Car news / ESCAPE ROADS: 1964 Corvair Monza Spyder |
11.04.2008
ESCAPE ROADS: 1964 Corvair Monza SpyderCar News /
Whether the Corvair suffered more from a loss of interest on the part of its builder or its customers is a tough question to answer. Introduced for 1960 to compete with compact imports, the Chevrolet Corvair used an air-cooled opposed six at the rear. The car"s small size without great fuel economy--about 20 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway--was an odd combination in 1960 America, but if the automobile missed its target among the economy-minded, it found the enthusiasts almost at once.
Chevrolet recognized that, and 1962 saw Corvair"s last wagon and its first Monza Spyder. The Spyder package"s signature feature was a turbo-charged 150-hp engine, producing a staggering 70 hp more than the base engine. A four-speed transmission and better brakes were mandatory options, and the package included heavy-duty suspension. It wasn"t glamorous but was more useful than the turbo in the real world, where lag limited help at less than highway speeds unless driven hard.
The Spyder was little changed for 1963, but in 1964, all Corvairs benefited from improved rear suspension. Handling, which enthusiasts praised, had been criticized for the rear swing axles" allegedly difficult-to-control surprises, so the 1964 automobile added a transverse spring to limit camber. It was the early-series Corvair"s final year, and sales missed 200,000 for the first time. The believers remained, but they were too few, and General Motors focused on the conventional. Its Falcon-like Chevy II and later Mustang-like Camaro left less and less room for the Corvair.
Joanne Bridgman of Canadensis, Pennsylvania, was a believer before she bought her 1964 Monza Spyder in 2004.
"I learned how to drive a four-speed in a "65 Corvair on the back roads of the Lehigh Valley," she said, "and I took my driver"s test in a 1966 Corvair. So, 30 years later, I obtained my current Corvair."
Her Monza was original beyond an early-1990s repaint and since has needed only carburetor adjustment and touch-up to one door. A weekend car, it"s reliable enough for occasional trips and easily capable of surprising.
Bridgman described outlasting the turbo lag. "It got up to 80 mph," she said. "The turbo-charger kicked in, and it felt like a rocket behind me."
We didn"t try that, but on two-lane mountain roads, the Corvair doesn"t feel like a 1964 model; steering is precise without twitchiness, and when driven smoothly rather than abruptly, the automobile goes where it should even at slightly immoderate speeds. A tall driver with the seat adjusted back stretches for first or third, but the shifter operates easily, and everything else is fine. The big surprise is hearing the engine and the fan over the minimal body and wind noise. It sounds like no other American car, but even for believers, that wasn"t enough.
Corvair sales hit 235,000 with 1965"s redesign and the 80-hp turbo engine but then dropped. The turbo option lasted only through 1966, and sales collapsed to 6000 cars at the Corvair"s end in 1969.
DOLLARS & SENSE
ORIGINAL LIST PRICE: $2,599
CURRENT MARKET VALUE*: $6,350
*Source: Old Cars Price Guide
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