When Ralph Nader roasted the Corvair in his book Unsafe at Any Speed, it acquired the reputation of being just that: unsafe at any speed. While there is little doubt that this greatly contributed to the demise of the Corvair, there are many who feel it was an unfair accusation. GM “Y” bodies were the first uni-body construction, but only the Corvair had a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine with suspension problems in the rear. However any serious problems there had been solved before the book was published.

Among the Corvair defenders is Christy B., a self-professed “Corvair nut,” and he has proved his faith in the car by owning seven of them. He has been a member of the Corvair Society of America (Corsa) since 1975. When he bought his ‘61 Corvair Rampside pickup in 1976, he saved it from the crusher. It was in very rough condition and he set about rebuilding the engine and transaxle, repainting it and redoing the upholstery, finishing in 1978. For three years he used it as a daily driver and still calls upon this Corvair when he needs a truck. The later-model 164 CID flat-6, opposing-cylinder (or “pancake”) engine is air-cooled with aluminum block and heads, making it light-weight for its 110 HP. It has a 4-speed transaxle with a first gear so low you can start moving by letting the clutch out at an idle. Although it has none of the luxuries like power steering, brakes, windows and such, Christy has found his Corvair pickup a dependable work vehicle and put about 50,000 miles on it since the rebuild.The rear engine gives it good traction and a large passenger space as well as great cargo area. All in all, Christy has greatly enjoyed his Corvair Rampside and found it very useful for hauling some heavy loads. To him, Corvairs are not a curse but a blessing.

This Rampside pickup was unique and popular with those loading wheeled cargo like lawnmowers or handtrucks. The low center of the bed made the ramp-angle low and centering of the cargo helped weight distribution.



While rather spartan, having a rear-mounted engine made the interior of the Corvair pickup roomier than the comparable Ford Econoline.

Corvair had the only rear-engine, air cooled major production car made in America. Porsche and VW are famous for their European version that pre-dated Corvair. The 1948 Tucker, another car with a controversial history, had a 6-cylinder, rear-mounted engine, but was water cooled.

Story & photos by Ron C ©2008