General Motors introduced the Corvair in 1960. It was a controversial car from the very beginning. The competitors were campaigning against the car because the engine was in the rear instead of mounted in the front section of the car. They were saying you need the main weight in the front end of any car for it to travel safely and economically down the highway. The example they used was an arrow that was shot from a bow. The arrow head is not in the rear of the arrow but in the front to make it travel the straight course to its target.

Of course how can we ever forget Ralph Nader. He had a one man crusade against the car when he wrote a book entitled “Unsafe at Any Speed”. The Book was about the rear suspension of the Corvair not being stable in the turns and bouncy roads. His bad publicity about the car basically destroyed the sales of the Corvair. General Motors did change the rear suspension of the Corvair in late 1964. This car has the new style rear suspension and rides real nice.

The reason that I have this car in my collection is because of its uniqueness. The Corvair is the only American manufactured car with a rear mounted, air-cooled engine. The car also had a short production and sales life span of nine years. This car was restored in 1985 and is in real nice shape. It rides and drives real well.

The car is equipped with the six cylinder 110HP air-cooled engine, automatic transmission, AM/FM radio and heater. It is a fun car to drive with the top up or down.