When I was a kid, my grandfather had a black early Corvair behind his house. I never quite understood it then…there were Chevrolet bow-ties visible, but the word “Chevrolet” wasn’t anywhere on it. It didn’t sound powerful, it didn’t look like much, and he never drove it. I didn’t understand or fully appreciate Corvairs until I saw a ’67 Monza Spyder, at which point I started learning about the history behind them. Light, rear engined and air-cooled, they were meant to be little economy cars…at least, by early 1960’s standards. Unfortunately, performance really wasn’t an option for the Corvair, unless you were friends with Don Yenko.
This particular 1961 Monza 900 doesn’t have that problem, as it has been treated to a mild Pro Street build. A full tube frame has appeared under the car, and the air-cooled engine has disappeared for a 383 Chevy with a Weiand 6-71 on top of it. Power goes through a modified Powerglide out to a Moser-filled Dana 60 filled with 4.30 gears.
The seller is looking at a new build, something with a backseat, and has decided to let this one go. As of writing, the car is sitting at about $15,000, or can be bought now for $18,ooo. Given that the engine, trans and rear end could come close to those figures in value, it’s a decent enough buy. Light, powerful, and ready to go, this Corvair is sure to find a good home in short order.
CLICK HERE to see the eBay listing for this 1961 Corvair while it is still active
“A ’67 Monza Spyder”? No such animal. Monza Spyders were introduced mid-year 1962 and continued as ’63 and then ’64 models. Spyder designated the 150 h.p. turbocharged engine. With the all-new body style Corvair in 1965 the high-end performance model was the Corsa with standard 4-carb 140 h.p. engine (optional on all other Corvairs) or an optional 180 h.p. turbocharged engine available only on the Corsa model. This model and option continued through model year 1966 but when the ’67 models were introduced, the Corsa, 140 h.p. engine and turbo engine disappeared. The 140 h.p. engine option was brought back by popular demand later in model year 1967 and continued to be available until end of Corvair production in 1969.
way cool.not a chevy fan but this is to cool to pass up.to bad i can’t get it.btw one more thing SUCK IT NADER.