Chevrolet Corvair
The Chevrolet Corvair is a rear-engined, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations from the 1960 through 1969 model years. The Corvair was a response to the increasing popularity of small, fuel-efficient automobiles, particularly the imported Volkswagen Beetle and American-built compacts like the Rambler American and Studebaker Lark.
The first generation was offered in four-door sedan, two-door coupe, convertible, and four-door station wagon configurations. A two- and four-door hardtop, as well as a convertible, were available as second-generation variants. The Corvair platform was also offered as a subseries known as the Corvair 95, which consisted of a passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck variant. Total production was approximately 1.8 million vehicles from 1960 until 1969.
The name "Corvair" was first applied in 1954 to a Corvette-based concept with a hardtop fastback-styled roof, part of the Motorama traveling exhibition. When applied to the production models, the "air" part referenced the engine's cooling system.
A prominent aspect of the Corvair's legacy derives from controversy surrounding the handling of early models equipped with rear swing axles, articulated aggressively by Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed but tempered by a 1972 Texas A&M University safety commission report for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which found that the 1960–1963 Corvair possessed no greater potential for loss of control in extreme situations than contemporary compacts.
To better counter popular inexpensive subcompact competitors, notably the Beetle and Japanese imports such as the Datsun 510, GM replaced the Corvair with the more conventional Chevrolet Vega in 1970.
Development
The development of the Chevrolet Corvair in the late 1950s is an unconventional chapter in American automotive history, driven by shifting market dynamics and visionary leadership. Ed Cole, a pivotal figure at General Motors, was promoted to chief engineer of the Chevrolet Motor Division in 1952. Four years later, in July 1956, he ascended to the role of general manager of Chevrolet, GM's largest automotive division, and became a GM vice president. Cole was a driving force behind many significant engineering and design advancements introduced across Chevrolet's car and truck lines between 1955 and 1962. His influence extended to the Corvette sports car as well as the development and production of the air-cooled, rear-engine Corvair. He is also widely recognized as the "father" of the small-block Chevy V8. Chevrolet had experimented with an air-cooled engine in 1923 with the Chevrolet Series M Copper-Cooled; however, that venture was deemed a failure due to engineering challenges.By the late 1950s, the physical size of the entry-level models offered by the "Big Three" American domestic auto manufacturers had grown considerably. This expansion effectively abandoned the market segment for smaller, more economical vehicles that had previously been available. However, a successful modern "compact car" market segment had already been firmly established in the U.S. by the 1950 Nash Rambler. Concurrently, growing sales of European imports, such as Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat, and others, clearly demonstrated a burgeoning demand in the U.S. market for small cars, often serving as a second vehicle or an affordable alternative for budget-minded consumers.
While the "Big Three" continued introducing ever-larger cars throughout the 1950s, the newly formed American Motors Corporation adopted a contrasting business strategy. Years before a widespread perceived need for them existed, AMC strategically focused on smaller-sized and fuel-efficient automobiles. As a far smaller company than any of the "Big Three," AMC positioned itself as an underdog. Its compact Rambler models proved highly successful, helping to propel AMC to third place in domestic automobile sales. American Motors further capitalized on this trend by reintroducing its predecessor company's smallest Nash model as the "new" 1958 Rambler American for a second model run—an almost unheard-of phenomenon in automotive history. In 1959, Studebaker followed AMC's successful formula by restyling its mainstream economy-model sedan, rebranding it as the Lark and marketing it as a compact. The Lark's initial success gave Studebaker a reprieve for several years before the company ultimately ceased automobile production in 1966.
In response to these market shifts and the success of the independents, the "Big Three" automakers began planning their own "compact" cars for the 1960 model year. Ford and Chrysler's designs, such as the Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant, were scaled-down versions of conventional American cars, utilizing industry-standard inline six-cylinder engines and bodies approximately 20% smaller than their full-size counterparts.
General Motors, however, took a radically different approach with the Chevrolet Corvair. The initial production began July 1959 in a new Chevrolet Corvair Assembly Plant at Willow Run using an overhead assembly conveyor system. General Motors registered the name "Corvair" for use on automobiles on August 6, 1959. This followed its earlier use on a 1954 concept car, the Chevrolet Corvair, which featured a distinctive fastback styled after the Chevrolet Corvette. The official launch of the Corvair was October 2, 1959.
The production Corvair was a significant departure from traditional American automotive design norms. It was an exception to the strategy of simply downsizing conventional cars. Its engineering was highly unconventional for Detroit at the time:
- It was powered by an air-cooled, horizontally opposed flat-six engine, with many major components constructed from aluminum. This marked Chevrolet's second attempt at an air-cooled engine.
- The engine was mounted in the car's rear, driving the rear wheels through a compact transaxle.
- It featured independent suspension on all four wheels, a rarity for mass-produced American cars of the era.
- Its body utilized unibody construction rather than the traditional body-on-frame method.
- The car was equipped with a wider, low-profile tire design mounted on wider wheels, contributing to its unique handling characteristics.
- Its clean, boxy styling was unconventional for Detroit, notably lacking the prevalent tail fins and a grille.
Reception
Time magazine featured Ed Cole and the 1960 Corvair on its cover for the Corvair introduction in 1959, and Motor Trend named the Corvair as the 1960 "Car of the Year".The Time article described "its fresh engineering is hailed as the forerunner of a new age of innovation in Detroit." Chevrolet sold 26,000 Corvairs its first two days on the market, taking over 35% of Chevy's two-day total of 75,000. Chevrolet had intended to sell one Corvair for every five Chevrolets. By March 1960, the Corvair comprised 13% of Chevrolet's sales. Shortly after its introduction, the Corvair faced competition from the Ford Falcon and Mercury Comet and was plagued by problems, although according to a 1960 Time report, "many were the minor bugs that often afflict a completely new car." Problems included an engine cooling fan belt that tended to pop off its 2-axis pulleys, carburetor icing and poor fuel mileage "which sometimes runs well under 20 m.p.g." The 1960 model gasoline heater was cited as a problem, which itself could consume up to a quart of gas an hour – with Chevrolet engineers quickly modifying the Corvair's carburetors to improve economy.
Generations
Overview
The Corvair was sold in two generations, the first from 1960 to 1964, the second from 1965 to 1969. It sold more than 200,000 units in each of its first six model years, and 1,835,170 in all.Chevrolet positioned the under $2,000 car as an economy compact, and highlighted its rear-engine design, which offered a low silhouette, flat passenger compartment floor, and spacious interior. There was excellent traction, no need for power-assisted steering or brakes, good ride quality, and balanced braking. The design also attracted customers of other makes, primarily imports. The Corvair stood out, being larger, more powerful, and offering more features than comparable imports, and engineering unique from other American offerings. It used GM's Z-body, with design and engineering that advanced the rear-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout, which at the time had recently been popularized by the exploding success of the Volkswagen Beetle.
The Corvair's engine was an overhead-valve aluminum, air-cooled flat-six, later enlarged, first to and then to. Power peaked with the 1965–66 turbocharged Corsa engine option. The first generation model's swing axle rear suspension, which offered a comfortable ride. The design was replaced in 1965 model year with a fully independent trailing arm rear suspension similar to that of the Corvette Sting Ray.
First generation (1960–1964)
1960
The 1960 Corvair Body Styles 569 and 769 four-door sedans were conceived as economy cars offering few amenities to keep the price competitive, with the 500 Series selling for $2,038. Powered by the Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine with and mated to a three-speed manual or optional extra-cost two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, the Corvair was designed to have comparable acceleration to the six-cylinder full-sized Chevrolet Biscayne. The Corvair's unique design included the "Quadri-Flex" independent suspension and "Unipack Power Team" of engine, transmission, and rear axle combined into a single unit. Similar to designs of European cars such as Porsche, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and others, "Quadri-Flex" used coil springs at all four wheels with independent rear suspension arms incorporated at the rear. Specially designed 6.5 by 13-inch four-ply tires mounted on 5.5 by 13 inch wheels were standard equipment. Available options included RPO 360, the Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission, RPO 118, a gasoline heater, RPO 119, an AM tube radio, and by February 1960, the rear folding seat was made standard. Chevrolet produced 47,683 of the 569 model and 139,208 769 model deluxe sedans in 1960.In January 1960 two-door coupe models were introduced designated as the 527 and 727 body styles. Despite their late January introduction of the coupe, these cars sold well; about 14,628 base model 527 coupes, 36,562 model 727 deluxe coupes. Following the success of the upmarket "Mr. and Mrs. Monza" styling concept cars at the 1960 Chicago Auto Show, management approved the neatly appointed bucket-seat DeLuxe trim of the 900 series Monza as a two-door club coupe only. The new Monza began arriving at Chevrolet dealers in April 1960 with sales of 11,926 Monza club coupes, making the coupe one of the most popular Corvairs.
The success of the Monza model showed Chevrolet management that the compact Corvair was viewed as more of a specialty car than a competitor in the economy segment to the conventionally designed Ford Falcon or Chrysler's Valiant. Chevrolet began a design program that resulted in the 1962 Chevy II, a conventional layout compact.
The option of a more powerful engine for the Corvair was introduced in February 1960. The RPO 649, marketed as "Super Turbo Air", included a hotter camshaft, revised dual-spring cylinder heads, and a lower restriction 2-inch muffler to deliver at 4,800 rpm and of torque at 2,800 rpm. In its first year, it was available on any Corvair model with a manual transmission.
The advertised February introduction of a full synchromesh, four-speed transmission was postponed until the 1961 model year. This was due to casting problems with the aluminum three-speed transmission case which resulted in technical service bulletins to dealers advising of the potential for differential failure due to external leaks at the front of the transmission's counter gear shaft. The revision of the four-speed transmission designated for 1961 introduction incorporated a cast-iron case and a redesign of the differential pinion shaft to interface with a longer transmission output shaft and a concentric pilot for the revised transmission case. These are among many of the improvements undertaken by Chevrolet by the end of the 1960 model year.
The Corvair was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1960.