1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza: Handed Down And Modified 

That guy’s garage is next level - toolbox OCD!!!

Love this man's passion. Years ago I worked on a 64 for a customer. Restored the fuel system, valve adjustment, fixed brakes and did a tune up. Being a VW gal, the valve adjustment was interesting. I wish the steering boxes had a quicker ratio. I felt like I was steering the SS Minnow. By the way, when I was born in 1970 in LA at General Hospital, my dad picked up my mom and I to go home in one of his Corvairs. Going down San Fernando Road he was doing 100 and my mom said to my dad: "Please slow down, we have the baby" to which he replied "that's ok, let her get used to going fast". 30 years later I opened my 1st VW repair shop, and wrenched for 20 years.

Beautiful car and story...but that shop, that's a different planet...Planet Perfect.

I think he nailed the elegant classic car look with the wire wheels.

I have no words how sexy this thing looks ... From those rims to the interior ... My God ...

IMHO, the 65 Corvair is one of the coolest American cars ever.

Thats a freakin beautiful car!

WOW, I'm 70 and bought my first Corvair, a 1965 Monza, when I was 19 years old. I loved them then and still do. My last one, a 67 Monza was bought almost 20 years ago with only 13000 miles on it. I gave it to my son. Your collection is amazing. Thanks for sharing

Nothing beats a good father/son (or father/daughter, grandfather/grandson, etc) car story. I'm not necessarily a fan of American cars but I love a great car story no matter the marque or model. And I can completely understand where Christian is coming from because I have the same story with my grandfather. In fact our stories are similar in a sense because my story also includes a air-cooled flat six from the 1960's (although mine is from a German variety.) Not often a car becomes (in)famous for being "unsafe at any speed" but it seems like more and more young Corvair enthusiasts are proving Mr. Nader wrong by improving what is IMHO one of the most unique designs on 60's American cars. Also it's not often that a person can have a coupe, sedan, wagon, pickup and van version of his favorite car like you could have with the Corvair. Thanks Petrolicious for telling yet another great car story.

Working at the crossway of psychiatry and law, it's more and more difficult for me to trust human nature and human interplays. This amazing video is a message of love, respect, aesthetic of life. Moreover, your car is a real jewel ! Thanks Petrolicious, thanks for this lovely family, thanks for this message of peace !

*WOW, Petrolicious you've gone back to your roots so impressed. The story is most important, from struggling then to self-made and those RIMS fit PERFECT to this car and suspension quality and genius dripping from it's authenticity can't get over it I'm shocked!*

GOOD JOB YOUNG MAN WHO SHARES MY SAME PASSION MINE STARTED IN DECEMBER 1959 WHEN OUR NEIGHBOR DROVE HOME WITH A RED 2 DOOR SEDAN WITH 4 SPEED BLACK INTERIOR EVER SINCE THEN LIKE YOU THIS IS MY LOVE TOO NOW 71 YEARS OLD AND MONEY PROBLEMS I JUST BACK AND LOOK

Love the organized tools at 3:43. Nothing prettier than a drawer opening to that sort of jewelry. Well done! :-)

What a beautiful story i also grew up with corvairs . my father had a 1965 corsa 140 when i was 5 my first car at 16 was a 50 dollar 1960 corvair my father bought me . he was so passionate about corvairs ,and at the time i really didnt appreciate it to much i wanted a muscle car. now at 59 years old i wish i still had the corvair. hopefully your son will love them just as much as you do. thank you so much for shareing your story

This car is drop dead gorgeous, fantastic work on this. I do appreciate this guys talent, dedication and passion for his car and what he does to achieve that. Absolute legend.

The stories are even better when a father and son are involved

Very nice. I had a friend in high school who owned a ‘65 with the 180 hp motor, the car was ahead of its time in many ways.

I'm surprised these didn't become collector cars. One of the best American designs ever! Damn you Ralph Nader.

What an incredible Corvair, WOW! I sure miss my old '66 Corsa Turbo Coupe, Artesian Turquoise w/ matching interior, headrest bucket seats.

People like this guy is the heart and soul of Petrolicious. Builder, Owner, Enthusiast!

I'm old enough to remember when Corvairs first hit the dealers. The styling has always pleased me. This car is the best looking Corvair I've seen. Keep at it kid!

My neighbor had a Corvair in the 60's. Loved the sound alone. Very unique sound to it.

This video scratched that little itch I always have for Corvairs in the back of my mind. Geez....it's so nice.

My appreciation of the Corvsir has appreciated with age. No other American car like it. This, is the most beautiful Corvair I've ever seen. Well done.

I NEVER gave Corvairs a second look until NOW .... This is NICE !!! The others in the background are also other ways of personalizing this car I hadn't EVER seen ....

BEST HAND DOWN EVER ! Hey Christian and Petrolicious - I am an old guy from Hermosa/Redondo area and got way into the whole Corvair thing as a kid in the 70s. Trying to pass this legacy on in the family to my Grand kids today. My older cousin had a creamy yellow 66 Monza 140hp with a 4 speed, it was lowered just a little; not a low rider per se but with an air dam on it, had old school chrome Cragars all around with "Polyglas GTs" and a really fine tuned exhaust -on the original four one barrels - SUPER BAD little Car - like a Can Am -He tricked out and kicked some butt with the "Poor Man's Porsche" in the Downey area. When it came time for me to drive (1971) He was heading off to Dental school so He set me up with that same little 66 Monza down in the South Bay area - I bought that car from him with less than 60,000 miles for $600 dollars! Love Corvairs! With the tuned exhaust, four one barrels & famous CA "Smog pump" she "Crackled" when you'd downshift or coast" - people knew it was Me coming with Rosie for miles! MY WONDERFUL COUSIN GARY was killed BY A DRUNK DRIVER in 1976 on his BiCYCLE down in Belmont Shore (Long Beach) by a DRUNK DRIVER out on a Sunday cruise at the beach. But CRACKLING ROSIE - QUEEN OF HERMOSA LIVES - COOLEST CARS EVER!

Christopher! Gorgeous car! I love how clean it looks! The details are so tasteful. bobbed door handles, no wipers...beautiful!!! Thanks For Sharing!

Not to sound hyperbolic, but that is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen. Every choice he made is PERFECT.

Nicest Corvair I ever seen. Very nice touches done. The all black look and wheels are incredible

I've always loved Corvairs. My father had a '61 Corvair Monza 4-door when I was growing up. I learned how to drive in that car. I always loved the late model coupe body style the most, though. It's just a timeless beauty. And nothing else sounds like a Corvair.

Great work by camera people

Excellent video. Team Tweety is Warren LeVeque (sp?), who lives in my hometown and has been racing Corvairs for decades. I sold him a '65 Corsa convertible I had back in the 80s - it broke my heart to lose the car but I had no money or a proper place to store the car out of the harsh winter weather. Thanks to Christopher, Warren and everyone else who is keeping the Corvair alive.

One of my all time favourites I almost cried

the man's workshop is immaculate. *so* clean.

What a gorgeous car! Corvairs got a bad rap back in the day.

My 68 was the best car I've ever owned. 200,000 miles. Had to replace left front wheel bearings abd two generators. Leaked oil but that was partly my fault. Didn't change the oil one broke summer and cooked oil plugged the oil cooler. Wish I still had it...parents sold it when I was away. Keep it up.

It's like an American Fulvia. Very cool!

A truly inspirational story. Christian is an amazing man, one of a kind, and has made a fantastic life for himself doing what he loves. Dedication like his is rare. So glad to have the opportunity to see this video and be allowed such a personal view of this story. And of course there are the cars. I loved my '64 Corvair in high school. A 4-spd convertible, I put a short-throw mod on the shift linkage. Always wanted a '65 or later Corsa, but never pursued it.

Beautiful job on your car (and your tools !). You have really done the car justice, it`s one of the nicest I have seen, it pushes all the right buttons for Corvair lovers. The front suspension setup is a real work of art, I was extremely impressed with that. I`ve owned three second-gen `Vairs, one was a Corsa with a Crown V8 conversion, that car was a LOT of fun ! :-)

This is easily one of the most gorgeous cars I have ever seen!

Amazing car, I always loved Corvairs for some reason! My only complaint is the car stereo, it needs something that looks more OEM/retro to match the interior.

My sister bought a 1962 corsair and a few years later I bought a "65 Corsa, convertible with the 140 hp motor. Couple of years later I bought two more '65 's. Still have all 3 of them. One of the best and most fun cars I have ever driven.

Wow, it's like a Karmann Ghia on steroids. Love it!

I don’t know what’s more beautiful, the car or the story. You did a great job on this car!! My first car was a ‘61 4-door Corvair.

Wow. We had one when I was a kid. I loved that car and miss that car. So cool! I love family cars. Glad you have such a cool story. Glad you got it fixed (both times). Thanks Petrolicious for the story. Your channel always does such a great job. Cool cars and cool warehouse. Oh, and don’t sell the family car!!! We have one of those too. Heidi

My dad bought a brand new 65 in red and my uncle in red but convertible i was one year old when he bought it , he had it for many years and i nremember always driving in my dads car and thinking my dad was the coolest dad. RIP Dad you loved this car so much.

This year, this car, this color, this model is my dream car

Gorgeous, absolutely stunning. I love how the stance of the car was changed to just a bit lower and just a bit more horizontal. It makes all the difference. Truly one of the best restomods I’ve ever seen

Rolling work of art.

Wow! My second car (in 1968) was a box stock '63 Monza convertible with automatic transmission. A hand-me-down from my mom. I converted it to four speed by stripping a junked Corvair of it's transmission, shifter linkage, pedals, the whole deal. I got a 140hp four carb engine from an abandoned vehicle on a back street in Philly and a rear from a Greenbriar van (3.90 gear ratio if I remember correctly) from a junk yard in South Philly. Rebuilt the engine and put it all together. There were almost no aftermarket parts then so you had to make do. It would do 90mph in third, but when you shifted to forth, the fan-belt would fly off every time. There were no spring-loaded idler pulleys in those days. I "tucked a rear wheel" a few times, but the worst thing that happened was a re-tread came off of the carcass once. Great fun, very unique and even then people couldn't understand what the hell I was doing. Loved your video, loved it! You get a BIG like from me and a subscription!

Basically, a poor man's American 911. Shame America shat on it because of Nader, and wrecked a potentially excellent line of rear-engined cars. Imagine how great the 2018 Corvair would have been!!

When he picked his son up at the end just like his grandfather/godfather icing in the cake....

Wow that thing is incredible

I hope to God people like this never go away. Seeing a car like this and hearing the story of how it came to be make my day. Not one of those "I gave someone 100k and they have me a nice car a year later" type cars but a car with character.

This car is just amazing

The Corvair was one of the best looking cars from the 60s .. and it still looks great, maybe even BETTER today.

Yep ... That's it ... I found my favorite car 😂

I really enjoyed this. My first car was a '65 Corvair Monza four door with a 2-spd Powerglide transmission. I paid cash I had saved working part time and got it two months before I got my license in 1987.

Just converted me to American cars. Wow. Engine in the rear is just the bomb.

65 corvair my brother owned..in 1982 4spd 110..with modifications..blue black interior...brother hung a crystal from rear view mirror..that would cast prisms as a kid..I loved going out with him..in that car..

I had a '67(last year of production was '69 thanks to Nader) in 1971 ..... BEST car I ever owned ..... "Road and Track" named the early independant suspension ones "best handling American production car".......mine had 14' (stock)corvette rims and goodyear radials .... I put a EMPI shifter and exhaust on it (stock 110hp eng.) and set up the suspension for road racing (EMPI specs)..... wasn't very fast in a straight line but, I was faster than anything on the street in the twisty parts ............ ;-p

I'm from Europe, for me this is the most beautiful American car ever . Congratulations to the owner !

Beautiful.

Watching that fan belt and the pulleys turn is like admiring the moving cogs of an expensive watch !

Anyone heard of the "spider" version Corvairs? My cousin had one, apparently little hopped up from standard.

I enjoyed and miss my gold '65 Monza. It was fun to drive and it stood out in a crowd

Awesome.

My grandfather was huge into Corvairs, even raced a Yenko Stinger for awhile. That car is still around in Michigan being raced as of a few years ago. Someday I'll get one as a project car, even if I don't keep it for long I feel like I gotta give it a shot.

I think I just found my dream car

Awesome collection. My first car was a 67 Corvair Monza. I took it apart, never drove it and sold it 30 years later. My second car (bought a few weeks after the first) was a 65 Corsa Turbo which I put a seriously built engine in from the Weber 45DCOE bolted to a modified early model turbo all the way down. My dad and Doug Roe used to race together, they got me started in cars. All in all I've owned 1 of every model ever made. Sadly I sold the whole collection a few years back. Now that the custom private aircraft people have taken a shine to the engines, they are really getting high tech. I've seen Covair engine/transaxles down to 181 pounds, nearly 700 hp (not counting the special fuel dragster engines), up to 3.4 liters, redlines well over the 11K mark, roller cams, distributerless ignitions and multiport fuel injection. There's even a few 5 speed transmisions out there. Glad to see they younger generation keeping the car alive. Maybe some day I'll be knocking on one of your doors looking to get another one. Side note: both my dad and Doug Roe (google "Roe racer") raced early models. Neither ever lost to a late model or a Mustang and neither did my '65.

Legend has it that he crashed it 3 more times after this.

This industrious young man just described perfectly, what the American Dream looks & sounds like!

Tastefull indeed!

My grandpa has several corvairs including a Black Monza. My first car was a Corvair. Grandpa was a mechanic who restored Jeeps & Corvairs in his spare time.

Never owned one but my cousins boyfriend had one, and at 14 he let me drive it, it was one of the best driving cars I have ever driven.

He crashed it again a week after filming this video.

So few really good looking custom Corvairs out there. This is clearly one of the best. I wish chip foose would do one.

Im surprised there was no mention that the Corvair was also the first turbocharged production car and came with water/meth injection. GM really broke the mold with this car, its a shame that a smear campaign ruined its reputation.

I'm a MOPAR guy for many years . My first was a 62 monza 4 spd . The motor broke . Then I went crazy with it . This car was comfy with thick seats . 3rd gear rubber was not uncommon . i drove it from Long Beach Calif. to Daytona Fla. in 52 hours doing over a 100 much of the way . My second Vair was a 64 monza 4 spd I bought for 20 bucks with a bad motor . I got a good motor in pieces for 70 bucks . Put it together and continued the fun . I could go for another .

We had a 62 corviar 4 door. Automatic transmission. We loved it

So beautifull for a american car!

Christian, your story is very cool and so is the car. Y late father was a mechanic he loved Corvairs and I grew to love them too my whole family had one at some time. I may try to get one now. I am 83 and I still love them good luck to you. 👍👍

Nobody: Him: I'm so broke I cant fix my car. Also him: hey look at my four corvairs and my snap on tool chest full of snap on tools

Just the correct amount of upgrades. Black hides nothing, this car looks flawless. Awesome Job, or rather, Passion!!

Superb story and car. Nader can suck it.

Nothing else sounds like a Corvair. My family had a '61 Corvair Monza when I was growing up. We played in it as kids and all the kids learned how to drive in it as we got older. It's name was "Shahasta." Because "Shahasta have new brakes, Shahasta have new tires, Shahasta have new carpet, and on and on... :)

back looks like a 71 cuda front a chevelle

These stories are so much better than the over-the-top blue chip cars. There's depth to the story that is missing in some the videos. These cars have such presence. Excellent video and I love the work shop!

Ralph Nader gave this a down vote.

Your car looks so sleek & elegant, even by today's standards. Your mods have made the car timeless. There's nothing better than taking your dreams & your passion and turning it into reality.

My dad had a 67 Corvair Monza Convertible. So wish he would have kept it, it was silver with a black top and interior, 6 cylinder, 4 speed, factory tachometer and man it was sweet! This brings back those vivid memories. Thanks for sharing your passion!

My first car was a 61 Corvair Lakewood (station wagon model) in seafoam green.....wish I still had it. Also owned a 66 110hp 4spd Monza. Loved it too!

I love Corvairs and have owned 3 of them. Wish I had one right now.I had a '51 and the rear end was no problem. The Corvair suspension was an independent 4 wheel from day one.

Absolutely beautiful car! I can really admire and respect the deep passion. I am a Minnesota native, and I found a black 1962 2 door Monza for sale. I would love to have that car, and the early models can be restored with a safer independent suspension. I will confess that the more i see these later models, the more attracted I am to them. This is absolutely beautiful!

Like that portrait of Kramer. " A loathsome, offensive brute. Yet I can't look away.". Nice to see a different choice than the usual. I'm glad grandpa *wasn't* into Bentleys. More power to you, Chris. ✊

A magnificent vehicle. Ralph Nader has a lot to answer for. He claimed something that he had not a clue about ,& hence the Corvair died out unnecessarily early.Here in Australia Frank Gardner developed,raced & dominated the racing segment it was entered in & made every other entry redundant. What a classic !

Thank you for sharing that. I drove a 1965 Corvair Monza in high school back in the early '70's. Your video brought back some great memories of a wonderful car.

Gorgeous build/restoration Chris... My 74yr old mom had a convertible Corvair for a while, sold it when I was about 2yrs old. Manual transmission (3 or 4spd on the floor?)... She LOVED that car! She still raves about it... Just a few weekends back she was telling my wife about how much she loved that car. I wish I were able to afford buying one and restoring it, if only to be able to let her drive it again... Well done...

Nice story and the car looks amazing. I graduated in 66 so they were are car of my generation. Still a modern looking car compared to the generic of today.

Beautiful car with a beautiful story! You have done well for yourself and your Godfather would be proud! He's smiling down on you! 😇