History Crazy old GM film starring the '60 Corvair

Check out this wild newsreel film from 1960 designed to show off the brand-new Chevrolet Corvair. All kinds of crazy stunts, including crash tests with various 1959 Chevrolet full-size cars. Also rare proving grounds footage of never-was Corvairs. Big fun, have a look!


Video: The 1960 Corvair in Action | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

 

badass post. Thanks!

 

Closed course professional driver

 

Pretty cool video. While Corvairs had some issues, they really weren't all that bad either. I owned 5 of them at one time and drove a 64 Spyder convertible as my daily driver for a few years.

During the gas shortage era it was our lifesaver because I put a second Corvair gas tank on top of the first one with a selector valve, so we could buy enough gas at one time to get my wife and I to work until we could find more gas. I really liked those little Vairs.

Don

 

IIRC, in his book "Safe at any Speed" Joie Chitwood said the only cars that stood up to 2 years of shows for him were the Corvairs.

A service buddy had a first generation and ran it hard when we were stationed together in the mid '60's. Said they had gotten a bad rap, great car once you understood the differences.

Ed

 

LOL you're that guy! There's one in every town. Driveway full of Corvairs.

 

There's also a Chevy promo film floating around from the early 60s where they drove a few Corvairs through several hundred miles of South American jungle

 

I think Im brainwashed. Heard corvair 300 times lol.

 

Wow, it worked. Now I even like the 4 door ones.

20 miles upstream? They should have called it the Salmon or Sea Trout.

 

Awesome piece of history
Thanks for posting

 

What a joke!It didn't tell you how it leaked oil and the drive belts were always slipping off!And owners and mechanics had to come up with solutions to keep them on the road!

 

Ever own one, or do you just believe the stories?

 

wow that was crazy! I want to see GM take a new camaro through a stream and offroading like that.

 

My cousin had one. It was the original Exxon Valdez

 

Eat your heart out Ralph!

 

My uncle had a '63 wagon.He was a good mechanic so after he made the mods it was a good car.You had to be a little careful on slick roads but it was not the danger that nader said it was.

 

Most misunderstood U.S. built car in history. Have had my late model Corsa for 15 years, Mom had an E/M. Took my drivers ed. in a 1960 95 HP four door. Still fun to drive and easiest of all to work on. I'v built and sold a lot of H.A.M.B. cars throughout the years, and the little 'Vair is still here.

 

I followed one up the grade out of Indio and it took me weeks to get all of the oil out of the nooks and crannies on my car.

 

More old Chevy promotional films.. And if you ever drove an early Econoline on a slippery road,you know...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrhCAiV7diY

 

You guys make me laugh out loud. Makes it fun to share this stuff. Thanks.

 

As mentione earlier GM drove a group of Corvairs through the Darien Gap, headed
by Mark Smith of Rubicon Jeep fame, some are still there. Great cars, have owned
four of them.

 

I had a very nice 64 coupe I bought from a guy that didn't know why it wouldn't shift (4spd). I just put in a new clutch/PP/TObrng and hit the road. Used it for a daily driver for a couple of years. It was a great winter car for the limited ice and snow of the Puget Sound area. I don't recall any atypical oil usage, although it did manage to just blow a spark plug out one day shortly after I got it. Just ran a thread chaser in there, installed a new plug and it never did that again. I liked the car and didn't understand Nader's hatred for it. A guy who doesn't even drive a car shouldn't be passing judgement on anything motorized. But, the tree-huggers loved him and bought the books. They just LOVE to blame 'big business' when they get a chance.

 

Yes...how much trust would you put in a sex manual that was written by a virgin?

 

Never knew they were ORV's.

 

My brother in law had a Corvair pickup with the fold down side door thing. I thought it was cool. Also had a buddy with one of those fast ass spyders with the turbo, i think, and it hauled ass. But I saw the motor drop out of a four dooor as a lady hit a bump at a super market driveway once. Cool video, thanx! ~sololobo~

 

Cool video, my brotherinlaw had one of those pickups with a side door thingy. And another friend had a fast spyder, I think it might have had a turbo on it, can't remember, but it hauled ass. Also saw an engine drop right out the back of a four door as a lady hit a big pothole. Loved the video, thanx! ~sololobo~

 

Yep.

If you dont play the game, dont tell people how it should be played...

 

My first car in high school was a '64 Spyder convertible, loved that car. My dad turned it into a dune buggy in the '70s.

Pushrod tube O-rings kept leaking, really the only problem I ever had with that baby.

 

That Econoline sits very high in the back.

I bet they removed the huge cast iron balast piece those trucks had...
( at least the panel vans did, I ran into it with a sawsall when I was chopping the back off one. and it had all the signs of being OE )

 

My dad had a '64 4-door. Don't remember how many miles I spent in the compartment behind the back seat, but I do remember knocking out some loose baby teeth when we came to a sudden stop. Also remember dad being able to get just about anywhere in it regardless of how crappy the roads were. Don't remember it dripping oil any more or less than my sister's Beetle (I think there was an unintended contest between the two). Also remember it going through a phase where it ate generators and regulators.

If I remember, Nader's biggest beef that made the car "unsafe" was the original design of the rear swing arm suspension, and by the time GM improved it, the damage was done.