Could GM have kept the Chevrolet Corvair around successfully past 1969 if they tried? It’s an easy punchline when discussing anything involving the General: they make a new model, beta-test it on the public, fix the problems, develop it into a hell of a car…then kill it right when it’s dialed in. The Corvair certainly fell into that concept…after early issues involving the rear swing-axle suspension and owners who didn’t keep up with the maintenance like GM had suggested they should, the second-generation got independent rear suspension and a body that looked downright sexy, especially when compared to the first-generation of vehicles. By the time the Corvair was killed off, a combination of the arrival of the Mustang, the rumors of the “Panther” project (read: GM F-body) and the repercussions of Ralph Nader’s handiwork had conspired to kill off one of General Motors’ most interesting vehicle designs. Chevrolet was working on a third-generation Corvair all the way through the spring of 1968, but in the end the Camaro project won out and the Corvair was killed off.
Looking at this 1968 Monza convertible really makes you wonder if that was such a smart decision. The 110-horsepower flat-six wasn’t a powerhouse but neither were the straight-six Camaros and Mustangs. Looks, however, is what sells this car and the looks are the business. The Monza had a lot of sport to it but it isn’t boy-racer in the least. This is a cruiser, the car you take out when it’s top-down weather, the car you go see the sights in. The Corvair could’ve stayed within Chevrolet’s hierarchy easily enough as the economy offering…it would’ve spared them the embarrassment of the Vega debacle.
One of the very few GM cars I thought was ever any good. Of course they’d have to kill it. Nader didn’t kill it, gutless corporate suits did.
I’m a die-hard Mopar/AMC guy: that’s all I’ve ever owned. Having said that, there was always something about the Corvair that I really liked. Love to own one.
And then they did it again with the Fiero,
Pontiac developed a twin turbo v6 Fiero, then Chevy whined because it was faster and handled better than the Vette and they killed it. Interesting that GM killed off its two most innovative lines, Olds and Pontiac, for the mediocre Chevy.chevys were for the poor man, the BOPS were the top dogs. To this day I don’t see why anyone would want a 57 Chevy over a BOP. They were poor mans cars
I have this exact model and I’m in the process of restoring it. The two other issues that they needed to work on were the heaters and the oil leaks. The cars are great in the snow, but have lousy heaters. The engines, although not very powerful (unless you have the 140 or 180 hp option) run nicely but will eventually leak oil through the external push rod tube seals. There is now a fix for that, but it requires taking the value train apart. I may convert mine to an EV.