![]() ![]() The Corvair's air-cooled rear-mounted flat-six engine History The 1954 Chevrolet Corvair concept car was an early generation Corvette built as a fastback. ![]() ![]() Today the Corvair has a devoted following among owners and collectors as average prices for Corvairs from any year have reached an all-time high. Ĭhevrolet would more directly compete with imports the size of the Volkswagen Beetle with the subcompact Chevrolet Vega a year after Corvair production ended from 1970 to 1977. When applied to the production models, the "air" part referenced the engine's cooling system.Ī prominent aspect of the Corvair's legacy derives from controversy surrounding its handling, brought to light by Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed and 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 its contemporaries. The name "Corvair" originated as a portmanteau of Corvette and Bel Air, a name first applied in 1954 to a Corvette-based concept with a hardtop fastback-styled roof, part of the Motorama traveling exhibition. The Corvair was manufactured and marketed in 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, convertible, 4-door station wagon, passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck body styles in its first generation (1960–1964) and as a 2-door coupe, convertible or 4-door hardtop in its second (1965–1969) – with a total production of approximately 1.8 million from 1960 until 1969. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine. The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. US: Flint, Michigan ( Flint Truck Assembly).US: Oakland, California ( Oakland Assembly).US: Kansas City, Missouri ( Leeds Assembly).US: Ypsilanti, Michigan ( Willow Run Assembly). ![]()
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