvair-advertenties na 1967 weerspiegelden de prioriteiten van het bedrijf, waaronder de promotie van drie opnieuw ontworpen modellen voor 1968: de Corvette, Chevelle en Chevy II Nova. Tijdens het laatste productiejaar werden nog maar 6000 auto’s geproduceerd.
Chevrolet had een Corvair van de derde generatie voorgesteld, in wezen een herontwerp van de tweede serie dat lijkt op de tussenproducten van de GM A-carrosserie uit 1973, met name de Pontiac Grand Am uit 1973, met behoud van de Corvair-proporties. Na het punt van kleimodellen op ware grootte te hebben gepasseerd, stopte Chevrolet begin 1968 met de ontwikkeling van het model. In tegenstelling tot de Turbo Hydramatic 400, was de Turbo Hydramatic 350-transmissie, geïntroduceerd in de Camaro uit 1968 en later overgenomen door de meeste Chevrolet-modellen.
Chevrolet modellen
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Clubs, fora en verenigingen
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FAQs
What is the rarest Chevy Corvair? ›
The rarest Corvair is the amphibious Corphibian Loadside pickup. One was built. The GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, built 100 amphibious Corvair Dynatrack articulated vehicles for the U.S. and Canadian Armies.
What was the biggest problem with the Corvair? ›The Corvair's alleged problems stemmed from its unusual rear-engined lay-out and the suspension that held it up. That design led to unstable emergency handling, according to Nader. It's hard to say whether the Corvair was much more dangerous than other cars of its time.
How much HP can you get out of a Corvair engine? ›Chevrolet gave buyers a surprising amount of variation for the rear-engined Corvair, but those in the know seek out two configurations more than any others: The turbocharged engines, making 150 or 180 horsepower; or the naturally aspirated versions, cranking out 140.
How many miles per gallon did a Corvair get? ›Gas mileage could be as high at 26 mpg. highway, until the VW-style gasoline-powered heater was fired up at a loss of 6 to 8 mpg. Unibody construction with welded front fenders, a first for GM, meant that Fisher Body employees aligned the whole car.
Is a Corvair a good investment? ›Despite a slight dip in value for earlier models, Corvairs made from 1965 to 1969 have risen nearly 12 percent in value, on average, since 2011. Corvairs from 1968 are up 23.78 percent over the same period, with models from 1966 and 1967 up in value nearly as much.
What was the highest HP in a Corvair? ›Power peaked with the 1965–66 turbocharged 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) Corsa engine option.
Was the Corvair unsafe at any speed? ›In his 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader called the Corvair “the one-car accident.” He wrote that a design flaw in the rear suspension made the car likely to flip over when driven in abrupt maneuvers, like, say, avoiding a ball that suddenly rolled into the street.
Are Corvairs hard to work on? ›Corvairs are relatively easy to fix, with a reliable parts supply. Survivors are common outside the Rust Belt.
How much horsepower did the Chevy Corvair have? ›Chevrolet Corvair Specs
This engine produces a maximum power of 81 PS (80 bhp - 60 kW) at 4400 rpm and a maximum torque of 170.0 Nm (125 lb. ft) at 4400 rpm.
Corvair is the 1st and only mass-produced American vehicle offering an air-cooled rear engine design, unibody construction, factory turbo-charging, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The 1962 Corvair Spyder and Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire were America's 1st vehicles offering factory turbo-charging.
What is the top speed of a Corvair? ›
106 MPH according to the original specs by Chevrolet. 4-door sedan standard equipment, top gear, engine at redline. Why was the Corvair dangerous?
How much is a Corvair worth? ›| STATUS | SELLER |
|---|---|
| FOR SALE $19,990 | Adventure Classic Cars updated May 12, 2023 |
| FOR SALE $12,000 | Gateway Classic Cars updated May 9, 2023 |
| FOR SALE $6,900 | Classic Auto Mall updated Mar 28, 2023 |
| FOR SALE $29,900 | American Motors Custom & Classics updated Mar 14, 2023 |
Depending on the model, the engine sported dual or quad carburetors—unusu- al for the time. Or as a Corvair fan site puts it: “The carbs sit right on the engine. The carbs make the engine appear com- plicated, one on each side. Mechanical linkages connect to the other carb on the other side of the engine.
Is A Corvair A Muscle Car? ›No, it's not a muscle car… or a sports car. It's not something you want to take to the drag strip or track in stock trim, but it does have style—in spades. The second generation Corvair debuted in 1965, and the design was unlike anything on the road.
What were common problems with the Corvair? ›The rear engine placement in the Corvair caused a weight imbalance that resulted in poor handling. As a performance vehicle, many people enjoyed driving the Corvair at high speeds. When combined with poor handling, high speeds can lead to an accident when the driver attempts to correct a steering error.
What Pontiac is equivalent to the Corvair? ›Did you know that Pontiac almost built its own version of the Corvair? Well, it's true. In 1958, GM's Corporate Office tried to pressure Pontiac Motor Division into accepting the Corvair as the basis of its own early 1960s compact car. GM Styling went so far as to build a prototype, named the Pontiac Polaris.
What does Corvair mean? ›Corvair a Chevrolet automobile model. cur a dog of mixed breed; mongrel.
What years did the Corvair have a turbo? ›Did you remember that the Corvair was offered in turbocharged Corsa form in 1965 and 1966? With a curve-hugging, fully independent suspension, over 1 horsepower for each of its 164 cubic inches of displacement and a 2,500-lb.
Did the Corvair ever have a V8? ›The first V-8 powered Corvair was most probably the '60 model three speed coupe of Bob Sottas from New Jersey with a 283 Chris Craft small block with reverse rotation in the original Corvair engine location.
What year was the Corvair Turbo? ›One of the more interesting early Corvairs is the turbocharged 1962–64 Monza Spyder. Its biggest claim to fame? It, along with the Oldsmobile Jetstar, was one of the earliest U.S.-built turbocharged cars. The 1962 year was a big one for the Corvair, with the debut of the long-anticipated Monza convertible.
Did Corvair have a turbo? ›
The Turbo-Air 6 engine was used in all Corvair car models in all trim levels, including the 500, 700, 900 Monza, Corsa, and Spyder coupes sedans and convertibles, as well as the Corvair and Lakewood station-wagons.
What ended the Corvair? ›In April 1965, General Motors decided to stop development of the Corvair and to do only what was necessary to keep it legal to sell. That decision was made due to the strong sales of the Mustang, and the Corvair was not considered capable of competing with it without a major redesign.
What was the demise of the Corvair? ›Unsafe at Any Speed became a bestseller, and although the Corvair received a complete redesign in 1965, which removed the swing-axle rear suspension, the damage was done. Corvair production slowly tapered down until 1969, when just 6000 cars rolled off the line. The last left the factory on May 14, 1969.
How many miles per gallon does a 1960 Corvair get? ›Fuel economy over the 912 miles was 20.3 mpg, with average highway seeds of 60 mph.
Do Corvairs overheat? ›Amazingly, the Corvair's air-cooled engine seldom overheats or goes above 400ºF. Nevertheless, after a car has been idle for many years, issues commonly develop with the automatic transmission and the engine overheating.
How many miles per gallon does a 1964 Corvair get? ›Based on data from 4 vehicles, 273 fuel-ups and 46,365 miles of driving, the 1964 Chevrolet Corvair gets a combined Avg MPG of 18.14 with a 0.36 MPG margin of error.
What is the maximum rpm of a Corvair engine? ›Engines 2,700-2,850 use GM connecting rods with the option of billet rods, 3,000- 3,300 use billet connecting rods. All HP ratings are at 3,100rpm. All engine can be run at 3,400 rpm continuous.
Did Corvairs have air conditioning? ›Chevrolet took another big gamble when they developed and offered the Air Conditioning system for the Corvair. Unusual design was required by the need for sufficient air movement thru the condenser and the result was a very strange looking installation, to say the least.
How much did a new Corvair cost? ›The Corvair Corsa Coupe was priced at $2,465, but the most expensive Corvair model was the Corsa Convertible which ccame in at $2,608.
Was there a Yenko Corvair? ›Yenko didn't get approval to run his Corvair in SCCA racing until November 1965. That put him in a rush to qualify for D-production racing, as 100 of the newly-branded Corvair Stingers would need to be produced by January 1966 in order to meet the rule requirements.
Did Yenko make a Corvair? ›
Don Yenko might have been famous for his big-block COPO drag machines, but it was winning sports car titles in Corvettes that put him on the map. And before he sold a single Yenko Camaro S/C 427, he entered the fray with the Stinger, a Chevrolet Corvair-based sports car that was designed to win races.
What makes a Corvair a Spyder? ›A TRW turbocharger added to the 145-cu.in. (or 164 in '64) flat-six was the key ingredient to the Spyder option when first offered. Drawing air through a single side-draft carburetor, it provided 10 pounds of boost and increased output to 150 hp.
How many miles per gallon does a 1963 Corvair get? ›Based on data from 4 vehicles, 40 fuel-ups and 8,077 miles of driving, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvair gets a combined Avg MPG of 18.75 with a 0.92 MPG margin of error.
Is the Corvair a Corvette? ›Fast Facts – The Corvette Corvair
It was called the Corvette Corvair, and it was essentially a modified Corvette with a fixed coupe fastback roof and some minor styling changes.
The Corvette Corvair was one of the prototypes debuted during the 1954 Motorama. Combining the Corvette's American flair with a healthy dose of European styling, the Corvette Corvair added more than the obvious fastback roof.
What was the Corvair truck called? ›The Loadside is the enigma of the Corvair 95 line. The original design called for a large storage compartment in the midsection located below a level floor with access doors on both sides. The intent was a vehicle that would closely resemble the VW T2 pickup of the day, but without the fold down sides.
Who made the Corvair engine? ›Like aircraft sixes and the Continental tank engine, the Corvair had four main bearings. The engine's overall configuration in detail was the work of Chevrolet's Adelbert “Al” Kolbe, who applied for a patent on its layout on December 31, 1958.
What was the last year they made the Corvair? ›The year 1969 marked the last year that Corvair models were assembled and as could be expected the Corvair name plate was dropped from General Motors. A special thanks to Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher, for contributing this story to the MotorCities Story of the Week Program.
How popular is the Corvair? ›The Chevy Corvair, named for a combination of the Corvette and the Bel Air, was available from 1960 until 1969. Over its decade on the market, Chevrolet sold 1,839,439 examples of the Corvair. The Corvair truck sold 130,362 examples of the nearly 2 million Corvairs sold overall.
Was the Corvair engine in the back? ›Led by General Manager Edward N. Cole, Chevrolet designed a revolutionary new car. It was powered by an air-cooled horizontal six-cylinder engine made almost entirely out of aluminum. The engine was mounted in the rear of the car, driving the rear wheels through a compact automatic transaxle.
Can you put a v8 in a Corvair? ›
Corvair Crown Corv-8 Conversion. The Crown Corv-8 conversion kit for the late model Corvair enables the installation of a small-block Chevy engine in a mid-engine configuration. The original kit was produced in the late Sixties and included an adapter and most of the components needed.
How many Corvair Monzas were made? ›1969 Chevrolet Corvair Monza
This was the last year of Corvair production with the final car, an Olympic Gold Monza coupe, coming off of the Willow Run, Michigan assembly line on May 14, 1969. Only 6,000 Corvairs were produced in 1969 and of that total, only 521 were convertibles.
Chevrolet built 7,206 turbocharged Corsas in both body styles in 1965, and a mere 1,951 for 1966.
How much horsepower did the Corvair Monza Spyder have? ›Engineering – A pioneering use of turbocharging in a production car; rear engine layout with flat 6-cylinder engine, producing 150hp. + Design – Influenced many European cars of the early & mid 60s.
What is the difference between the Corvair Corsa and Monza? ›The engine was the actual distinguishing feature between the Monza and Corsa. The Monza (or the cheapest model, the 500) usually had a standard 95 or 110 hp motor, identified by two carburetors. The Corsa had the 140 or 180-hp motor with four carburetors or turbo.
How much horsepower does a 1965 Corvair Monza have? ›The Corvair was powered by a rear-mounted, air-cooled, aluminum alloy six-cylinder engine available in the base 95 horsepower, or optional 110 and 140-horsepower versions.
What flaws did the Corvair have? ›In his 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader called the Corvair “the one-car accident.” He wrote that a design flaw in the rear suspension made the car likely to flip over when driven in abrupt maneuvers, like, say, avoiding a ball that suddenly rolled into the street.
Are Chevy Corvairs easy to work on? ›Corvairs are relatively easy to fix, with a reliable parts supply. Survivors are common outside the Rust Belt.
How many Yenko Stinger Corvairs were made? ›Yenko Sportscars built approximately 115 Stingers between 1966 and 1969, a full 100 of them in 1966. They also modified another 30 or so customer cars, which received Yenko serial number tags, making them eligible for SCCA competition. The Goodyear liveried car shown here was the last Stinger built in 1969.
Are Corvairs and Corvettes the same? ›It was called the Corvette Corvair, and it was essentially a modified Corvette with a fixed coupe fastback roof and some minor styling changes.