Corvairs - full episode 

I know that this video is several years old but I thought that I would make a comment anyway and maybe someone may see it and be interested. In my younger days I had a "62" Monza. Black, bucket seats, 4sd. and red interior. I loved that car. My dad and I rebuilt the engine and it had headers and dual glass packs. It was a runner. My son is building a "66" Convertible with a Tom Keo built Turbo engine and 4sd. He also has a "62" Rampside pickup. Corvairs were great cars and were way ahead of their time.

Hey! That "Thank You, Ralph" Was very Cool Nice !! Gracias

The entire Corvair lineup is fascinating

I had a Corvair in the 70s. It was like a go-kart with a radio and heater. With the right tire pressure, it was really fun to drive.

My uncle went off the road in West Virginia in 1966 in a 1964 Spyder convertible at 90 mph. The car did not roll but landed flat and skidded in a field in the valley for about 30 yrds. He walked away with no injuries. That was a great car.

I went to school with a Lance Lambert at VHS Michigan and I didn't see him pretty much after 1975 when we left Jr. High into HS. I wonder what ever became of him. He was pretty cool....Speakin' of pretty cool, I have a very clean 1964 Corvair Monza!!!! How cool is that folks??!!!! Corvairs ROCK, just like my old pal Lance!!! Keep up the great interviews Mr. Lambert!!! Scott

i had forgotten just how nice these cars look. My dad had one that he used when he didn't need to haul the family around. He painted it yellow, with a brush to give it a lemon peel texture. He called it his lemon. When he drove us to school on snowy days, there was a hole in the floor that scooped up snow into the back seat. I had to pull my feet up onto the seat because it got so deep. Damn now I REALLY want one. I really miss my dad

My grandparents had a corvair when I was a child and I thought that space behind the back seat was so neat,that's were I got everyone we went somewhere. Later in my later teen years I got one myself.

That corvair wagon "ute" is absolutely stunning. Too unique indeed.

I bought a used 65 Corsa in 1969 when I got out of the Army. It had the 180 horse turbo engine. Loved it! True, I had to reinstall the serpentine fan belt belt occasionally when it would come off, but it could be done in about 15 minutes with nothing more than a 9/16 end wrench and tire iron. Biggest problem: I had to replace a busted clutch cable twice, but it was easy to do. I wish I still owned it!

The first car I bought was a 63 Monza. Took me through high school and college. 15 Corvairs later makes a total of 16 I have owned. Currently have 5. The truck is the only one I've never owned.

Indeed...well done and informative. Fantastic collection.

Great video about a classic, under appreciated car. I always liked their looks

My first car too. A basic 1961, 3-speed, 4-door. Got it for $44.00 in April 1969, That's about $372 in todays dollars. The only problems I ever had was a worn front wheel bearing, and a burned out tail light bulb. The transmission was funky and usually wouldn't up-shift into 2nd gear, but revving it in 1st and quick shifting to 3rd worked pretty good. I had to back up a steep, long driveway of friends when I visited b/c of a slipping clutch. The engine was fine and I fed it Wynn's Motor Honey several times. I synced the carburetors by ear. It didn't have or need a heater b/c it was Hawaii. The floor in the rear was somewhat rusted but wasn't a problem. When I left Hawaii in October 1969, I sold it to 2 guys who were familiar with the car for $88.00. It was a great car and I was lucky to have such a dependable vehicle. I've never had another, but was tempted several times.

Loved the Corvair video! Great car.

Great video... brought back great memories... I owned a 64 Spyder soft top which I completely rebuilt and restored. Great car!

My first car was a 1961 Corvar and like this guy I grew up in Indiana. Wasn't the slick Monza, it was a 4 door. That thing would go anywhere in the winter even with slick snow tires on the back. I also had a dipstick heater so it started right up every morning no matter how cold it was....and had heat right off....I parked it in the barn. Had 3 friends that ran with me so the 4 doors came in handy...a two door would have been too small. :-) Great memories in that car.....

My mom's Electrolux Dealer had a '69! And I asked him to show me the engine !!! Of course, you couldn't see very much, but it was still a very cool experience for me!!! Thanks for the upload ! J really enjoyed it. Ciao

Well I admit I’ve never been a fan of corvairs possibly because of bad publicity but this is a great interview and very informative , good luck to all carvair owners

my father and I had 3 corvairs, his money my performance ideas :). the last was a 1965 2 door 4 carb that we took to John Fitch in New England for a rally prep. He was at the time race preparing corvairs for SCCA racing, and he had several levels of street packages available. We spent the day there while his crew tuned the carbs, added some anti sway bars, shocks and a few other tweaks. I was one of the nicest handling cars I ever drove. Great in rallies and cornering. Way ahead of anything else from American manufacturers at that price point.

A very well done video. Worth watching!!!

I sure miss my old '66 Corsa Turbo Coupe, Artesian Turquoise w/ matching interior, headrest bucket seats.

Had 2 of them, a 62 and a 66. They were 2 of my all time favorite cars, along with a 73 Vega that handled like it was on rails. Most problems were created by a lack of owner knowledge about upkeep. Any Corvair could be laced with 13, 14, or 15 inch wheels, bolt patterns matched. My son is now 35, the only car he wishes he still had was the 66 Corvair. Lots of Corvair owners are unaware that there was a 3 speed on the floor. My sister had that in a 62.

My first car was a 66’ 4 speed Monza. Had 14” Cragar magnesium SS style wheels and wider polyglass tires. I absolutely wished I still had that car.

1964, Seattle. After graduating "we" - my buddy and I, took the 1962 Corvair he was given, tore it down, blueprinted the engine and trans, four barrel carb, built extractor exhaust and went Drag Racing. We'd always win the first race, until they saw how fast we went. Lots of fun...

You could mill the heads down on some of the old Spyder types and direct bolt a Weber single barrel carb over each cylinder. My brother has been a professional mechanic since the fifties and he mounted a corvair engine in a Karmen Ghia that was a jet fighter without wings! Scary fast.

(Sorry) and a ‘64 Monza with a 4 speed. I miss them both. One of them had the rear motor mount give way one fine day and I nearly had an eighteen year old heart attack looking at my engine practically lying on the road. Thought it was totaled. My boss at the time lent me his floor jack and told me to just replace the mount and jack the engine back up into place. It worked! Thanks again. Wish your Corvair club was in Jersey, I’d love to pay a visit.

Great video thank you. I was lucky enough to have 2 Corvairs, a ‘62 4 door automatic my sister Edie passed on to me

Just got a '66 Corsa Convertible and am putting it together. Can't wait to drive this thing!

I was in between companies and company cars in the 70's and needed a temp car. I bought a 64 turbo conv. 4 speed. It was fun in the mountains and it never needed anything done to it. A great car.

Great video!

I’m a GM guy so this needs to be said. If GM would have kept up production of this car, we wouldn’t have Toyota plants in the south.GM would have been able to scale back their larger cars & make more improvements to the Corsair & the V-6’s of the early 60’s cutlass, tempest & Buick specials, we would have kicked japan’s ass

I was a Chevy dealer line mech and worked on many many from 1966-69. Lots of oil leaks and blown head gaskets.After you get the barrels true and even and the heads cleaned and milled even the compression was bumped a bit and they ran very well with some more timing! Very fun little 4sp cars. I owned 1 65 Monza and 2 Corsas.👍😃

My first car, back in 1969, was a 1965 Corsa coupe, with the 140 HP four carb engine and a 4 speed transmission. It was a Dark Carmine Red, that had faded badly, to the point that the car looked mostly white. The interior was black.

Your video was a real pleasure to watch! I'm anxious and excited to get my first Chevrolet Corvair. My eye is on a 1964 model with a 4-speed manual transmission.

I thought I remembered this... I saw my car there in the background, so I was there for this taping!! great show!!

During the seventies I became totally immersed in the Corvair world. Although I moved on, every nut and bolt from bumper to bumper is still in my hard drive.

Fun video! I had a 65 Monza 100/PG in the early 90s. Hope to have another someday.

My preachers son had a spider turbo convertible, that was the fastest car I have ever driven. It had a 4 speed, but, it had get up and go. Great car despite Ralph Nader.

My first car was a 65 Monza. loved it.

Now I want a corvair...

Awesome piece of history.

I had a 1964 Monza with a Sprint by Fitch kit in it. A fun car and had a good sound, flat six with a non stock exhaust.

I wish they would have shown the shifter on the Automatic.. We had the 61 or 62 Station wagon and the shifter (automatic) was a lever. I thought it was the coolest thing (I was about 12 or 13) and We moved our entire house contents in that station wagon Refrigerator and all. I liked that little car..

great video! I'd like a '67 coupe with 140hp,4 speed and wide rear tires!

@21:25 Honda 305 Dream, offered in white only. Nice vid, thanks!

Even the Camaro has an independent rearend nowadays :) I love Corvairs...all of them!

My ole man worked at Willow Run and put the seats in them he worked 1959 to 1991 at the ypsi plant

Our family had a 1964 Corvair Monza convertible (110 hp), and later on I had a 1966 Corvair Corsa convertible (140 hp). ;-) My mom was a bookkeeper at a tire store, when the first Michelin radials came to the U.S my mom was given a set for free. to test. Gas station attendants shook their heads when my mom said they weren't flat. ;-) In a auto magazine there was a 2nd gen (yr?) Coupe with a Tornado engine/trans-axle mounted "behind" the rear seat. After seeing that I thought, instead of the Tornado drive-train mount a transverse V6 behind the rear seat of a 1966 convertible and make it look as stock as possible except it would have two trunks. ;-) There's a video of a Fiero drive-train and suspension (in one unit) installed into a 66 convertible (no rear seat).

My two buddies rolled over a 64 (pre camber compensater) corvair (there was alcohol involved) and were hanging upside down in their seat belts like the idiots they were! They unhooked the.belts and somehow turned it back on its wheels and drove home.would have loved to heard them explain the damage to Eds dad ( he owned the corvair!)

i,had several corvairs,only problem was they would leak oil,my 64 110 h.P.4 speed I made a body lift,coil over off road shocks front and back,good ones,rebuilt front end,nylon bushing's,bushing in swing arms,all terrain tires front and back,and gold and chrome keystone rims and 15 in,can't remember if they were 13 or 14 in that they came with,new interior,and exhaust,thinking about it now,it was way to loud,but it sounded good,and when you're young,who cares,and it would go just about anywhere,and it was the only 64 corvair offroad,I ever seen,and it looked badass,and everyone liked it,I ended up trading it for a 68 340s barracuda fastback, drag street car,with snorkel scoop,tilt front end,very fast car,those were the good days,I wish I had either one of them again.

The Corvair is still one of the great bargains in collectible cars-ranking right up there with Model A Fords in bang for the buck. If late model coupes and convertibles continue to rise at the rate they are going you will see someone producing coupe and convertible body shells for sale, as there will be more parts than bodies when prices clear 20k on a regular basis.

No Ultra Vans! I first saw one of those in person just a few years ago at Detroit's Woodward Cruise. My first car was a '68 500, my wife had a '64 500, I later had a '66 Monza convertible project car as well as a (IIRC) '60 4 door project/parts car I never did anything with. Now I again have a flat 6 behind me, but it's water cooled and mid-mounted.

For those of us who are old enough... it's nice to see these things restored and in collections. They were truly horrible cars in their day.... O-ring leaks and don't recall ever seeing one that didn't rust out or die under 100000 miles... although I'm sure there were exceptions. They were inexpensive cars for the most part and the same would be true of many 1960's economy cars. But I also saw a Corvair hanging upside down in a crab apple tree once. The lady swerved into a curb and the car launched itself up into the air and up into the tree. She was fine, and the motor was still running... thankfully she had her seat belt on... Actually aside from being upside down, the car looked pretty good... Now as to the vans and trucks... I saw what happens when one hits a phone pole... It's alot like what happens when a VW microbus hits a phone pole... Let's just say, it's a sight I'll never forget. Which I won't describe here... On the up side the driver was still alive when I left the scene... I can still remember he was screaming in pain while the firemen were trying to figure out how to remove his legs from under the front of the van. The young lady face planted into the windshield... she was aimlessly wandering around the scene spouting blood form her forehead... It was on a side street, so the van wasn't going very fast.... Yup... seeing Corvairs crash inspired me to buy a 66 Olds 98 when I got my license. So I suppose they had a purpose... to inspire kids to buy safer cars! That said, as a collectible, they are super cool novelties. And they are attractive. I was only in one, but it seemed to drive and handle OK during normal use. To be fair, I'd also call Vegas and Pintos horrible cars. And I saw an automatic 76 Vega go well over 100000 miles and loved the way Pintos handled on winding roads. Just because a vehicle is a horrible car for one reason or another doesn't mean it can't have some endearing quirks or loads of charm. I'm thinking at the time a Ford Falcon or basic Mustang, Perhaps a Chevy II, a Rambler or a Plymouth Valiant would have cost around the same price (depending on options)and been a better buy... but those were pretty boring cars at the time. For a fun Corvair spin off, my mom had a 1960(?) Tempest with a 4 cyl engine in the front and a Corvair trans and rear setup in the back connected by a drive cable... That was a really lively driver with better balance. My mom loved it.

Always liked these - quite different and great effort by GM. Amazing they did a turbo version in 64-66?! I’m a VW/Porsche guy but gotta respect the Corvair!

The same thing regarding engine cooling is true of VWs. Removing or lifting the hood does not make the engine run cooler. The only addition that actually works is to add an oil cooler, and otherwise keep the hood and shrouds stock.

I be lovin me some Corvair!

I had a 65 Corsa great car

My dad bought a 64 monza 2 door, 110 4 speed, in September of 65. It smelled like exhaust in side while driving it, so dad sold it. I bought my 66 turbo corsa in 2001.

I love Corvairs.

Our mom had a SS Monza? Maroon color, burned up on a Freeway in San Diego. She loved that car.

I remember the Chevy Dealer Mechanics hated them when they first came out and even after that!

I had Monza 500, can't remember the year. I bought it in 1969.

My first car was a 1966 Corsa Convertible with 180hp Turbo engine. In each corner (engine compartment, trunk) there was a cylinder. Not connected to anything. One was leaking oil and was replaced under warranty. What were these for? I have never found an answer.

They got that Camaro look to it on the side view , they look good .

The trucks are awesome .... I miss mine sooooooooooo bad :(

In the 1970's, when I was 16-17, a friend of my dad's had a 1960 Corvair. He would let me drive it sometimes, but always warned me to be careful, because "it's touchy." It really was....cornering was downright scary. You never knew exactly what it might do. The rear end seemed to "hop" outward, so the natural reaction was to oversteer. I had heard they were prone to rollovers, and I can definitely see that happening.

I read somewhere that someone did wind tunnel tests on the two generations of Corvairs and found that the first style was "slightly" more aerodynamic (how much?)

They really are very nice looking cars. I’ve only ever seen one. (I’m in Australia)

I loved my 64 Spyder.

Nice Job Kent. 1965 greenbrier

You didn't mention the telescopic steering wheel.

I always heard they were shifty on the road but what car or truck back then wasn't? I saw a corvair that was custom built that was actually cool looking. Had the 70s flairs on the fenders and wide tires all the way around. Someone had done a good job on it too. I think I'd rather drive this instead of a pinto any day in my opinion.

Got his neighborhood named greenbrier. Way cool.

When I was young my aunt had one,my cousin her son 16 years would pile us all in and go to the Mooney drive in,in Visaila,California, he made everyone get in back then we would go backwards and he slamed it into 1st so we could do wheelies

i love corvairs my first car was a 65 monza blew the rear main seal out. had it on the ground waiting on a seal when the motor was stolen. after about 2 weeks it had a 327 in the back seat.. one day out in front of my house i stood it up and ripped the rear bumper off it. the next day my entire car was gone. my mother sold it. i found it about a year later and tried until the old man died to buy it back. but he wouldn't. then his son junked it. but wouldnt sell it back to me.

I'm not really sure why they are introducing the first Van in this clip as a '61 Greenbrier, as it has dark/amber signal lights. Amber signal lights didn't come out until the 1963 models. Either this isn't a '61, or they have put more recent signal light coverings on it.

I got a flat on the right REAR of my 1960 corvair. When I jacked it up the right FRONT tire came off the ground first, the car was that out of balance!

Vega was a good car also! Especially the cosworth version. Great gas milage and dependable. At least the one I owned was!

My father was killed in one of these before I was born in 1962 ,he rolled it at full speed trying to get home to my mom on a Friday night after working in Minneapolis all week 180 miles from home .

too bad they cheaped out on the early design for the rear axles, nicest riding small car I've seen or been in, used to drive a black 63 spider convt. a friend rolled it , thankfully survived.

I'm confused. At 24:35; the presenter said the "Spyder" designation was replaced by "Corsa", but I thought in 1965 and after the 140hp car (4 carbs) was a Corsa and a 180hp car was a Spyder?

My aunt had 3 Corvair’s, the last a 65, then moved to Oldsmobile’s..

Everytime i watch one of these i miss my 61 even more

I have a 1967 Corvair 4 door that has been sitting in my Grandfather's barn for years and would like to restore it. Does anyone on here know someone who still work's on these old cars???? I would really like to see it back out on the roads where it belongs.

Head up!!….No Test drive in this video! Sad.

Legend has it that you would get a free toque and Terry Sawchuk hockey stick when you bought one in Canada eh .

Porsche loved Corvairs.

How can I fine or WHO can I get body parts for a 69 corvair

I still, love them and would love to own one. I know how to fix the glitches they have.

1960 was different from 1961 1960 front panel was diff & a gasoline heater in trunk

Does anyone want to buy a partially restored 65 corvair Monza 110? Located in Hillsboro Oregon

Corvairs were never popular with performance car enthusiasts in the 60s and 70s. The corvair was popular as a first car for someone starting out, a chicks car or a small family economy car. You could not be a true PF car enthusiast driving a corvair when their were gobs of performance V8s roaming the streets at the time and a lot better looking too.

OK... I want a Coke-bottle shaped '67 Corvair now! Dechromed, headlights replaced with Jaguar 1 piece oval headlights, taillights cut out and replaced with 2 large round flat flush mounted red Corvette taillight lenses, backup lights mounted next to license plate along with license lights in that alcove... turbocharged big bore cylinders, big valves, big head ports, 6500 RPMs hydraulic lifters cam... or single 4 barrel carb. with long torque boosting intake runners to cylinders and 7,000 RPMs solid lifters cam... low, wide tires... handling suspension... A/C...

This video is timeless and so is the design on the Corvair 65-66. Imagine if GM had the sense to make this an ELECTRIC vehicle. All the design work and the name are already done. It's a shame, because this could be a cash cow!

Comedian Erie Kovacs wrapped his 1962 Corvair Manza station wagon around a telephone pole. Sad day.

What? No Lakewood wagon (other than the one you cut up to make a pick up). Sad.

Please someone explain to me that it is that crazy thing that looks like a radiator lying on the engine!

I used to put those little motors in by hand. Stood in compartment and lifted the motor up and the wife popped in the bolts.

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