Actually....
Originally Posted by
trinogt
I think that is the actual car that was buried by Ralph Nader... You know, the guy who wrote the book about the Corvair "Unsafe at any speed", describing the car's tendency to roll over in moderate evasive manoevers?
(tongue in cheek)
Yeah, that book actually contributed to the death of the little Corvair (even though it was discovered to be mainly unfounded information), but probably not as effectively as the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang did!
Try to pull some VINs off the car and see what you come up with! I remember the story a while ago about a buried, rare race car... GT 40, I think? It was dug up after a fire destroyed the shop it was in, and dirt was pushed up around it (inadvertantly, I'm sure). It was discovered many, many years later, then rebuilt as accurately as possible, according to info from the famous owner... (look the story up, see if you can verify what I am saying; could be a totally different car altogether)
Actually, Chevy was getting ready to kill the whole Corvair line in '64, but Nader's book actually spurred the much safer '65 model year redesign of the rear suspension. Chevy also kept the car in production so that people wouldn't think Nader's book is why they killed it. It eventually ceased production because of expense to produce and dwindling sales. The last Vairs were made in 1969. Their main competition was actually not the Mustang, but Ford's compact Falcon (both were economy cars.) I remember a '60 or '61 Ford ad where they bragged that the "Falcon is up to $75 cheaper than its rear engined compeditor." Both had performance versions, sedans, wagons, and convertibles. the Corvair line even included trucks and van variants! As for your particular vair, you may have a couple salvagable rubber hoses. If nothing else, dig out the back end. you should have enough of an engine to get at least 20 bucks on ebay for what's left, or a very nice decorative lawn ornament or planter!
Cougar. Impala. Road Runner. Mustang. Barracuda. Marlin. Cobra. Wildcat. Falcon. Hornet. Tiger. Jaguar. Colt. Bronco. Viper. Bagheera. Gremlin. Stingray. Firebird. Pinto. Thunderbird. Eagle. Skylark.
Protect the Wildlife. Don't crush them, restore them.