Normally, I do a Auto Factoid piece and you’d find a entry that would say on May 14, 1969 the last Corvair rolled off the factory line.
Some folks loved the car and many collectors still do. There were a few that really disliked the car for various reasons and one guy in particular, Ralph Nader, believed they represented all that was wrong with the U.S. auto industry. Although he may not have single-handedly contributed the end of the Corvair’s production, many believe he was instrumental in it’s early demise.
That’s why in a border town car show in Nogales, AZ I found this humorous:
What’s funny about a 1966 Corvair?
How about the Ralph Nader for President bumper sticker?
Thanks for reading.
Tim
“GM always fixes a car before they kill it” is what the Corvair, Allante, and Fiero have in common.
The Corvair had issues with it’s rear suspension. The tire air pressures between front and rears required a precise adjustment for stability in high speed cornering. The Karmen Ghia had the same issues, but Nader left that car alone as it’s sales numers were low.
In the final year of the Corvair, bushings and suspension mounts were changed to make the car stable in high speed cornering without dependance on tire pressures.
The Fiero had mid engine engineering issues that caused overheating, engine fires, and short engine life due to the placement of the motor. In the Fiero’s last year, GM upgraded the cooling, exhaust, fuel rail, and engine management computer to fix all of the issues.
The Allante’s list is long, but in it’s last year it was a reliable, excellent performing roadster. The Northstar replaced the plagued 4.1V8, the 8 on board computers were merged into two, and the ABS with space shuttle complexity was replaced with a simple, reliable wheel sensor system. Allante’s for model year 1993 are the most desirable and bring the best slaes price.
I don’t what do they have in common?
Question:
What does the Corvair, Allante, and Fiero have in common?
I’ve actually seen this car in my neighboorhood a couple of times. The guy up the street has an early 1960s Olds Starfire and this guy helps wrench on it.
My memories of the Corvair are not favorable. My uncle had one, and I recall as a young kid me and my dad making many rescue missions to get my uncle on the side of the road with his dead Corvair. It seems the 90 degree fan belt drive would fail all the time, and my dad would rescue my non wrenching uncle with two 1/2 and 9/16 long Craftsman wrenches and a new belt in hand, performing the repair on the side of the road while I watched.
Dad finally insisted that my uncle trade this car on a 1968 Nova with a small straight six and three on the tree stripper. That car never failed my uncle for almost 120K miles, then was retired due to rust issues in the frame.
For some reason, my father felt that Chevys should be strippers and if you wanted more, you had to buy a Buick. Our family haulers were stripper 6 cylinder Biscaynes, but dad drove LeSabres and Riveras as his ride with the biggest V8 and AC auto trans. I guess this is why I always gravitate towards low option, base model cars as I didn’t get much seat time in the Buicks?
This is actually my Brother-in-laws car down in Nogales.
I remember a family friend having one. I never really liked them and the Monza (like the one here) has the dual carbs and they are H E double hockey sticks to keep in sync. I have on DVD some of the early salesman’s demos…the films they would have the dealers watch to get them to promote the cars more often. They really put the car through it’s paces. It was impressive.