Although it’s best-known for the royal grilling it received in Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe At Any Speed, the Chevrolet Corvair still retains a rabid fanbase that will defend the sports car to the last. Now, we’ve uncovered a trio of classic Corvair songs that are sure to hit the nostalgia feels of any Corvair devotee out there.
The Chevrolet Corvair was an oddity for General Motors, boasting a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-six engine. Produced for just two generations between 1959 and 1969, the Corvair was billed as a sporty, lightweight compact with a futuristic and novel engineering approach. Indeed, the Corvair saw massive popularity in its earlier years, with nearly 340,000 units produced between 1961 and 1962. Throughout its lifespan, body styles included a coupe, convertible, a van, and a station wagon as well.
Interestingly, Chevrolet even produced a number of songs to help market the vehicle. The first featured here is an introductory song for the all-new 1965 model, which, according to the YouTube video description, is from a 1964 record that also includes the song Chevy Steals the Heart Away from 1958.
Our second song is a little weirder. It’s called the Mr. Ed Corvair Song, and it is an adaptation of the Mr. Ed television show theme song. For those younger readers out there, Mr. Ed was a popular TV show about a talking horse that aired in the ‘60s, and this adaptation uses the show’s theme song as a basis to promote the Chevrolet Corvair, while also referencing Ed Cole, an executive at General Motors who helped to direct development of the then-new Corvair.
Our final video is hosted by a hardcore fan, who shares his Chevrolet Corvair memorabilia, including the 1959 Corvair introductory song, which was apparently played at showrooms during the car’s introduction.
How about you, dear reader? What are your Corvair stories? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Corvair news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Had a 1963 Corvair Convertible I would run it on 550 mile round trips between where I worked and home. The car never failed me in over 20,000 miles but it stunk like oil and gas every single mile. I was always on the alert for an engine fire which fortunately never happened.
I currently drive a 1962 Corvair Monza plus I have owned four others. I’m 73 yrs old. The biggest problem is finding a shop willing to repair the car. Or has the knowledge to repair a Corvair. I find the Corvair a dependable and reliable as any car on the market.
My first car was a 1960 corvair. I worked as a yard man for a nurse and she sold me her corvair! I was 15 and the car was originally from Minnesota, it even had a gasoline heater and a 110 hp motor with a 4 speed. As a teenager I started to hot rod it by drag racing VW bugs. I won vs stock bugs. I eventually blew the motor, trans and the rear end all in 1 shot. The shaft in the transaxle snapped and locked it all up. So I got a ’63 corvair left to die in a pile of weeds. It was modified and took a bunch of work to bring back. But I did, even drag raced it. I then got a 66 coupe and also built a 196 cu inch motor and I had 46 IDA Webber carbs on it. It qas really quick. My best was a ’68 convertible, silver/blue. I got a new reskinned top, peacock metal flake diamond tuck interior custom made as I qanted it. I sold it in 73 while at Edwards AFB as a new wed. I sure miss that car. My corvairs NEVER leaked a drop of oil. Or smelled oil.
Chuck K
I owned a 1962 2-door Corvair coupe, light blue in colour with a standard transmission. It would be interesting to know what Chevy had in store for future models. Unfortunately the Corvair was killed by a badly-informed, over-zealous Ralph Nader. I think the Chevy team should have another look at it during these experimental and invigorating times. There far more positive features than negative feedback.
Has anyone shopped at E-Cig Source? xx