Chevrolet Cars Junked - Car Craft Magazine

Rare Chevrolet Cars Junked Corvair Convertible

Giving new meaning to the term truncated, Corvair convertibles were offered in every model year except '60 and '61. Convertible production totals were: '62: 16,569; '63: 44,165; '64: 35,806; '65: 34,819; '66: 13,487; '67: 2,109; '68: 1,386; and '69: 521. Notice how output dips sharply after 1965. We can thank the Camaro for that. There isn't enough left of this '65 to '69 ragtop to nail down an exact model year.

Giving new meaning to the term truncated, Corvair convertibles were offered in every model

Regardless of what Ralph Nader has to say, the Chevy Corvair stands as one of General Motors' boldest engineering achievements. Think about it. When it was introduced for the '60 model year, it was an absolutely revolutionary package. With its aluminum flat-six tucked beneath the trunk lid, there simply was nothing else like it available from Detroit, nor had there been, with the exception of the postwar Tucker. Sure, the first-generation '60 to '64 cars are a little on the ugly side, but it's a good kind of ugly, dig?

So when the restyled '65 models hit the scene, the taut lines should have spelled huge sales figures. The only problem was a thing called Mustang. Not only that, but Chevy was rapidly adding new models like the compact Nova in '62, the midsize Chevelle in '64, and the Camaro in '67, all of which took the wind out of Corvair sales. Ponycars and musclecars were hot, so the poor little Corvair was quickly swept aside to make way. Yeah, Chevy continued marketing the Corvair into the '69 model year, but after 1966, all performance options were dropped and the car slowly withered on the vine.

Groovy Factoids
* In 1964, a cast magnesium cooling fan replaced the previous stamped steel fan. Scrap dealers, start hunting!

* Power steering was never offered on the Corvair. With only 40 percent of total weight on the front tires, steering was already feather light.

The body-colored taillight cove tells us it's not a '65 to '66 Corsa. The Corsa, Corvair's muscle model, had an argent silver cove and a standard 140hp four-carb engine. The 180hp turbo engine was optional. Another non-Corsa giveaway is the standard three-pod instrument cluster. Corsas featured a six-gauge cluster.
The body-colored taillight cove tells us it's not a '65 to '66 Corsa. The Corsa, Corvair's
Polar opposites, the red second-generation Monza convertible is the sexiest Corvair, while the stodgy first-generation four-door sedan is strictly for granny patrol. All Corvair passenger cars share the same 108-inch wheelbase. Chevrolet designated the '60 to '64 models as A-bodies; the '65 to '69 models were Z-bodies
Polar opposites, the red second-generation Monza convertible is the sexiest Corvair, while
The 110 badge on the decklid of this convertible identifies the base dual-carb powerplant. Did we say dual carb and base model in the same sentence? Remember, the Corvair's cylinder banks were horizontally opposed 180 degrees. The long distance between each cylinder head would have placed a single, centrally located carburetor too far away from engine heat to prevent icing in cold weather, not to mention the fuel distribution headaches. The solution was to mount a carburetor atop each head. The corporate bean counters must have gone nuts. Ironically, the only Corvair engine with a single carburetor was the '62 to '65 L87 turbocharged engine. It fed its Thompson-Ramo-Woodridge turbocharger with a solitary Carter YH sidedraft single-throat carb. The turbo cars were also equipped with a single exhaust pipe.
The 110 badge on the decklid of this convertible identifies the base dual-carb powerplant.