The Corvair in Action (1960) Chevrolet Advertising Film

[HFV331]

this car was ok but i had one and it would overheat alot

[ryderdrew]

this car explodes when touched

[TheFordMan888]

One of the worst cars built of all time, besides the Ford Pinto.

[aaronpourazar]

looks like a rip off of a Renault but this car is a joke it really is

[MessyRoomProduction1]

Big Wax Got me here :D

[shamecracker]

anybody else here for WAX !!!

[MessyRoomProduction1]

@shamecracker yeaaa

[stephaniemebc]

my first car wreck was in a Corvair! I was 3! Mom was driving!! It's an awsome car!!!! Poo to u Mr. Nader!!! My first car was a Corvair.... I loved it, (sold it 2 a collector :( )

[Muhlineks]

Old fashioned Swing axle+to much power+americans that where not familiar with the driving behavior of this kind of car. It had 110hp, even a porsche hadn't that much power at this time.

[jeyendeoso]

Oooh so it's a Corvair that they used in the opening of the Naked Gun movies huh? This explains everything.

[weaponexpert1]

military uses corvairs now

[gtaplayerxx]

You see this.? this is how Commericals are supposed to be made. Not a bunch of freakshows acting in a car. or making the car lookss the nicest.. No. this is how you test a car. i love chevrolet.

[MrRonnieG]

@TRKWP ~ Covairs?

[TRKWP]

I've got two of them. Rode to school in a 1969 coupe when it was new.

[MrRonnieG]

The '60 Covair looked like someone's asshole on 4 wheels.

[TRKWP]

@MrRonnieG Are you into the habit of looking at those?

[hardwinder]

An off-road compact car? LoL, woah!

[Skid00everest340]

ah its almost like watching a german porno :D or am i right? i heard about these cars and the most unusal was that it was a flat 6 and fan cooled almost like a porsche but what i heard these had overheating issues and that mostly becuse in hot areas like nevada california well you get the point. the fan was mostly useless in the heat. but these engines are still used in most home made dunebuggys and airplanes. at least thats what wikipedia says.

[Muhlineks]

@Skid00everest340

but that must be a construction failiure. Air cooled engines had been used before in WW2. VW mounted them in their off road military vehicle. They were used in the African Desert, and were well known for their reliability. watercooled engines often failed.

[Skid00everest340]

@Muhlineks well it maybe was that VW had a bigger fan or maybe better coolin canals that goes around the cylinders.

[jeffersonianideal]

It was more prone to leak oil than it was to tip over.

[moparman1971340ply]

corvairs were great looking cars especially the last of them, for their time they were a technological tour de force, nader did a good job of not only killing the corvair but he attacked the auto industry as a whole with Unsafe at any speed.

[crossfireplaya]

Im 16 and am fixing up one of these. A late 63 early 64 monza spider. But it has the regular engine in it:,( but it's a really cool little car. Extremely simple to work on for the most part. Plenty of room in the front, but the backseat is a little... Cramped. -_- but it's basically a 2+2 so I guess that's normal. Parts are impossible and expensive. Just one rear axle bearing is 240 dollars and you have to take it to a machine shop to have it installed properly. Real bummer they quit making the

[crossfireplaya]

@polypolyman they were a flat 6. And 180* v? That's called flat...

[Motorfordtoyota]

its funny how that was yesterday's compact car, so amazing. Now look at todays, atleast Chevy is still leading the pack.

[joebuckjajaja]

I own a a 76 Cadillac and it can't do non of that

[53repete]

coffee 53 cents

[magna59]

Corvair....goes out on the high planes .....very High Chaparral.

[polypolyman]

were these boxers or 180* v's?

[vair63guy]

open the ashtray margaret I need to flick the butt.

[AWKman259]

That car is a freaking death trap! It sickens me to see the lies chevy made.

[debthebob]

My first car was a "66 corvair. ..best car I ever owned. I never got stuck in the snow with it. It was dependable despite Nader's comments. I still miss that car.

[TheBlackeyedpeas1996]

i wish today's car's suspensions were as soft as 2:30

[Lanceisabeach]

My Mom and Dad had 2 of these at the same time, they were awesome!

[dieselheart001]

It was a good little offroad rig. We had one for deer camp. It looked kinda hick with two deer cluttering the roof line and overloading the optional roof rack. But its real endearing feature was how easy it was to raise up on four telephone

poles with a front end loader for deer stand duty, then lower it for a meat haul.

If you didn't keep it tuned up it developed "Dirty Tail Duck" syndrome.

Truly, Ralph Nadir is a pussito.

[LastTree]

We had one and when you went faster than 50 it would SHAKE and SHIMMEY. This is before Nader said anything. oooh.

[wildcman]

the problem with the early models was the tire presure it was recomended that the front tires have 15lbs and the back 28 lbs of presure most people put the same amount of presure in fron and back also the enginers recomended puting swaybars on them but was overruled by management to save money they later decided to add them but it wasn't only Ralph Nader's book that killed the corvair the introduction of the Mustang and Chevy ii and then the Camaro all ate into sales

[avlisk]

Shore is a purdy car.

[CAC62]

That's the car for me!

[counkev]

Thanks for uploading this, I love videos like this it is a piece of history.

[EduWestCoastRap]

i bet a new cobalt can't do this

[2giant4u]

The motor gos in the front shoping bags go in the back as well as hookers

[Richardlwt]

I currently have a 60 Corvair (And am a lot older than you). I drive it through the mountains daily at 60 or so with no "shaky" behavior. Put the tire pressures right, align it, and drive it. You are welcome to check it out. Google Richard's Corvair.

[Coshka77]

OMG I love the 60s, even though I'm 16 I feel a tie with the 60s and 70s culture. This tempts me to buy an old car when I turn 18 or so.

[wonderboyn1]

@Coshka77 well if you value your life don't buy a corvair

[kernals12]

@Coshka77 don't buy a Corvair, It likes to Rollover, buy a Mustang

[thebaker31100]

yea ralph nader was a idiot that made a name for him self by shutting down one of the coolest cars that chevrolet ever made.

[thebaker31100]

@baja442

all corvairs are rear engine cars including rampside's and greinbrier'.

[quirpco]

The black test prototype was better looking than the production version! lol

[muzikbiz001]

i bet a 60thousand dollar bmw 5 series couldnt do this!

[darrylhaynes]

ugly

[Thebaja442]

I want one! But some of these or most of these had an engine in the back which made the back swing when ever you made turns.

[Thebaja442]

I want one!

[Waterbouy200]

Cool film - I had several Corvairs and want to buy another

[corvair100]

belle video ,j'ai moi mème une corvair monza de 1964 depuis 27 ans, je fait également parti du club des corvair de france

[justanotherengine]

I was just a little kid in the 1960's ! If my memory serves me correctly....Life was clearly MUCH "BETTER" then, of course I could be "Senile" or just completely "Toasted" ! Whoooaaaaa ! Run Faster, Jump Higher with "P.F. FLYERS" !

[KenMacMillan]

I want a 1960 coupe.

[mnestrt]

Hmmmm! over 40 years later and I don't detect any of the dangerous body roll that Ralph Nader was so adamant about.  I wonder who was lying? Mr. Nader or GM. Ralph Nader for president? NO WAY!!!!!!!

[FVBryM]

Cars back in the 50s and 60s were way more stylish than what we have now

[MarquisRex]

I think we can all agree that in retrospect Ralph Nader was a complete arse. Similar to all these idiots who whine about global warming (Al Gore)- and the resserch institutes whose job it is to receive funding so long as they present results that support MMGW myths

[inkey2]

@BlueHeavenBound are you talking about owning a corvair as a used car or did it have these problems from new

[Seattlecarnut]

It's too bad Chevrolet killed off the Corvair when it did. It's as if it bowed to pressure from Ralph Nader's bullshit. Sure, it had its faults, but with safe driving and proper maintenance, it should've been a successful car.

[inkey2]

@Seattlecarnut yeah, it was only under certain odd circumstances the corvair would be dangerous

[Seattlecarnut]

@inkey2 Any car can be dangerous if handled improperly, but unfortunately, people often blame the car or its manufacturer for making the car dangerous.

[Seattlecarnut]

@inkey2 I'm sure, under certain circumstances.

[Seattlecarnut]

@inkey2 I've never driven a Corvair, so I wouldn't know what it's like to drive. But I do know that any rear engined car can handle differently from a front engined car. Does that make it dangerous? If you drive it like an idiot, yes! If you learn to drive the car properly and make sure the tyres are properly inflated, then it should be just as safe to drive as anything else on the road, and be just as much fun to drive. It's really a shame that Chevrolet killed off the Corvair.

[rugbytlse]

It's amazing to see an American rear engine car.

[blakemcguire]

@rugbytlse fieros!

[rickslick730]

we had one coming up as a kid, and that thing was good in the snow, because of the rear Eng, i miss that car, i bet if they maid it again it will sale like hot cakes,

[moproducer]

Growing up in the Boston Mtns, I can tell you that Corvair was an excellent off-road vehicle. I've been in one doing (almost) everything seen here. We now know that Nader's report about them was largely fabricated. What a shame.

It had one issue that was never corrected: Being air-cooled (no radiator or coolant), it ran hot. The rear main seal always warped and leaked engine oil. You had to keep adding oil, it could never be permanently repaired.

[inkey2]

@moproducer LOL.....what mountains did you see in Boston?

[moproducer]

@inkey2 If you're not joking, then I guess you don't have a clue as to where the Boston Mountains are located. They run from north central Arkansas up into southwest Missouri, and are part of the Ozarks. Some of the oldest mountains in the world, according to geologists.

Very hilly, with a lot of narrow switchback roads. The area is most definitely a driver's dream, on or off-road. I've never seen an SUV that could handle the place like a Corvair, even on solid ice.

[inkey2]

@moproducer LOL...oh.....I live near Boston Massachusetts and I was thinking what the hell mountains is he talking about?

[moproducer]

@inkey2 It's cool, and I really dig Boston (MA), since you mentioned the place. You owe it to yourself to make a trip to the roughest part of the Ozarks, enjoy a float down the Buffalo River, and check out the sights. I haven't lived there in years, but I still love to visit.

And I also like a trip to Boston and dinner at Jimmy's...

[ChevRcr454]

wow it's doing stuff most of todays SUVs and those rugged minivan CUVs can only dream of doing :o

[CatalinaSafari73]

This video looks like a 1960 version of Davesfarm.

[tommyau2006]

useless car..........I wouldn't have one on my ass as a wart

[henerymag]

Actually I liked that car, it was pretty cool

[TheDynoSoar]

"It took the punishment and asked for more." Sounds dirty.

[Impalamark64]

Who needs a Nissan Xterra when you can have this?

[DarthSchwartz]

compact car lol

[MegaTallicaFTW97]

why cant cars be like THIS anymore...

[JDubs878]

@MegaTallicaFTW97

Cars can't be like the Corvair anymore because it was a freaking DEATH TRAP!!

[amadeusyaoi]

@JDubs878 Read this from the NHTSA report issued in 1971: "The 1960-63 Corvair compares favorably with contemporary vehicles used in the tests...the handling and stability performance of the 1960-63 Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or rollover, and it is at least as good as the performance of some contemporary vehicles both foreign and domestic." Want to tell me where Ralph Nader got his engineering degree? I guarantee you he didn't get it on planet earth!

[inkey2]

@JDubs878 all cars were death traps back then to one extent or another

[CrazyDave650]

Ralph nader was an idiot

[DamnStraightM35A2]

@CrazyDave650

he still is...

[blakemcguire]

i dont think many compact cars today could handle that :P

[madslipknot]

@blakemcguire is that a joke XD ... every compact cars can do this, new compact car got stiffer suspenssion en lower ground clearance :)

[madslipknot]

@madslipknot Okay everthing except the Off road part XD .... !

[blakemcguire]

@madslipknot lol i was referring to the offroad part :P you commented half way through the video didnt you :P but slipknot is awesome so ill forgive you!

[blakemcguire]

@madslipknot btw, stiffer suspension = bumpier ride

[blakemcguire]

@madslipknot stiffer suspension = good, but lower clearance actually hinders it. going over those bumbs for example, you could bottom out just a little, which could easily cause you to lose control.

[inkey2]

@blakemcguire actually, back then it was considered a "compact"....by todays standards it would be pretty big

[blakemcguire]

@inkey2 I don't know about that, it's definitely not on the same level as a sprint or anything, but it's not particularly large, I think my daytona is actually a bit bigger.

[inkey2]

@blakemcguire well it looks about the size of my 65 nova and that had plenty of room inside

[blakemcguire]

@inkey2 never seen a 65 nova beside anything that i can use for a reference, but like i said, next to my daytona it actually looks slightly smaller, and everyone keeps telling me how my daytona is a 'small car'

[rkmugen]

a most beautiful car!! But still not as beautiful as the Impala line.

[SCBianchi]

Mud-Vair for the MF'n WIN!!!!

[MerleOberon]

It seems like GM is defending it's shortcomings from the get-go

[brapboys503]

@MerleOberon Whatever dude the 70's treated GM very well.

[clydeburkey]

thay don't make cars like what thay use to .to days car are cheep made

[chromeforme]

I had a 1964 Corvair when I was 16....if I couldn't flip it, nobody could....including that dork Ralph.

[soviet1942]

@chromeforme Damn straight

[elefantboys]

@chromeforme well in jan im going to be 16 and want one

[elefantboys]

@chromeforme well in jan im going to be 16 and want one.

[b30307]

@chromeforme

I'm 50 and have driven both a 62 Monza and a 67 coupe. Honestly, those cars were shaky at highway speeds, prone to over-heating, and VERY dangerous in a crash. Most cars of that era had similar or worse problems. Safety is an illusion and always has been. I figured that out riding motorcycles. And yeah, Ralph Nader was a Dork trying to make a name for himself - he did too!

[XM8rifle]

@chromeforme That dork has saved more lives than most political figures. 

[amiskeful]

@XM8rifle notice how chromeforme's comment has thumbs up... and yours does not.



[LiberalJerseyman]

@amiskeful Notice how that doesn't matter at all.

[aimveryhigh]

''Just watch how the Covair stays under control in this situation''

It span out???

[MajorKoenig2]

@aimveryhigh thaaaaaaat's the 1960's for ya

[TheForester101]

its like SuperMan but Chevrolet Corvair ... lol

[ibold1000]

They sure dont make cars like they used to.

[MrFlavius52]

This was on TCM this morning @ 0400. On my DVR! Does that 700 sedan have a vinyl top?

[kenkem396]

my dad had one back in the day. i thenk it had a 3.1/2 hp Briggs & Stratton in it. it was air cooled like a lown mower. in the winter time it was like ridin in a dam deep freeze. BOY WTF was chevy thinkin. oh well. at lest the vega had heat. he he

[1964corvan]

@kenkem396 a cracked exhaust manifold would have noting to do with co2 inside!!! as there at the side/bottom of the engine below the main engine seal! now if the main engine compartment seal was never reinstalled properly then thats another story

[ford9572]

My Mom had an all blue '63 Corvair Lakewood station wagon when she was a sophomore in high school in the early '60s It had a severely cracked exhaust manifold & she had to drive it with the windows down both warm and cold and rain, snow and shine or she'd suffocate herself of carbon monoxide poisoning., She didn't have the money to get it fixed and she was kind of reluctant to ask her parents for some money for repairs also.

[MrFlavius52]

@ford9572 They didn't make a Lakewood in '63. Maybe it was a Greenbrier van?

[DuallyDieselFord]

offroading in a corvair.......nice

[G3RMAN91]

lol... 5:15 they tryed to make the corvair to roll over....IT WOULDNT... lol nice

[MsC1953]

Yeah, I drove a '65 - aside from the engine blowing oil like crazy, and the steering going bad it was a great car! I loved it! It was my Dad's car, and my Grandfather and brother had one too. When we were done with ours, it went to some guy building an airplane!

[Crackerssouth]

My '65 and '62 both leaked oil, think they all did. Owned my "65 in 1971, way before Viton "O" rings. No problem with the "62 now. Just plain fun to drive, and I like the "what is it" from the younger generation as well.

[Crackerssouth]

Never seen this footage before, sure is interesting to watch. Makes me appreciate the fact I own a 1962 Corvair. Ralph Nador was wrong....D.

[MsC1953]

@Crackerssouth I agree on the Nader thing - I see some of those tiny cars on the road now, and know them vs tractor trailer would be a bad scene! Worse than my old '65!

btw, one of my favorite things EVER was the shift on the dash - that lever. What a riot!

[nicklessz]

I think this is post-uaes and not like the tests are done independently, you think they actually drove 20 miles down that river?

[54rein]

So nice to see great old footage like this.

[raconter1]

Interesting footage of the seldom seen prototype! :) Jack

[Seattlecarnut]

Yes, it's controversial, but is it as bad as the controversy makes it out to be? I've never driven a Corvair, so I don't know what it's like to drive; but I refuse to believe that it's any more dangerous than anything else on the road. No car, no matter how well built it is, is without its limitations. But with careful driving, it can be just as safe, maybe even safer than anything else on the road.