It’s common knowledge that Chevrolet spent a good amount of time working on its first entry into the compact segment with the Corvair. And if this six-minute video touting the vehicle’s reliability and toughness is any indication, the team went above and beyond the basics in developing and testing the rear-engined beast.
To say that engineers beat up several prototypes and testing units may be a severe understatement, as the Corvair was put through its paces on the track, road, mud, a skidpad, and even a stream. They even did their best to roll the Corvair over by locking its wheels… because it wouldn’t roll otherwise.
Ultimately, the video describes the Corvair as having “power, ruggedness, maneuverability, handling, traction, braking — proven again and again.” And this video wouldn’t suggest otherwise:
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Ralph Nader who…
Awesome video! Thanks for digging it up, guys.
Who said the Corvair was unsafe at any speed? And who knew the Corvair was today’s equivalent of a CUV with all that off-road ability? The weight of the engine over the rear wheels is what helped the traction so much.
I really loved the Corvair, particularly some later coupe models and even the quirky van. It’s such a shame that it was torpedoed by one man. He could have gone after the VW Beetle with the same rear engine and suspension, but he chose GM and the Corvair.
I think vehicle safety regulations were essential to pushing the industry to design safer cars and there are far fewer in-car deaths today due to things like airbags, antilock brakes and stability control. But I didn’t think the Corvair needed to be the sacrifice it became.
My sentiments, exactly Todd.
I had a chance to talk in person with Nader a couple years back, and I’m glad I didn’t ask him what he thought of the Volt!
I asked him what we need to do to insure we get away from the foreign oil cartels. He said the government needs to stiffen it’s regulations on automakers to make more efficient vehicles. Kind of the same old saw he’s been on his entire career. Why burden the auto business with the job of pulling Americans out of gas hogs? Why not a gasoline tax which hasn’t been raised since 1993?
I say it time and again. We’re a consumer-driven economy. When the consumer feels pain at the pump, he/she looks for a more fuel stingey ride. When demand rises, automakers naturally rise to the occasion. Politicians found a way to put the blame on carmakers – then subsidize the oil and gas industry. This way no politician has to take “the blame” for suggesting we raise the fed tax on a gallon!
I’ve oft compared the Corvair story to Volt. A modern test was done recently with Corvair’s competitors of it’s time – Ford Fairlane, Falcon and VW Beetle and sedans. In the test the Corvair won every test. Nader devoted one chapter in his book about carmakers not baking safety into their products, and it literally killed the car, and it’s reputation unjustly. Look at the traction this car had! It’s second generation was much better still, and I believe better looking too! This was America’s answer to the popularity of the Beetle – and it out-Beetled the Beetle handily – just as Volt out-Priuses the Prius by far. Nader didn’t say the Corvair was unsafe in a crash – instead his book said Corvair had an unstable suspension that had the propensity to destabilize the car if one side left the pavement and the other did not. Doesn’t this video refute this quite well?! Just the same, the NHTSA, FoxNews and Limbaughs are working overtime to derail Volt with false claims and misinformation and untried accusations.
People made Bugs into 2wd Dune Buggies and Sand Machines. I owned a Bug and used to love to take it out in the snow and play. All the vehicle’s weight is over the rear driving wheels.
Corvair got the shaft – let’s all use word-of-mouth and our wallets to tell America the Volt is an incredibly capable car – just like Corvair was – but much better still!
Well said! I still find it amazing that a self-proclaimed auto critic/guru could bring down a very capable and competitive model line, one that was tried and true against its competitors time and time again.
Either way, I hope today’s increased amount of information thanks to the web will make it impossible for idiots to bring down a good product.
I forgot to add, Nader’s chapter on Corvair didn’t use any test data and didn’t use any true owner stories to back up his claims on the car.
In fact – I’ve not found that Corvair was infamous for going off the road and injuring it’s occupants at all.
hmmmm….sound familiar to Volt?
How on earth was Ralph Nader able to write unsafe at any speed
somebody should do that with the cruze lol