Chevrolet · 1959–present

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 (1960–1964) 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 (1965–1969). The Corvair platform was also offered as a subseries known as the Corvair 95 (1961–1965), 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" suffix referenced the engine's cooling system. A prominent aspect of the Corvair's legacy derived from controversy surrounding the handling of early models equipped with rear swing axles, which activist Ralph Nader argued was dangerous in his book Unsafe at Any Speed. Nader's claims earned significant publicity, but a 1972 report, by Texas A&M University on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 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, especially the Beetle and Japanese imports such as the Datsun 510, GM replaced the Corvair with the more conventional Chevrolet Vega in 1970.

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Successor: Chevrolet Vega

All Chevrolet Corvair data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

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 (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) 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 newl

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 80 hp (60 kW; 81 PS) 140 cu in (2.3 L) flat-six, later enlarged, first to 145 cubic inches (2.4 L) and then to 164 cubic inches (2.7 L). Power peaked with the 1965–66 turbocharged 180 hp (134 kW; 182 PS) 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 ($22,180 in 2025 dollars ). Powered by the Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine with 80 hp (60 kW) and mate

Handling issues

The first-generation Corvair featured a rear engine + swing axle design similar to that of the Renault Dauphine and Volkswagen Beetle – a design which eliminates universal joints at the wheels and keeps the rear wheels perpendicular to the half-shafts, rather than the road surface. The design can allow rear tires to undergo large camber angle changes during fast cornering due to side g-forces causing "rebound" camber and decreasing the tread contact with the road surface, leading to a loss of rear wheel grip and oversteer – a dynamically unstable condition where a driver can lose control and spin. The problem is most severe in combinations having the engine and swing axle at the same end of the car: in most cases this is at the rear, and the Corvair is no exception. The rebound camber is worse because of the greater inertial mass over the rear wheels with this combination; the higher center of gravity during rebound causes additional problems. A station wagon body also exacerbates the tendency because it increases the weight at the rear (and raises the center of gravity). Oversteer is exacerbated by deceleration during cornering due to increased side g-force and lightened load on rear tires (lift-off oversteer). Understeer is common in front-engine cars due to more weight, and inertia, on the front tires. Both conditions are dangerous when a car is driven at its cornering limits. Design options to ameliorate swing axle handling: Anti-roll bar: As a production option, engineers had advocated but management rejected the inclusion of a front anti-roll bar on the original 1960 Corvair, which would have ameliorated the car's handling – shifting weight transfer to the front outboard tire, considerably reducing rear slip angles – thereby avoiding potential oversteer. Tire pre

Legacy

=== Design influence === The first-generation Corvair (1960–1964) has been credited with influencing car design worldwide. Styled in GM's advanced styling studio in 1957, under the leadership of then director Ned Nickels, the compact design was made using cues from earlier Oldsmobile and Chevrolet models. The most notable design feature, its high, wrap-around beltline, was "borrowed" by other carmakers not long after the Corvair's release. These cars included the BMW 1602/2002, NSU Prinz, Hillman Imp, Fiat 1300/1500, Volkswagen Type 34 Karmann Ghia and the Mazda 800. The Corvair's combination of power and light weight introduced European manufacturers to an American market niche for small popular-priced sedans with more power and driveability than the contemporary European economy sedans and a more versatile and practical design than European sports cars. That overall concept was exemplified by Volkswagen's Type 34 Karmann Ghia and Type 3 "notchback" in 1961 and BMW's "New Class" sedans in 1962. BMW developed the concept further by mass-marketing higher performance high-quality sedans, setting the trend of the "sport sedan" category that would soon include offerings from a variety of European, and eventually Japanese, manufacturers.

Concept cars

The Corvair spawned a number of innovative concept vehicles including the Corvair SS, Monza GT, Monza SS, and Astro I. In Europe, Italian coachbuilder Bertone designed a very advanced one-off prototype for the 1963 Geneva Motor Show; the "Chevrolet Testudo". This was among the first designs of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the chief designer at Bertone at the time. The Testudo later suffered a collision with another Bertone concept car, the Alfa Romeo Canguro, while on track at the Monza circuit. There was also a Pininfarina built concept called the "Corvair Speciale", and two other Pininfarina concepts known as "Coupe I" and "Coupe II". The Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT coupe toured together with the Monza SS (Spyder) in early 1963, making a public appearance at the New York International Auto Show. Although both cars were based on the Corvair drivetrain, each represented a futuristic development of the Corvair design. In the SS convertible, the engine (with a four-carburetor setup) was left in its stock location behind the transaxle, allowing for a shorter (88 in (2,200 mm)) wheelbase. The Monza GT is housed at the GM's Heritage Center in Detroit. A 1966 concept vehicle, the Electrovair II was a 1966 Monza 4-door hardtop modified with a 532 volt, 115 hp (86 kW) electric motor replacing the gasoline engine – following a 1964 version known as Electrovair I. With the 1966 model, silver-zinc batteries were used and placed in the trunk and engine compartment, and the body was slightly modified to accept the conversion. The car was handicapped by the high cost of the batteries ($160,000), a limited driving range (40–80 mi (64–129 km)), and short battery life.

Racing and modified Corvairs

=== Yenko Stinger === Don Yenko, who had been racing Corvettes, could not compete successfully against the Carroll Shelby Mustangs after they arrived on the scene. Yenko decided to race modified Corvairs, beginning with the 1966 model. As the stock Corvair did not fit into any of the SCCA categories, Yenko modified four-carburetor Corsas into "sports cars" by removing the back seat and introducing various performance improvements. As the SCCA required 100 cars to be manufactured to homologate the model for production racing, Yenko completed 100 Stingers in one month in 1965. Although all were white, as the SCCA required for American cars at the time, [the normal competition trim for U.S.-built cars was white with 2 blue stripes] there was a great deal of variety between individual cars; some had exterior modifications including fiberglass engine covers with spoilers, some did not; some received engine upgrades developing 160, 190, 220, or 240 hp (119, 142, 164, or 179 kW). All were equipped by the Chevrolet factory with heavy-duty suspension, four-speed transmission, quicker steering ratio, "positraction" limited-slip differentials (50 with 3.89 gears, and 50 with 3.55 after Chevrolet discontinued the 3.89) and dual brake master cylinders (the first application of this by Chevrolet, to become standard equipment the next year). Because most of the engine cooling in air-cooled engines is done by circulating oil, an oil cooler was necessary for competition use, this was mounted externally on the rear body section above the left wheel. The Stingers competed in Class D production dominated by the Triumph TR4. In its first race in January 1966, the Stinger finished in second by only one second. By the end of the 1966 season, Jerry Thompson had won the Central Division Champi

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Specifications

name: Chevrolet Corvair
Manufacturer: Chevrolet (General Motors)
Production: July 1959–May 14, 1969
Platform: Z-body
Model years: 1960–1969
Assembly: United States: Ypsilanti, Michigan (Willow Run Assembly), Kansas City, Missouri (Leeds Assembly), Oakland, California (Oakland Assembly), Van Nuys (Van Nuys Assembly), St. Louis (St. Louis Truck Assembly), Flint, Michigan (Flint Truck Assembly), Belgium: Antwerp (CKD), Canada: Oshawa (Oshawa Car Assembly), Mexico: Mexico City (CKD), South Africa: Port Elizabeth (CKD), Switzerland: Bienne (CKD), Venezuela: Caracas (CKD)
Class: Compact car
Successor: Chevrolet Vega
Layout: RR layout